AU hosts panel discussion on Christian perspective to understanding and responding to racism

10/15/2020 ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University will convene a panel of experts to discuss “Understanding and Responding to Racism: A Christian Perspective,” Monday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Jack and Deb Miller Chapel on the AU campus.

Those attending the event are required to wear face masks and observe social distancing. The presentation, part of AU’s “Faith and Society” lecture series, also will be simulcast via webinar at https://ashlanduniversity.zoom.us/j/97689383285

The panelists taking part in the discussion are Dr. Corey Miller, the CEO/president of Ratio Christi; Cary Dabney, director of the Office of Ministry to African American Catholics for the Diocese of Cleveland; Terri Link, AU’s director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; and U.S. Air Force veteran and AU doctoral candidate Kyle Miller.

Corey Miller was a seventh-generation Mormon and has authored/co-authored Leaving Mormonism: Why Four Scholars Changed their Minds (2017),  Is Faith in God Reasonable? Debates in Philosophy, Science, and Rhetoric (2014), In Search of the Good Life: Through the Eyes of Aristotle, Maimonides, and Aquinas (2019), and Engaging with Mormons: Understanding their World, Sharing Good News (2020). He has served on the pastoral staffs of four churches and has taught nearly 100 college courses in philosophy, theology and rhetoric. Dr. Miller holds master’s degrees in philosophy, biblical studies, and in philosophy of religion and ethics, as well as a doctorate in philosophical theology.

In addition to his role with the Diocese of Cleveland, Dabney is an adjunct professor in the Theology Department at Walsh University in Canton, where he teaches Introduction to Scripture and Catholic Tradition, African American Spirituality, Sacramental Theology, Christology, and the Christian Moral Life. He has served as a staff writer with the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Racism and serves as an instructor in the Continuing Education and Enrichment Program in the summer sessions of the Institute of Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in Louisiana.

Dabney holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies with a minor in Greek from Youngstown State University, received his Master of Divinity degree from Harvard University’s Divinity School and has a Catechetical Certification from St. John Catholic Seminary in the Archdiocese of Boston. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Duquesne University with concentrations in American Catholicism and Black Catholic Studies.

Link joined the Division of Student Affairs at Ashland University in June 2019. A native of Akron, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in African American Studies from Ohio University  and her Master’s degree in Urban Education from Langston University, a historically black university located in Langston, Oklahoma. As the director for Diversity and Inclusion, Link functions as the university’s diversity officer, overseeing diversity and inclusion efforts that access campus and community needs related to multiple dimensions of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging . She is also responsible for implementing high-impact practices that address the needs of underrepresented and marginalized communities. She designs and implements DEIB competency workshops, programs, and services to encourage faculty, staff and students in conversations across multiple dimensions of diversity. 

Kyle Miller served nine years as a member of the USAF Security Forces and was deployed to both Bagram and Kandahar, Afghanistan before serving as a pre-deployment instructor training troops prior to their deployments. He amassed more than 1,000 podium hours instructing through the Community College of the Air Force during that time.

Since exiting the military, Miller has been both entrepreneur and business advisor. He completed two associate’s degrees while in the military, then went on to receive a Bachelor’s degree in History from Thomas Edison State University and an MBA and graduate certificate in project management from AU, where he currently is in the dissertation phase of working toward a Doctorate of Education in Leadership Studies.

Ashland University is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.###