Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate Damon Williams held a press conference Monday to discuss the recent reorganization of campus diversity programs at Thursday's Campus Diversity Forum.
Williams initiated a major reorganization effort within the university's Diversity and Climate division, bringing five campus diversity programs—First Wave, PEOPLE, CeO, POSSE and the Office of Equity and Diversity—under his jurisdiction as vice provost.
""I felt like we would benefit from a greater level connectivity and cohesiveness,"" Williams said about the reorganization.
According to Williams, restructuring was just a first step.
""We've made shifts in these programs, but that's just one move in a broader journey,"" he said.
Steps in Williams' plan include faculty diversification efforts and an expansion of PEOPLE, a program that seeks to address statewide disparities in math competency and ACT scores by encouraging college matriculation among underrepresented groups.
""A part of our special responsibility ... [Is creating] an experience both within and outside the classroom that is going to prepare all of our students for a world that's diverse and global and interconnected,"" he said.
According to Williams, one of these experiences is this week's Campus Diversity Forum.
He said the title of this year's forum, ""Cultivating Excellence: Nurturing the Seeds of Success,"" refers to the many positive results of Plan 2008, a 1998 initiative to enhance campus diversity.
""The point that we're trying to make is that there are very positive things that are happening that we need to be building on,"" he said.
Program highlights include a discussion of UW-Madison's Go Big Read selection, ""The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,"" which features a black woman whose cancer cells contributed to cancer research, and a panel discussion on women of color.
Williams says his biggest regret is that the event will be taking place during the day when many students will be too busy to fully participate.
However, Williams is also planning a ""Student Town Hall on Diversity"" as a parallel event to the diversity forum.
The Campus Diversity Forum will take place Thursday at Memorial Union from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Williams said the student town hall will be in October or November.
