OSU hosts Big 10, Statewide & Beyond Conference

Ohio State’s most comprehensive conference focusing on issues of diversity and inclusion takes place on Tuesday (5/7) at the Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road. The 8th annual Big 10, Statewide & Beyond Conference, sponsored by Ohio State’s Office of Minority Affairs, begins at 7:45 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.

Tavis Smiley, host of “Tavis Talks” on National Public Radio and a contributor for several other national broadcast news programs, will deliver the keynote address at 1:45 p.m.
Smiley will address the conference theme: “Racial Legacies & Learning, IV: Moving the Nation’s Diversity Agenda Forward.” Following the keynote address, 10TV anchor Jerry Revish will conduct the conference wrap-up Q&A with Smiley and conference attendees.

A wide cross section of administrators, faculty, staff and students from institutions in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, plus corporate and community leaders, are expected to attend the conference.

The conference itinerary begins with a 9 a.m. panel discussion led by Valerie Lee, chair and professor of the Department of Women’s Studies at Ohio State, and concludes with a 3:45 p.m. tour of the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center.

Following the panel discussion, attendees can choose from 17 breakout sessions on diversity and cultural inclusion issues in higher education, corporate and public service settings, including “Impact of Boycotts on Diversity in Cincinnati & South Carolina,” and “The Mascot Issue: Images of Honor or Symbols of Oppression” (at 10:15 a.m.); and “Affirmative Action in Admissions,” and “Importance of Diversity in Government” (at 11:25 a.m.).

At a luncheon prior to the keynote address, President William E. Kirwan and Provost Ed Ray will present 2002 Ohio State Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Awards to four university faculty and staff members and one university unit.

The complete schedule is on the conference website http://oma.ohio-state.edu/spprogs/BigTen/index.htm

WHAT:Ohio State hosts the 8th annual Big 10, Statewide and Beyond Conference

WHEN: 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7. Keynote address is 1:45 p.m.

WHERE: The Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road.

WHY: The conference is a comprehensive discussion on issues of diversity and
inclusion.