photo by: Contributed photo

Bulaong Ramiz-Hall, who previously served for KU's Office of Multicultural Affairs, will return to Lawrence in July to serve as the director of the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity.

To lead its office focused on fostering gender equity on campus, the University of Kansas selected a candidate with previous experience at the university.

The university recently named Bulaong Ramiz-Hall, who currently serves as the director of the Multicultural Resource Center at Amherst College, as the new director of the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity. She takes over the position on July 15.

Ramiz-Hall, who previously worked for the KU as a program coordinator at the university’s Office of Multicultural Affairs from 2014 to 2015, told the Journal-World on Friday that she’s excited to return to Lawrence to fill the position.

“I left for personal reasons before, and I really wanted to have more time in my previous position in Lawrence,” she said. “The opportunity to come back feels really good and I’m excited.”

Ramiz-Hall has served at Amherst College since 2016. Prior to Amherst, she served as the assistant director of Student Activities and Leadership Development and New Student Orientation at Wesleyan University from 2015 to 2016.

As the Emily Taylor Center director, Ramiz-Hall will be charged with providing overall leadership for the center while being an advocate for diversity and equity on campus, which are traits Ramiz-Hall has exhibited in her past positions, Precious Porras, assistant vice provost for diversity & equity and director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said in a KU news release.

“We are really excited to be able to bring Bulaong back to KU,” Porras in the news release. “She has developed a track record of successful, creative engagement across a broad range of interests and communities. That experience makes her an excellent choice to usher the Emily Taylor Center in additional directions that serve the KU community and the region.”

When Ramiz-Hall takes over, she will replace longtime director Kathy Rose-Mockry, who is retiring after serving in the position for 20 years. Ramiz-Hall said she worked with Rose-Mockry when she was last at KU.

“I’m up for the challenge,” Ramiz-Hall said of replacing a long-time director. “I feel grateful I’m coming in and have a relationship (with her), where I can reach out and get support as needed.”

When she takes over the position, Ramiz-Hall said she hopes to help continue fostering inclusivity through focusing on intersectional identity, which includes other discrimination people may face that overlaps with gender discrimination. As a new mom, Ramiz-Hall said she also wants to work on an initiative focusing on helping student parents.

“I have a new sparked interest in the experiences of student parents, which I think is really a big issue, especially how it pertains to feminism,” she said.

She also wants to help adapt the center’s new office in the Burge Union, which was established in March 2018, into a location where students can hang out and be themselves.

“I’m excited to built it to a place where people can just come and be,” she said. “(It will be a place where they can) get resources they need, but also find and build community together.”