As John Rawlins III prepares to leave his position at Ithaca College after serving eight years as the assistant director for Multicultural Affairs on Sept. 19, he and the students he has worked with reflect on the contributions he has made to the college community.

I heard about the Cross-Cultural Leadership Retreat, which is Nov. 8–10 this year, during my first year at Ithaca College from a few friends in my residence hall who participated in it. While it sounded...