Dan Raybon, director of the Cultural Unity Center, will retire Aug. 31 after 26 years of service at the University of Colorado at Boulder, according to Ron Stump, vice chancellor for student affairs.
Raybon and his spouse, Professor Patricia Raybon of CU-Boulder聮s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will be working on their consulting venture, Christian Diversity Concepts, Inc., specializing in diversity education and training. Professor Raybon is taking a one-year leave of absence from the university.
Raybon joined the CU staff in February 1974 as a staff counselor in the Black Education Program. He has been a campus leader since then, promoting cross-cultural training programs, counseling support services for students, faculty and staff, and community outreach efforts.
"Literally and figuratively, Dan Raybon has stood for equity and diversity on our campus. He has continually been one of the primary leaders in fostering a campus climate of openness and fairness for all," Stump said.
"His leadership will be missed, as well as his wisdom, good humor and friendship."
Raybon also served as director of the Black Education Program and the Equal Opportunity Program聮s counseling division, as well as associate director of the Multicultural Center for Counseling and Community Development. He assumed the role of director for the Cultural Unity Center in 1995.
Raybon has served on numerous university task forces and committees, including the CU-Boulder African American Faculty/Staff Association聮s advocacy committee. He also holds several affiliations with professional counseling and student affairs associations and is an active presenter, participant and consultant.
"Through the years I've tried to give my best to the students we have served and to my colleagues, many of them now friends and associates. This experience and time has given me wisdom, kept me young, filled me with hope and faith -- and certainly prepared me for more of life's adventures," he said.
"I identify with a quote by John Ruskin that states: 聭The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it.聮"
Dale Trevino, currently the associate director of the center, has been appointed interim director, effective Sept. 1.
Trevino has been a member of the campus community since 1982, when he enrolled as a student in the Equal Opportunity Program. He earned his bachelor聮s degree in sociology in 1986 and joined the staff of the admissions office as alumni coordinator, serving there for five years.
He holds a master聮s degree in counseling from Colorado State University, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Colorado at Denver, completing studies in higher education administration with an emphasis on educational policy and administration.
Trevino joined the Cultural Unity Center in 1992, where he has served as counselor, assistant director and associate director. In his role as interim director, he plans to focus on new directions that address and meet the changing needs of students of color.
The length of Trevino聮s appointment is indefinite and plans to fill the permanent position have not yet been determined.
The Cultural Unity Center facilitates the intellectual, cultural and social growth of all students, with a particular focus on students of color, in order to promote a more successful and positive university experience.
For more information, call (303) 492-5667 or visit their web site at .