Source: Myra E. Gordon, 785-532-6276, mygordon@k-state.edu.
News release prepared by: Jessica Grant, 785-532-6415, jgrant@k-state.edu
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
K-STATE'S ANNUAL DIVERSITY SUMMIT APRIL 10
MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University's fifth Diversity Summit will be 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10, in the K-State Student Union Ballroom.
The theme of this year's summit is "A Time for Bold Visions, Critical Analyses and Strategic Actions." Topics will include "Diversity and Excellence: An Essential University Mission in Changing Times," "After White Privilege," "The 2008-2013 Strategic Plan for Diversity" and "The World Ahead."
The summit costs $15, which includes a continental breakfast and lunch. To register, contact Romaine Schell at romaine@k-state.edu or 785-532-6276.
The event is sponsored by the K-State President's Commission on Multicultural Affairs, the Diversity Advisory Council, Black Student Union, Hispanic American Leadership Organization, Lou Douglas Lecture Series on Public Issues, Dorothy L. Thompson Lecture Series on Civil Rights and the office of diversity and dual career development.
Keynote speaker will be Mary Frances Berry, the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania.
"Berry's legendary work on the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, her bold visionary leadership in higher education, and her tireless advocacy for the disenfranchised all over the world combine to make her the perfect person to discuss issues of campus diversity and how to deal with them creatively to advance institutional excellence," said Myra Gordon, K-State associate provost for diversity and dual career development, and chair of the President's Commission on Multicultural Affairs.
Featured speaker will be Mike Hill, associate professor and chair of the department of English at the State University of New York at Albany. Hill will present an analysis of whiteness in the context of various civil rights movements, critical race theory, white privilege studies, enlightenment ideals and post-formalist concepts about identity.