Release date: May 1, 2003

Contact: Frances Weyand, Director of Media Relations, 770-423-6203 or fweyand@kennesaw.edu
Writer: Rick Woodall, 770-423-6203 or rwoodall@kennesaw.edu

Kennesaw State celebrates diversity on campus, in community

Diversity, both on campus and in the community, was the focal point for a pair of recent events featuring representatives of Kennesaw State University.

Friday and Saturday, April 25-26, Kennesaw State hosted the first of its kind conference, "Stepping Up to the Plate in Diversity Education," at the Marriott Northwest Hotel in Atlanta. Educators from a number of local, regional and national institutions took part in the two-day symposium, which served as a showcase for best practices in diversity and learning in higher education. The sessions were designed to appeal to faculty and administrators from all disciplines who are involved in general education and major program curricula, as well as administrators in other campus offices whose responsibilities include the creation of a positive campus climate.

"Our university vision for diversity requires that we educate our students to be productive global citizens, and after 9-11 and the war in Iraq, it is even more important," said Dr. Val Whittlesey, KSU's assistant vice president for academic affairs and conference co-chair along with Dr. Flora Devine. "The conference is part of the process of exploring how we can enhance the KSU undergraduate curriculum to include more multicultural perspectives."

Over the past decade, colleges and universities across the country have begun to diversify their curricula to better prepare students to live and work in an increasingly complex world. Some of those institutions, such as Kent State University, Oregon State University, Meredith College and Georgia's own Gainesville College, were in attendance. Also taking part were representatives of Spelman College, Georgia State University, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents and Emory University, among others.

"Diversity," Devine explained, "is at the heart of the academy's purpose -- that is, advancing knowledge and raising ethical and societal questions about how to apply that knowledge. That is what education for the 21st century is all about."

While the conference was a first of its kind endeavor, Sunday's "Celebration of Commitment" marked the 18th year of partnership between Cobb County's largest institution of higher learning and Zion Baptist Church in Marietta. The theme for the April 27 program -- featuring a keynote address by KSU communication major Carla Barrows -- was "With Faith All Things Are Possible." The annual celebration signifies the uniting of Kennesaw State University with the local African-American community in a sincere effort to make KSU a haven for all of the diverse peoples who inhabit Cobb and other surrounding counties.

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Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive, residential institution with a growing student population of 15,600 from 118 countries. The fifth largest out of 34 institutions in the University System of Georgia, KSU offers 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.