Mar. 8, 2022
CWU Director of Residence Life Receives Diversity and Inclusion Award
CWU Director of Residence Life Ian Miler
The Northwest Association of College and University Housing Officers (NWACUHO) has honored Central Washington University Director of Residence Life Ian Miller with its Diversity and Inclusion award, which recognizes individuals working to enhance awareness of diversity and social justice issues within their institutions.
Miller was nominated for his outstanding work as chair of NWACUHO’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. He saw the effect that the pandemic has had on committee members’ stress levels, and he took action to limit its impact.
“It has been important to me to talk with and listen to people about how they are doing and what their needs are,” Miller said. “As a voluntary committee, I wanted to make sure I was not adding to individuals’ stress or ‘to-do list’ but, rather, supporting them and the work they were already doing.”
The NWACUHO committee moved to monthly email updates, as opposed to meetings, to permit members to participate as much or as little as they wanted during the period of increased stress.
In addition to chairing the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Miller serves on the CWU Bias Response Team, participates in the Employees of Color Equity Council, and serves as chair on the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I) Research Committee. In the fall of 2019, he helped implement the Department of Housing and Residence Life’s residential curriculum, which provides diversity-related learning opportunities to housing residents.
“The work of supporting diversity and inclusion is never done; there is always more we can do,” Miller said. “We continue to find ways to listen to and support our students, staff, and faculty. It is important we are adaptable and flexible to change. We must never stop striving to be better.”
About Central Washington University
Central Washington University is located in Ellensburg, Washington, and is among the most diverse higher education institutions in the state. CWU has been honored with the prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award in seven of the last eight years.
Media contact: Rune Torgersen, Department of Public Affairs, rune.torgersen@cwu.edu, (509) 963-1264