University Park, Pa. -- It certainly wasn’t a change in climate that drew Carlos Wiley from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to Penn State -- both Platteville and State College enjoy their fair share of frigid temperatures and precipitation throughout the winter months.
Instead, the new director of Penn State’s Paul Robeson Cultural Center said it was a change in population that drew him east.
“What attracted me to the position was the ability to work at a larger campus and the focus of working with and alongside students,” Wiley said. “There’s a steep learning curve and it was a large step up from the institution I came from. The ability to create close personal relationships with students was what I was looking for and what I’ll be able to do.”
Before joining Penn State, Wiley served as director of the Multicultural Educational Resource Center and as director of university diversity at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. During his time in Wisconsin, he worked to improve the retention and graduation rates of students of color and improve cross-cultural relationships at the university. He also helped to revive the football team as a linebacker coach.
As the director of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, Wiley will work with the staff to make the Penn State community more aware of the many dimensions of diversity. In his role, he will address the campus climate in regard to student support and retention, while leading many programmatic efforts that focus on student learning within issues of diversity. He also will focus on meeting the University’s goal of maintaining access and affordability to all students.
A native of Lockport, N.Y., Wiley received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Quincy University, and a master of science degree in education from UW-Platteville.
In the past six months he has transitioned from a campus with nearly 8,000 students to one that counts more than 40,000. Conventional wisdom might predict a less intimate atmosphere at a larger institution. However, Wiley says it’s quite the opposite.
“My initial reaction to the institution is equal to the impression I have now," he said. "During the interviewing process people were nice, friendly and willing to engage in conversations around issues of racial diversity.
“Penn State has a well-established, clear plan and agenda to address the issue of racial diversity. Through a variety of programs and the faculty, staff and students I’ve met, it’s definitely been a benefit.”
Again in a reversal of expectations, Wiley said he has encountered less administrative red tape in Happy Valley. “Coming from an administrative viewpoint, I expected there to be more hoops to jump through for things," he said. "I haven’t experienced that. I’m pleasantly surprised."
In his six months at University Park, Wiley said he has started putting his stamp on the position. “Every new director has his own vision of what they would like the position or office to look like under their leadership. I’m instituting some of mine and I’m folding in some of the past ideas,” he said. “I have found ways to begin to shape and lead the center and hopefully make it one of the most sought after resources for cultural centers in the country.”
Wiley has done that by melding some past practices with some exciting new ideas he is implementing.
“The concepts that were here in the past were concepts I resonated with," he explained. "We’re enhancing what the center had done. We want to make it more visible. We’re starting a 'Voices of Activism' series. Every year we will honor a different person who was an activist from some region or culture, someone people don’t know a lot about, and do a tribute to them. Some may be deceased; some may be alive. If they are alive, we hope to get them on campus and recognize them.”
Recognition is a central theme with Wiley. In addition to helping students learn what a valuable resource the Robeson Center is, Wiley said he wants to raise awareness among parents and families, as well.
His message to them is, “The Paul Robeson Cultural Center is here to provide students with opportunities to broaden their cultural education, cultural enrichment and personal identity to increase their workforce potential.”
Visit http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/cultural to learn more about the Paul Robeson Cultural Center.