At the conclusion of the Spring semester, Arcadia University holds its annual awards luncheon to celebrate faculty and staff who are retiring, to honor faculty and staff for their years of service to the University, and to present the Cultural Ally and Martha Washington awards to deserving colleagues. Usually held in the Dining Hall, this year the ceremony took place in the Commons Great Room (which was packed) and emceed by President Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III.

Dian Taylor-Alleyne, Associate Dean of Students, was chosen by a selection committee as the winner of the 2012 Cultural Ally Recognition Award. The highly regarded recognition is a student-led initiative established in 2005 to provide an award for a member of the Arcadia University staff who validates the experiences of African, Latino, Asian-American and Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) students. The selection committee remarked, “[W]hen those students who have been historically marginalized during the college experience identify an ally, he or she is someone who serves the entire student body.”

Taylor-Alleyne’s approachability helps students from underrepresented groups make their needs and desires known to members of the University’s administration. She is known for listening to students and adjusting her approach to meet students’ needs, as well as actively demonstrating a commitment to being a cultural ally outside of the University campus.

“She is always open and willing to assist and provide guidance to students and she is very supportive of student clubs and organizations,” wrote one student. “She does a great job of helping us to feel welcomed and included. Arcadia is a better place for us to be because of Dian Taylor-Alleyne.”

“There are few of us as engaged with students as Dian,” said the President after the ceremony. “While all of us try to meet and interact with each student on his or her own terms, Dian is clearly one of the go-to people in the University whom all students trust and feel comfortable with. The Cultural Ally Award is a wonderful accolade to her, and  Dian is a wonderful example of excellence for the rest of us to emulate. I am looking forward to seeing who follows her lead as next year’s nominees!”