Towson University: Meet The New Director Of TU's Center For Student Diversity

Press release from Towson University:

Kyle Hobstetter

July 28, 2021

After a law degree, Phillips Thomas Hornbuckle found a passion for higher education

Phillips Thomas Hornbuckle never expected to stay in student affairs.

The second-generation University of Alabama alumna, who earned her bachelor’s degree
and her Juris Doctor from the school, started working in higher education right after
she graduated law school.

As she studied for the bar exam, Thomas Hornbuckle told herself working with students
would be temporary. But after a year in the University of Alabama’s student affairs
department, she was surprised at how much she loved it.

And after almost a decade in the field, Thomas Hornbuckle joined Towson University
this past May as the new director of the Center for Student Diversity (CSD).

For the past six years, she worked in a multicultural affairs office for York College
of Pennsylvania, a private college in Pennsylvania. When the opportunity to return
to a public institution came, she jumped full force at the chance.

“During my interview, I warned them that on a scale of one to 10, I’m a strong eight
or nine,” laughs Thomas Hornbuckle. “I am very good at being around people; I get
a lot of energy from it. I love to role-model that in my work, which is how moving
into DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) felt like a really natural progression.”

After a friend sent her the job posting, Thomas Hornbuckle started to research Towson
University, including looking at the Diversity Strategic Plan.

She says she has a “Christmas wish list” when it comes to applying for a new job.
As she learned more about what the CSD and the Office of Inclusion & Institutional Equity (OIIE) does for TU’s students, boxes on that wish list kept getting checked off.

“Looking at the job description, it was like 80, 90, 95% of the list. Then, as I grew
to learn more about the office itself, about OIIE and about my individual team within
the CSD, it just inched up and up until it was pretty much my dream next step,” Thomas
Hornbuckle says. 

She also started to follow Towson University’s social media. Through it, she discovered
how TU had awareness of who it was to different communities that make up the overall
campus.

“I found that really attractive because we're encouraging students to understand who
they are as people, to understand how they're perceived in different environments,”
she says. “And the fact that Towson was illustrating their ability to do that and
to show students how to do that through fun social media, but also through really
thoughtful speakers and programs, really caught my eye.”

As she prepares for the fall, she’s excited to welcome students to the CSD office
in the newly renovated University Union. When asked what students can expect when they meet with her, she looks back at her
kindergarten progress report.

The teacher described her as a “mother hen.”

“One of my goals is to make sure students understand that I intend to care consistently
and deeply about them as people, as students and as members of the Towson University
community,” Thomas Hornbuckle says.

Along with that mothering/older sister mentality, Thomas Hornbuckle wants to help
students navigate new environments and successfully engage with different groups.

She knows some were told growing up they were special and unique, while others were
told the opposite.

Thomas Hornbuckle says that CSD is a commitment by TU to tell both areas of that population
they are wrong.

“Yes, everyone is unique. But at the same time, there are a lot of people who think
like you, who agree with you, who have experiences that lead them to reach similar
conclusions about various aspects of life,” Thomas Hornbuckle says.

“The Center for Student Diversity offers space for [students] to develop an awareness
of that, but also, even if you are the most predictable of all possible intersectional
identities, there is a need for you to challenge yourself on those beliefs, opinions
and experiences.”

This press release was produced by Towson University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.