Hundreds of students, faculty and staff filled the Memorial Union Patio Friday (April 14) to welcome Chancellor-designate Gary May and his wife, LeShelle. The pair visited campus ahead of May's Aug. 1 start date as the university's next chancellor, and made several stops to meet members of the campus community.
May also spoke with a group of students at the event who were protesting his spots on the boards of Leidos and Charles Stark Draper Laboratory. He had met with them earlier in the day to hear their concerns.
Dinner with Big West champs
May took steps to reach out to athletes during his visit, posing for photos with several teams during the afternoon welcome event. Later in the day, Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter and May welcomed the men's and women's basketball teams to the chancellor's residence for dinner.
May speaks at Black Convocation
May capped the day's activities with a visit to the seventh-annual Black Convocation, an event organized by Student Affairs to give students of African descent an opportunity to network and discuss concerns with faculty, staff, alumni and community members. May spoke at the event, sharing sources of inspiration in his career, instances of racial bias he's encountered, the importance of diversity, his efforts to mentor underrepresented minorities and women in STEM fields, and tips for the students in attendance.
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