Unity Star
Distribution: All Without OPS and F
Fall 2012
Newsletter
Diversity Breakfast Keynote Speaker Announced Continuing with the tradition of outstanding guest speakers, this year’s keynote speaker comes to us from the Washington, D.C. area, where he serves as the Chief Diversity Officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges. He encourages audiences to elevate diversity out of its silo and into the company of talent management and strategic planning to transform organizations and, ultimately, communities. In the context of academic medicine, this means making diversity core to the overall mission of better health outcomes for all. Dr. Marc A. Nivet provides strategic vision and programmatic leadership around diversity and inclusion. He has worked to reframe the narrative around diversity, positioning it as a driver of excellence and highlighting the link between community engagement and health equity, via his advising lectures and writing. In addition, he serves the diversity and academic medicine communities on a variety of boards and commissions. Dr. Marc Nivet, Chief Diversity Officer, Association of American Medical Colleges Bio & Photo Courtesy of Emily Yunker, Association of American Medical Colleges
The UCF Diversity Breakfast: A Powerful Cultural Tradition
Years This year marks the 20th anniversary of the UCF celebration of Diversity Week. And, for the past fifteen years or so, we have begun this Annual Fall celebration with a breakfast. The initial Diversity Breakfast was sponsored by the College of Health and Public Affairs exclusively for their college. This event included faculty members sharing information about the incorporation of diversity content and issues in their courses. The very next year, the concept of a diversity breakfast progressed to five colleges and became known as the Dean’s Diversity Breakfast. It was held in the Key West Ballroom, because, at that time, Key West was the largest ballroom at UCF. When the Pegasus Grand Ballroom was built, the breakfast was expanded to include not only colleges but also divisions, units, individuals, and community partners. From its meager beginnings, the Diversity Breakfast has become a significant university event that brings together individuals to enjoy a meal and to celebrate aspects of diversity in a public forum. Speakers have included such noted personalities as Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, President of Spelman College; Dr. LeManuel Bitsoi, Minority Action Plan Program Director
UCF: A Veteran Friendly Campus
at Harvard Medical School and our own Dr. Richard Lapchick, Director of the UCF Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, and UCF graduate, A n g e l a King, former skinhead and social activist. This year, we look forward to another enlightening presentation by Dr. Marc Nivet, Chief Diversity Officer, Association of American Medical Colleges. The Diversity Breakfast strengthens connections between and among diverse individuals and helps to increase our awareness of the importance of our university goal to become more inclusive and diverse. We anticipate that this iconic UCF tradition will continue to provide both nutritional sustenance and important cultural relevance for the members of our UCF community for years to come. So, plan now to become a part of this powerful cultural tradition by joining us for the 2012 Diversity Breakfast on Monday, October 15.