Inside Iowa State

April 27, 2007

"... the challenge of recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and staff becomes a challenge to be open, to be receptive to a wide range of social groups and to do that in the face of historical contradictions. Efforts to welcome, celebrate and support diverse constituencies on campus are often followed by Balkanization, fragmentation and at times conflict far from the ideals of unity and community we usually seek. We want to argue that diversity should not only be a goal. It should be a value of the institution."

- J. Herman Blake

J. Herman Blake joined Emily Moore to give the keynote presentation at the second annual Regional Diversity Summit held April 17 at Iowa State. Blake and Moore both are former faculty at Iowa State. They are co-founders of Scholars for Educational Excellence and Diversity Inc., and offer consulting services on a variety of topics, including enhancing academic achievement. Approximately 160 people attended the summit. Photo by Bob Elbert.