President's Annual Lecture on Diversity

The College brings to campus a distinguished scholar or leader to work closely with students, faculty, and staff on issues related to diversity and deliver a major public lecture on diversity and society. Since 2017 this speaker has been highlighted as the keynote at the annual Diversity Summit. Check out previous summit keynotes and session content here.        

2014

Estelle B. Freedman, the Edgar E. Robinson Professor in U.S. History at Stanford University, delivered the talk, “Sexual Violence and Citizenship: Rape and Race in American History.”  Freedman specializes in women’s history and feminist studies. She is the co-founder of the Program in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

2013

Professor Arlene Kanter from Syracuse University's College of Law presented "From Charity to Human Rights for People with Disabilities" with an emphasis on disability rights under international law and its global development.

Archie Ervin, vice president for Institutional Diversity, at Georgia Institute of Technology.

2011

John D'Emilio, professor of gender and women's studies and history at the University of Illinois at Chicago, delivered the talk, "Rethinking Gay History. Or Richard Nixon: Gay Liberationist?"  

2010

Georgina T. Wood, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, spoke on "The Development of Law and Development in Ghana." The lecture combined the annual Roemer Lecture on World Affairs with the President's Diversity Lecture.

2009

Maria Guajardo, director of the mayor’s office of Denver, Colorado, for education and children, spoke on “Navigating Across Cultures." 

2008

Bruce Jacobs, the author of Race Manners for the 21st Century, spoke on "Getting Real About Race."

2007

Troy Duster, Chancellor's Professor of Sociology at the University of California at Berkeley, spoke on the interrelationships between contemporary science and public policy and their implications for race and justice.

2005

Rohini Anand, senior vice president and chief diversity officer for Sodexo, spoke on the need for companies to create a more diversified workforce for the future. She presented a global-based overview of the workforce of the 21st century and offered practical advice on how corporations and institutions can achieve and sustain a diversified workforce.

bell hooks, noted author, speaker, and activist, whose groundbreaking books have re-shaped national conversations on issues such as diversity and pedagogy and the relationship between feminism and race-consciousness.

2004

Jeffrey Milem of the University of Maryland, an expert on the impact of diversity education and learning on college and university students.