Penn State Conference Draws Leading Diversity Practitioners

9-16-97
University Park, Pa. -- More than 350 participants representing higher education, business and organized labor will gather at the Penn State Conference Center on Sept. 18-20 for the Best Practices in Diversity Conference. Nationally renowned speakers will talk about diversity practices within organizations -- those that work, and those that don't.

"We have attracted some of the leading diversity practitioners and decision makers in the country," says Charles Clark, conference chair. "A conference of this nature can have far-reaching impact for academic institutions and private organizations at a national level."

R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr., founder and president of the American Institute for Managing Diversity and author of three books on diversity in the workplace will give the keynote address. Participants will get a broad look at the nature of diversity management -- its potential and its challenges.

Deval L. Patrick, former assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, will discuss hiring, retention and promotion practices, followed by a panel discussion.

Herbert Z. Wong, an industrial and organizational psychologist and a consultant on multicultural leadership strategies, will discuss diversity training and programming initiatives, also followed by a panel discussion.

Closing remarks by Mary-Frances Winters, president of The Winters Group, a national diversity consulting firm, will address diversity programs and initiatives for the 21st century.

"On the dawn of the new millennium it is going to be critical for our society to use all of its talented people. With technological advances and changes occurring at a lightning-fast pace, our survival, as a nation, depends on respecting and valuing diversity," says Winters.

Other invited speakers include:
-- Reginald Jones, commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission;

-- Richard Womack, director of civil rights, AFL-CIO;

-- Henry Bienen, president, Northwestern University;

-- Ann Weiser, vice president for HR Donnelly and Sons;

-- W. Sandy Boyd, president emeritus, University of Iowa;

-- Ethel Batten, chief diversity officer, Lucent Technologies;

-- V. Robert Hayles, effectiveness/diversity consultant and former vice president for human resources, Pillsbury;

-- Anthony Ipsaro, president, Meridian Associates;

-- Richard Sisson, provost and executive vice president, Ohio State University;

-- Taylor Cox, associate professor of organizational behavior and human resource management, University of Michigan;

-- Roger Ackerman, CEO, Corning Incorporated;

-- Marion Gindes, diversity consultant;

-- Leroy Pernell, dean of the Law School, Northern Illinois University;

-- Judith Gappa, vice president for human resources, Purdue University;

-- Patricia Pope, president, Pope and Associates;

-- Jill Farrell, assistant vice president, Sprint Business.

Other organizations and institutions selected to present include Michigan State, Ohio State, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois, Indiana University, Purdue University, University of Kentucky, Penn State, Corning Asahi, PPG Industries, Sprint Business, Kodak, HR Donnelly and Sons, Shakti for Children and The Winters Group.

The conference is a continuing and distance education service of Penn State's Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity and the College of Education in collaboration with the Committee on Institutional Cooperation. It is supported, in part, by Penn State's Alumni Association, the Office of International Programs, and Penn State's Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost; DuPont, Merck Pharmaceuticals, MetLife Insurance, Eastman Kodak, AT&T, FMC Corporation, Cigna, Corning Asahi and Lucent Technologies.

For more information, call 1-800-PSU-TODAY.

**kiw**

Contact: Karen I. Wagner (814) 865-7517 (office) (814) 867-0797 (home) kiw1@psu.edu