Executive Director of OME Darrien Davenport Announces Resignation

Davenport speaks at the college's Martin Luther King Day celebration in January 2017 (Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College)

Davenport speaks at the college’s Martin Luther King Day celebration in January 2017 (Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College)

By Gauri Mangala and Benjamin Pontz

Dr. Darrien Davenport, Executive Director of the Office of Multicultural Engagement (OME) announced his resignation Wednesday, effective July 26, to accept a job as Senior Student Affairs officer at Penn State-Harrisburg.

Davenport has served as the first Executive Director of the three-year-old office since it was formed to replace the Intercultural Resource Center as “part of our increased focus around diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Dean of Students Julie Ramsey said in an August 2016 interview.

Davenport, who came to Gettysburg in October 2016, served on numerous college search committees including those for President Bob Iuliano and Athletic Director Mike Mattia. Also, during his tenure, OME moved to a new, bigger space, expanded its staff to include an Assistant Director, and launched the Mosaic Cupboard to provide basic toiletries to students in need. He advised a number of student groups including the Asian Student Alliance, for which he became a co-adviser after a follow-up to the Campus Climate Study indicated Asian students felt a lack of connection to OME.

OME was formed several months after a landmark town hall meeting in which students expressed discontent with the campus climate for students of color. That meeting led Ramsey to conclude that “it was clear that we need a broad institutional effort to address the climate issues on campus.” OME has been central to that effort.

No details on a plan for Davenport’s interim replacement or a subsequent search were immediately available.

This article will be updated.

Author: Gauri Mangala

Gauri Mangala '21 currently serves as the managing editor for the Gettysburgian. Gauri is originally from Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Aside from her work with the Gettysburgian, Gauri is the treasurer for the Owl and Nightingale Players. She is a double major in Theatre Arts and Anthropology.

Author: Benjamin Pontz

Benjamin Pontz '20 served as Editor-in-Chief of The Gettysburgian from 2018 until 2020, Managing News Editor from 2017 until 2018, News Editor in the spring of 2017, and Staff Writer during the fall of 2016. During his tenure, he wrote 232 articles. He led teams that won two first place Keystone Press Awards for ongoing news coverage (once of Bob Garthwait's resignation, and the other of Robert Spencer's visit to campus) and was part of the team that wrote a first-place trio of editorials in 2018. He also received recognition for a music review he wrote in 2019. A political science and public policy major with a music minor, he graduated in May of 2020 and will pursue a master's degree in public policy on a Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Manchester before enrolling in law school.

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2 Comments

  1. Best of luck in your future endeavors, Dr. Davenport! Given this latest departure, it would be interesting to compare the attrition rate of administrators and faculty or color vs. white ones at the College. Students have voiced their concerns about the lack of diversity among faculty and administrators many times, including last year during the Presidential Search Committee Forum, but things do not seem to have moved in the right direction this past year.

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    • As a student at Gettysburg, I agree that we should be looking at the retention rates for employees of color, as well as employees in other minoritized positions such as being LGBTQ+ or disabled. I have seen far too many good people leave in my two years here. There is a story behind these numbers.

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