Annual UW Diveristy Forum to examine evolution of diversity; honor Veterans’ Day

MADISON — The 2014 Annual UW-Madison Diversity Forum, hosted by the Office of the Vice Provost & Chief Diversity Officer and Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement, will be a two-day learning event centering around the discussion of contemporary issues, the changing definition of diversity, potential solutions, and practical applications on the UW-Madison campus. 

Pulse 2014: Diversity’s Evolving Paradigm & Practical Approaches will be held on Monday & Tuesday, Nov. 10 & 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with registration at 8:30 a.m. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Register today at http://go.wisc.edu/ssgmkn. The event is free and the public is invited.

“This year’s Diversity Forum will take an unflinching look at the rapidly changing dynamics involving culture, race, society and economics,” UW-Madison Interim Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Patrick J. Sims said. 

“There is a general sense of urgency to define and address some of the long-standing issues of our time, especially the role diversity plays in higher education for preparing students for the 21st Century and the global workforce. We’re going to look at these issues with fresh eyes and discuss the implementation of UW-Madison’s Diversity Framework, which prioritizes our collective thinking to identify solutions for these same issues.” 

This year’s Diversity Forum includes renowned speakers Rebecca Ryan, Peter Aranda and U.S. Army Reserve Major General Marcia Anderson.

Part futurist, part economist, and always engaging, Rebecca Ryan is one of America’s most influential thought leaders, helping cities and companies think around the corner to what’s next. 

The author of ReGENERATION: A Manifesto for America’s Future Leaders (2013) and Live First, Work Second: Getting Inside the Head of the Next Generation (2007), Ryan will speak on America’s current condition of regeneration, the nation’s changing demographics and psychographics, and how some Americans are reacting to these trends.

“America is in a moment where it must work better for more people. The demographic, political, social and other changes we are feeling are REAL, they are SEASONAL, and America has been through three other periods like that,” 

Ryan said in previewing her keynote. “Bottom line: America and Wisconsin are becoming more diverse and our premiere land grant university needs to be a leader in inclusion and diversity awesomeness.”

As founder and co- owner of Next Generation Consulting, Ryan leads the team that best-selling author Richard Florida calls, “One of the most reliable sources for leaders who want to attract and retain the next generation of creative workers.” Ryan lives in Madison and is the Resident Futurist at the Alliance for Innovation and a Senior Fellow at CEOs for Cities.

Peter J. Aranda, III, is Executive Director and CEO of The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, a non-profit alliance that includes some of the country’s best business schools, major corporations and sought-after MBA candidates. A Consortium alumnus who received his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, Aranda will deliver the afternoon keynote.

Aranda used his experience in business school to build a successful career in the business world, and has continued to show a passion for learning and advancing diversity. Before moving to the non-profit world as part of The Consortium, he achieved success at Andersen Consulting, Price Waterhouse and MCA. Aranda also has been involved with the Ph.D. Project, whose mission is to recruit and support underrepresented minorities to increase diversity in business school faculties. He currently resides as board president of College Horizons, a nonprofit organization that supports the higher education of Native American students.

The first day of the Forum will be held in the newly renovated Shannon Hall of the Memorial Union Theater complex. 

The day also will include a Faculty Panel discussing the current state of Civil Rights 50 years after the passing of the Civil Rights Act and a Town Hall on Race, Community and Law Enforcement featuring Madison Police Chief Mike Koval, University Police Chief Susan Riseling, Detective Gloria Reyes and Madison community leader Dr. Floyd Rose. 

On the second day of the Forum, Nov. 11, Veteran’s Day, we’ll open with two rounds of concurrent breakout sessions in the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St. at 9:15 a.m. and 10:35 a.m. In the afternoon, we’ll be celebrating our military veterans with Marcia Anderson, the first African-American woman to achieve the rank of major general in the United States Army Reserve, at the Wisconsin State Historical Society Auditorium across the street. Anderson’s Tuesday keynote address is entitled, "It Is Not Where You Start That Matters – It Is Where You Finish."

Major General Anderson, Acting Assistant Chief and Deputy Chief, Army Reserve, has served since October 2011 as the senior advisor to the Chief, Army Reserve on policies and programs for the USAR, including force structure, Congressional budget and appropriations process, development of manpower and personnel policies, as well as Department of The Army and Department of Defense Matters. She has commanded at the Company level through General Officer. She has also served in a variety of staff positions at Battalion, Brigade, and Division level. She was promoted to Major General in October 2011.

Her military education includes the Adjutant General Basic and Advance courses, Basic and Intermediate Government Auditing, Command and General Staff College Course, Advanced Joint Professional Military Education, Capstone, and the United States Army War College, where she was awarded a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies. General Anderson has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Creighton University and a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law. Her military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Parachutist Badge, and Physical Fitness Badge.

As a citizen-soldier, Major General Anderson is employed by the United States Courts, where she serves as the Clerk of Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Wisconsin, located in Madison.

 

Tuesday morning’s concurrent sessions include:

• Disability as Part of Diversity: Current Trends and Future Actions;

• Queer @ UW: Negotiating the evolving concepts of LGBT identity;

• Aprende=Aprecia=Acepta: A Path to Creating a Culture that Finds Value in Diversity facilitated by the Latino Professionals Association of Greater Madison;

• Leveling the Playing Field for Women on Campus;

• Post‐Racial America? A Conversation;

• Delta’s Academic Excellence Initiative: Addressing the Classroom Achievement/Equity Gap;

• The Business Case for Diversity, led by Peter Aranda and Phil Miller, UW-Madison Business School;

• 16 Years of Learning Together: An Exploration and Celebration of Learning Communities For Institutional Change and Excellence (LCICE);

• Crossroads Queer Students of Color Panel;

• “Wounded Warriors”-­ Wisconsin Public Television’s film project about veterans, a discussion with the film’s director Mik Derks and Native American veterans, moderated by Aaron Bird Bear;

• First Wave: Inside and Behind the Words.