DUNMORE, Pa. — Penn State Worthington Scranton will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with its third annual MLK Day Luncheon and Excellence in Diversity Awards ceremony at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, in The View Cafe.
This year's theme is "A Higher Destiny" and LaTida Smith, CEO of the Moses Taylor Foundation will be the guest speaker.
This annual event is held to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the campus' commitment to diversity. Staff, faculty, students and members of the community are invited to attend and participate in the activities.
This year, the campus is organizing three service events that will take place after the luncheon and awards ceremony in order to promote community involvement and volunteerism.
Participants will be able to choose to participate in any of the following: a Bingo for residents of the Gino J. Merli Veterans Center, in downtown Scranton; organizing clothing donations for the Keystone Rescue Mission in Scranton; and an on-campus event building and decorating birdhouses for the Lacawac Sanctuary and the Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed District. Some of the birdhouses will also be used on campus as well.
These events are open to the public. Anyone interested in attending can fill out the online form at: http://worthingtonscranton.psu.edu/mlkform or contact Marianne Gable in the chancellor's office at 570-963-2539.
The event was organized by the campus' Diversity Council, which was formed by Chancellor Marwan Wafa with the following purpose and mission:
The PSWS Diversity Council is intended to assist in the development of a comprehensive and well-coordinated set of system actions that focus specifically on greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and accountability at every level of the university life. The central premise holds that PSWS need to intentionally integrate their diversity & inclusion efforts into the core aspects of the institution – such as their academic priorities, leadership, quality improvement initiatives, decision making, day to day operations, and organizational cultures – in order to maximize success.
Outside sponsors include Barnes & Noble and Prudential.
Members of the 2017-18 Diversity Council are: Marwan Wafa, chancellor; Mary Elizabeth Benedict; Lynne Fazio; Sandra Feather; Marianne Gable; Amy Gruesky; James Hart; Deborah Johnson; Agnès Kim; Brad Kovaleski; Melissa LaBuda; Martin Lacayo; Mary Lance; Michelle Lavender (student rep); Marilee Mulvey; Michele Nicoteri; Matthew Nied; Caressa Olivio; Jennifer Oshinski; Parminder Parmar; Raymond Petren; and Amanda Jill Thoman.