Rites of Passage slated for May 12

Morehead State University’s Office of Student Activities, Inclusion and Leadership Development will sponsor its 33rd Rites of Passage recognition ceremony on Friday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m.

The ceremony will take place in the Space Science Center.

The purpose of the ceremony is to recognize and celebrate the scholastic achievement of minority and international students at MSU. Each student will receive a certificate, a gift and a special Kente stole.

The keynote speaker for the spring celebration will be Cory Clark. MSU’s minority academic services coordinator.

In his current role since October 2015, Clark focuses on student development through training, program development and focused initiatives. He also directs the DREAMS program (Dedicated to Retention Education and Academic Success at Morehead State), a comprehensive academic support and retention program targeting students of color. 

As one of the first in his family to attend college, Clark’s passion for student affairs derives from his own personal undergraduate experience at Eastern Kentucky University. As an undergraduate student, he quickly developed into a student leader and in 2008 became the first African-American student to be crowned homecoming king in school history.

Clark received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from EKU.

Throughout the state, Clark continues to serve as an advocate for issues of diversity, inclusion and equity in higher education as the current vice president of the Kentucky Association of Blacks in Higher Education (KABHE), an organization he has been involved in since 2009 as a student. He has dedicated his life to making a difference and changing lives through higher education.

Additional information about the ceremony is available by calling Shannon Colvin, student leadership and advocacy coordinator, at 606-783-2071 or email s.colvin@moreheadstate.edu.