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Note: This activity was part of the FaCE Project Phase I, which operated from Fall 2004 through Spring 2008. For information about current FaCE Project Phase II activities, go to the FaCE home page. Conference on Racial and Ethnic Diversity |
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Links
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An
overview of the conference
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From the start of our planning, ACM and the Committee on Minority Concerns hoped that the Conference on Racial and Ethnic Diversity might help us think about the complexities of diversity and about the ways in which we as a consortium could learn from each other. Thus we thought it especially important to assemble campus teams for this gathering, and it was extremely gratifying to see those teams in action. More than a hundred faculty and administrators representing student life, admissions, and other academic offices gathered at Colorado College to engage in a frank and extremely productive discussion about how to promote and sustain diversity on our campuses. We hope it's just the beginning of conversation -- and action -- that will continue to build even after the good memories of Colorado fade. The history of this event demonstrates the strength of the different consortial networks on our campuses. Funded by the ACM-Mellon Faculty Career Enhancement (FaCE) Project, the Conference on Racial and Ethnic Diversity developed through continuing conversations of the ACM Committee on Minority Concerns (CMC) and other constituencies. At several of their biennial meetings, the ACM Deans discussed the topic of diversity at ACM campuses and indicated the need for a conference related to this topic, so they readily supported the proposal from the CMC. Meanwhile, admissions officers also approached ACM to explore whether more might be done collaboratively to increase campus diversity. ACM Presidents, while acknowledging that diversity is ultimately a campus-based issue, encouraged the idea of a forum where ideas could be shared both across campuses and also among different campus constituencies. One of the conference highlights surely was the opening keynote address, "Faculty Diversity: Seizing the Opportunities," by Dr. Jose Moreno, Assistant Professor of Chicano and Latino Studies at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Moreno offered compelling data from his research in California about faculty diversity and hiring practices, data that forced his audience to question a host of myths often used in higher education to explain the lack of minority representation. (Dr. Moreno's PowerPoint presentation is available to download.) |
Saturday afternoon's keynote speaker, Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. (Bush School, Seattle, WA), also offered a dynamic, powerful challenge to participants to confront our own prejudices, privilege, and isolation. Moore and Moreno were powerful forces in this conference, and the vigor of their messages was matched by their generosity in contributing to the ongoing conversations of the weekend. Panel discussion sessions included presentations from academic deans, faculty, and administrators from student life, minority and multicultural offices, admissions, and support service; these addressed
Breakout sessions brought participants together for more focused discussions about
Campus teams, which gathered on several occasions throughout the weekend, reported good results in identifying directions for campus action and improvement. Thanks to our hosts at Colorado College -- President Richard Celeste, Dean of the College Susan Ashley, Associate Dean Victor Nelson-Cisneros, Professor Mario Montano, Director of Minority Student Life Rochelle Mason -- for their graciousness and for providing such terrific facilities (and good weather). And, likewise, thanks to the inspirational colleagues on the Committee on Minority Concerns for their leadership and their many contributions to this conference. A variety of materials, both from the conference itself and from initiatives sparked by the conference, are available (see the links section above) and more will be posted soon.
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updated 3/5/08
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