#Leaders4Diversity Conference

On March 27^th, 2015, The Office of Diversity & Inclusion hosted the #Leaders4Diversity conference. This conference was a one day event focused on empowering students to become leaders within diverse communities.

This event was sponsored by the College of Business Administration, Student Success and Multicultural Initiatives, AHA!, International Programs, SWAT, Center for Academic Readiness and Success, Academic Advising, JTAC/Grassburr, Applied Learning Experience, and  Career Services.

 

 

  

Workshop I (9:40-10:40 AM)

Islamophobia: Causes and Consequences was presented by Dr. Syed Jafri, professor of Economics. In his presentation, he identified the causes of Islamophobia, the fear of those who practice the Islamic faith. In addition, he identified ways to address this phobia with a perspective that will promote understanding in a diverse society.

Leadership Development-Tarleton Style was presented by Dr. Rudy Tarpley, the Department head of Agriculture & Consumer sciences. His presentation provided students with 10 suggestions for an effective leader.


The Wonderful World of LGBTQ Superheroes was presented by students Nichole Kirby, Bertie Gardner, Emily VanKirk, Torri Carrol, and Kaitlin Sullivan. During this panel, students were able to learn about positive representations of celebrities within the LGBTQ community.

Workshop II (10:50 - 11:50 AM)

Competencies and Karaoke: Two Methods of Selecting Diverse Work Teams was presented by Dr. Randy McCamey, Associate professor of Management. In this workshop, students were asked to think critically about building diverse teams through the use of personal strengths.

 

 Why Can’t We All Just Get Along? was presented by Dr. David Franzier, Assistant professor of Agricultural education.  Students were able to use this hands-on workshop to learn about the importance of respecting cultural differences.

 Inspiring Diverse Leadership in Ourselves and Others was presented by Lauren Donnell, Lacie Pence , and Jayna Bhakta, students in the social work program. This presentation incorporated the use of live social media to demonstrate the importance of networking to increase diversity. The presenters also highlighted how students can use diversity when developing organizations to maintain relationships on a college campus.

 Workshop III (1:20 - 2:20 PM)

 Decision Making in College: the Good, the Bad, and the Failed Out was presented by Patrick Byrne, a senior Agricultural Leadership and Development student at Texas Tech University.  This workshop explores the decisions college students face that determine how successful they will be at reaching their goals.

 Believing In What You Can’t See: Achieving Success in the Face of Adversity was presented by Landan Schaffert, a speaker and senior at Coloradio State University. Schaffert is also the National FFA Secretary. With this presentation, students were given information on how to combat challenges to reach their goals. Schaffert connected with students by speaking about a personal challenge he faces- being legally blind.

 The Benefits of Study Abroad was presented by Dr. Marcy Tanter, Associate Professor of English. Dr. Tanter has led a study abroad trip to Scotland and South Korea at Tarleton. Dr. Tanter uses her personal experience to speak about how study abroad enhances tolerance through hands-on education. She also provided students with resources they could utilize to fund study abroad trips.

 Workshop IV ( 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM)

We the People” in the Age of Obergefell v. Hodges was presented by Judd Leach, Associate professor of Business Law and proud Tarleton Ally. Through this workshop, Mr. Leach explored the meaning behind the term “ We the people” in the United States constitution. He explored who exactly the “we” is  by examining the Three-Fifths Compromise and the struggle for women’s suffrage in history. Leach also explored the case of Loving v. Virginia, and introduced participants to the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, a lawsuit focused on the recognition of  same-sex marriage beyond state lines.

Listen and Resolve: Building Trust and Managing Conflict Effectively was presented by Landan Schaffert. In this workshop, students explored managing and preventing conflict when faced with opposing perspectives.

Tolerance, Coexistance, Secularization, Religious Freedom, and the Challenges of Religious Diversity in the Public Square was presented by Dr. Eric Morrow, Assistant Professor of Political science and Interim Head of the Department of Social Sciences. In this workshop, the relationship between religious diversity and its effect on politics were explored. Dr. Morrow stressed that religion is not always tolerated in government.

The keynote speaker for this event was Priscilla Hartman Hedlin. Mrs. Hedlin is known for her blog at http://www.wheelchairmommy.com/. Mrs. Hedlin blogs about her life as a mother to three boys and shares words of encouragement. During the presentation, Mrs. Hedlin presented photos of her three boys and spoke about her choice to stay positive despite being paralyzed in 1999. She spoke of the misconceptions people have about her and told students, “ I don’t have to compare myself to anybody else and neither should you.” You can find more information on Mrs. Hedlin on her website.