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College of Veterinary Medicine

Compelling Keynote to Kick-off Iverson Bell Regional Diversity Summit at Purdue

May 11, 2018

Promotional graphic for a regional diversity summit featuring diverse elements and a stylized silhouette.

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine will host the Iverson Bell Midwest Regional Diversity Summit beginning next Friday, May 18, with a keynote address by Glenn E. Singleton, founder of the Pacific Education Group, which seeks to achieve racial equity in education.  The Summit, which runs through Sunday, May 20, is designed for faculty, staff, and students to develop their cultural competency and support a diverse and inclusive academic environment.  Topics for the 2018 event will focus on learning to have planned, and in the moment, courageous conversations in the context of the curriculum, student affairs, and institutional culture.

The event kicks off with a luncheon Friday, when Mr. Singleton will deliver the keynote address.  He has devoted more than 30 years to constructing racial equity worldwide and developing leaders to do the same. He is the author of Courageous Conversations about Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools (2006), a protocol for sustained, deep dialog.

Kathy Wong (Lau), chief diversity officer at San Jose State University, along with Anna Yeakley, Intergroup Relations Program director at UCLA will assist in the facilitation of the Summit.  Additional sessions include Intergroup Dialogue Skills and a Panel Discussion featuring students, staff, and faculty.  Throughout the event, participants will spend time developing role play scenarios to demonstrate how to have both planned, and spontaneous, courageous conversations in the context of the curriculum, student affairs, and institutional culture.

On Saturday, May 19, Summit sponsor Zoetis, will honor two faculty/staff from a veterinary college in the Midwest region with the Zoetis Diversity and Inclusion Awards.  Recipients are chosen for their contributions towards supporting progress in achieving diversity and inclusion in their respective institutions.

The Iverson Bell Midwest Regional Diversity Summit is a collaboration involving the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.

There’s still time to register, but you must register today.  Registration closes tonight, Friday, May 11, 2018.   Click here for more information about the Summit.

Writer(s): Andrea Brown, Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

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