Annual Diversity Forum addresses issues and solutions

The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s 2014 Diversity Forum, hosted by the Office of the Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer and Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement, centers around the discussion of contemporary issues, the changing definition of diversity, potential solutions and practical applications.

Pulse 2014: Diversity’s Evolving Paradigm & Practical Approaches takes place on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 10-11 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with registration at 8:30 a.m. Continental breakfast and lunch are provided. The event is free and open to the public.

“This year’s Diversity Forum will take an unflinching look at the rapidly changing dynamics involving culture, race, society and economics,” says Patrick J. Sims, interim vice provost and chief diversity officer. “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.”  

The first day of the forum will be held in the Wisconsin Union Theater’s Shannon Hall. 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 Chief Mike Koval of the Madison Police Department, Chief Susan Riseling of UW Police, Detective Gloria Reyes and Madison community leader Floyd Rose.

Speakers that day include Rebecca Ryan and Peter Aranda.

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 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.

Aranda is executive director and CEO of the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, a nonprofit alliance that includes some of the country’s best business schools, major corporations and sought-after MBA candidates.

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. Aranda also has been involved with the Ph.D. Project, recruiting and supporting underrepresented minorities to increase diversity in business school faculties. He currently serves as board president of College Horizons, a nonprofit organization supporting the higher education of Native American students.

The second day of the forum, taking place on Veterans Day, features Marcia Anderson, the first African-American woman to achieve the rank of major general in the United States Army Reserve, at the State Historical Society Auditorium. Her address is titled, “It Is Not Where You Start That Matters — It Is Where You Finish.”

Anderson has served since October 2011 as the senior advisor to the chief of the Army Reserve on policies and programs for the USAR, including force structure, the congressional budget and appropriations process, development of manpower and personnel policies, and Department of The Army and Department of Defense matters. As a citizen-soldier, Anderson serves as the Clerk of Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.