Do you consider diversity an issue? At Auburn University diversity is an important topic and the research that goes into it is beginning to be recognized.

Auburn University will have its first Diversity Research Conference Oct. 29-30, 2008 at the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center. The conference is called Understanding Differences that Matter: Diversity Research at Auburn University and will have two distinguished speakers, an art contest and an awards presentation. The conference is sponsored by the Research Initiative for the Study of Diversity and the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

The mission statement explains that the Research Initiative for the Study of Diversity will facilitate and generate diversity research that is of the highest quality and that is current and relevant locally, nationally and globally. By diversity they mean the difference between people that matter socially and culturally. These categories include race, sex, socio-economic status, belief systems, gender identity, age, geographic origin, physical abilities and sexual orientation.

“The benefit of having the conference on campus is being able to highlight diversity research going on at Auburn and bringing people who are doing national research to our campus,” said Garry Adams, committee member for the conference. “We want national researchers to help inform and interact with Auburn researchers.”

The research focuses on the different aspects of health maintenance; graduation, before and beyond; technology; science and design; workplace and organizational diversity; the arts; and political, economic and social systems.

The Diversity Research committee went to all the colleges on Auburn’s campus and was surprised to find that many professors were doing their own research in diversity. The conference is a way to bring all these people together and then form a community.

“There are fairly good reasons we need to be holding conferences like this,” said Adams. “We are living in an increasingly diverse world and research in diversity can help us understand the contributions of a diverse workforce and a diverse population can make on our communities, on our businesses and on the world in general. As the world becomes more diverse we need to understand and explore how to deal with diversity and how to explore different impacts of diversity on organizations and then our population as a whole.”

The work of the Research Initiative will improve the human condition especially for the poor, the vulnerable and the under served and will inform policy, practice and education. The Research Initiative will also encourage and advocate for freedom of inquiry and innovative projects.

Dr. Patricia Arredondo and Dr. Elijah Anderson will be guest speakers at the conference. Auburn researchers will have the opportunity to interact with Arredondo and Anderson and get advice from them to help further their own research. The art contest that will take place is for Auburn students who wish to submit designs and the winning artwork will be displayed during the conference.

“Different colleges on campus and student organizations are getting involved with the art contest,” said Adams. “We will get to see how these students from different colleges and organizations express their views of diversity.”

Anyone is invited to attend the conference and the more Auburn is informed about diversity the better everyone will be.


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