Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate Programs Damon Williams held a press conference Tuesday outlining the schedule for the 2012 Diversity Forum, which will take place Friday, Oct. 12.
Lani Guinier, a civil rights attorney and Harvard Law School professor, will be the keynote speaker at the forum. Guinier will discuss the process and consequences of the affirmative action case to face the U.S. Supreme Court beginning in October.
The forum will also include five breakout sessions that will address topics ranging from religious diversity on campus to diversity concerns in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s human resources redesign, according to Williams.
Additionally, a “diversity impact report” will be released at the forum, detailing the current diversity demographics for many areas at UW-Madison.
Williams said he expects over 600 participants for the event, including almost 450 staff and faculty members and approximately 200 students.
“I think participation in the forum is important because you get a chance to be a part of a community who is going to be engaged in a discussion about possibilities,” Williams said, “and about what the priorities are for diversity at the university.”
All of the events in the forum are free and open to the public.
