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K-State Today

Division of Communications and Marketing
Kansas State University
128 Dole Hall
1525 Mid-Campus Drive North
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-2535
vpcm@k-state.edu

October 11, 2021

KSUnite breakout session highlights and plenary speakers

Submitted by KSUnite Planning Committee

On Tuesday, Oct. 12, the Kansas State University community will gather in a hybrid format for the annual KSUnite event. This year's event will include two plenary speakers and nine breakout sessions highlighting various topics at different levels on the diversity continuum. The KSUnite webpage will serve as your connection to the event.

Plenary speaker No. 1 noon-12:45 p.m.

  • Minnijean Brown-Trickery will present "Return to Little Rock: A Seminal Moment in American Civil Right and Education." As a living witness to history ― and as an active participant who has helped shape it ― Brown-Trickey delivers a fascinating exploration of social change, diversity and the battle against racism throughout the decades, from the beginnings of her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement to the present day. Unerringly hopeful but realistic, she is a stately speaker who helps today’s students understand both how far we have come and how far we still have to go in the battle for freedom and equality.

Plenary speaker No. 2 1-1:45 p.m.

  • Caleb Stephens will present "Community Building, Vulnerability, and Mental Health." Stephens will present on the complex yet essential interconnectivity of community building, vulnerability and mental health. The focus will be on marginalized and oppressed identities. This presentation will help to draw direct lines of applicability in ways we can utilize vulnerability and courage within our communities to solidify and even fortify hope, trust and connection.

Period 1 breakout sessions are highlighted below and will take place from 2-2:45 p.m:

Period 2 breakout sessions are highlighted below and will take place from 3-3:45 p.m:

  • "The World is Waiting: Institutionalizing DEIB for Transformational Change"
    Pedro Silva Espinoza, teaching assistant professor and diversity point person, College of Education; Mona Menking, director of global education outreach, College of Education; Graciela Berumen, program coordinator, College of Education; and Chloe Wurst, diversity coordinator, College of Education.