New Crossroads Directors Bring Multicultural Experiences to UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Crossroads Community Center is under the direction of two new leaders this academic year with Dr. Beverly Hawk named director and Brice Miller as assistant director.

Hawk and Miller coordinate the efforts of graduate and undergraduate students as they shape innovative programs in UA Crossroads, now in its third year as the campus center for intercultural conversation.

“As part of the UA Division of Community Affairs, we host the conversations that create community,” Hawk said about Crossroads. “We are a great big campus and we’d like to get to know one another.”

Through established Crossroads programs — Sustained Dialogue and Intercultural Student Council — and newer initiatives — Community Conversations and Your Story /My Story — students, faculty and staff engage in conversation and campus leadership, Hawk explained.

Hawk brings to Crossroads some 20 years of experience as a college professor and student mentor. Before coming to UA, Hawk served on the faculty of Miles College where she taught international studies, research methods, public administration and government.

In 2000, Hawk received the Millennium International Volunteer Award for initiatives in pursuit of international understanding. In 2004, she received the John Carroll University Alumni Medal in recognition of her work with AIDS Orphans, and in 2005 she received a Fulbright Senior Specialist Award to continue her consultations with universities overseas.

Hawk’s intercultural work is shaped by her years as an African studies professor. Through the Fulbright Program she served on the social science faculties of the University of Nairobi in 1994 and the University of Malawi in 2001. She was editor of the national journal of the African Studies Association, African Issues, for six years and was elected to the international board of the association.

Hawk was recognized with the national Sigma Delta Chi Award Medallion of the Society of Professional Journalists in 1992 for her work “Africa’s Media Image,” a collection of writings by leading journalists, scholars and researchers that has shaped that study of intercultural communication about Africa.

Hawk holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, a master’s degree in African studies from Howard University, master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The new assistant director, Brice Miller, is an award-winning K-12 educator with more than 12 years experience in multicultural education and community building. His intercultural philosophy is shaped by his international performance tours and community-building workshops. He has more than 15 years programming experience in community cultural enrichment.

Miller’s commitment to intercultural relations is a result of his lifetime dedication to community building through music appreciation. A traditional New Orleans jazz trumpeter, he was the director of Jazz Education Programs for the New Orleans public school system and coordinator and facilitator for the University of New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong Quintet graduate student program before coming to UA.

He has provided cultural enrichment and diversity representation for the Louisiana governor’s office, the U.S. French Consulate and three New Orleans’ mayors. In addition, Miller is artistic director of the Brice Miller Foundation and CEO of Brice Miller LLC, where he coordinates initiatives that foster civic collaboration both nationally and internationally.

Miller received his bachelor’s degree in music education and master’s degree in educational administration and leadership from Xavier University of New Orleans.

With his strong background in jazz and educational administration, Miller uses music and the arts as his platform to initiate the exchange of intercultural ideas about sensitive issues. “I’ve always recognized that music and art bring people together,” Miller said. “Once you remove the barriers of indifference and create a comfortable opportunity of togetherness, then people will be more sincere and truly express how they really feel.”

National trends in the field of intercultural communication emphasize the arts as opportunities for community building. Through Crossroads, Miller will serve as a leader on campus and in the community for cultural discussions associated with music, art and literature.

Hawk and Miller invite students, faculty and staff to join in their efforts at Crossroads to create innovative intercultural programs and meaningful campus conversations.