Center on Diversity and Community Symposium-Unscripting Diversity

Center on Diversity and Community Symposium-Unscripting Diversity—November 3rd-4th, 2011

On November 3rd, Dr. Claude M. Steele, Provost and Professor of Psychology at Columbia University, delivered the keynote address at the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Center on Diversity and Community (CoDaC). Dr. Steele is the author of numerous groundbreaking works in the areas of social psychology and stereotype threat. His most recent work, Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do,” explains the academic scholarship in language accessible to all.

CoDaC hosted an excellent symposium that featured other key leaders and scholars who are known for their work in creating more inclusive, equitable, and accessible campuses. Other invited guests included: Gibor Basri (Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion at UC Berkeley and Professor of Astrophysics), Mitchell J. Chang (Professor of Higher Education & Organizational Change at UCLA and co-author of AAC&U report, Making Diversity Work on Campus: A Research-Based Perspective), and Caroline Turner (Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Arizona State University and author of the AAC&U report, Diversifying the Faculty).

Dr. Steele’s keynote in particular was not only inspiring it was thought provoking. He reminded us of how easy and often we allow our unconscious and not so unconscious beliefs and bias from our opinions and beliefs about people influence us to the detriment of all.