MONDAY, APRIL 28

Sponsored by the RIT Board of Trustees
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Gordon Field House & Activities Center

Keynote Address by: Frans Johansson: Diversity Drives Innovation
What trailblazers share is not just the breakthrough nature of their discoveries but where they went to find them…
Living at the Intersection

Frans Johansson, an entrepreneur, thought-leader and author of a bestselling business book, The Medici Effect, shows us how ideas from different fields and cultures meet and collide, ultimately igniting an explosion of extraordinary new innovations. Raised in Sweden by his African-American and Cherokee mother and Swedish father, Johansson will introduce this intersection of ideas that he has drawn from personal experience. Frans brings proven examples of how to find new paths by taking what one can do best and combining it with something that is just slightly different to change the world. Frans will prove that seemingly random combinations (diversity) have ground-breaking ideas that create whole new fields.

Real-time captioning and sign language interpreting will be provided. Register at cpdcoop@rit.edu

TUESDAY, April 29, 2008
Expressions of Diversity Conference
Sponsored by the President’s Commission on Pluralism and Inclusion

Poet James Cohn, The Avatars of American Sign Language: The Postbeat Lounge Poets and the Museum of American Poetics - A Discussion on Poetry, Diversity and the Digital Age
4:00 - 5:30 p.m., Fireside

Jim is the author of five collections of poetry: most recently the Quien Sabe Mountain (Museum of American Poetics Publications, 2004). In 1986 he received his M.S. Ed. in English and Deaf Education from the University of Rochester and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

Comic Art Super Heroes Drawn to Diversity
7:00 - 9:00 p.m. SAU, Fireside Lounge

Drawn to Diversity features a cast of "super art heroes" who use comic books, advertising, and other popular mediums to explore diversity. D2D creatively "teaches history, inspires artists, cultivates dialogue, and fights ignorance" and recently partnered with Wegman's Food Markets to bring educational posters into the supermarket aisles.

WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2008
Isaac L. Jordan Sr. Faculty/Staff Pluralism Award Recognition Ceremony
12:00 - 1:00 p.m., SAU, Fireside Lounge

Named after the Commission for Promoting Pluralism's first Chairperson, Isaac L. Jordan, Sr., this ceremony recognizes the accomplishments of several RIT faculty and staff who have contributed in unique ways to diversity and pluralism.

Stereotypes of Native Americans in Movies
Presenters: Peter Jemison, 2007-2008 Minett Professor and Professor Jason Younker, College of Liberal Arts
3:00 - 4:30p.m, SAU, Fireside Lounge

Participants will be able to view Hollywood’s version of how Native Americans have been portrayed in movies. At the conclusion of the movie segment, participants will discuss these images and the negative impact misrepresentation can have on a culture.

THURSDAY, May 1, 2008
Left Brain / Right Brain - Arts vs. Sciences

Presenters: Professor Michael Peres (RIT Center for Imaging Arts and Sciences) and Dr. David Cok (Kodak Research Lab)
12:00 - 1:30p.m, Fireside Lounge

At RIT, science and art merge; creativity collides with cutting edge technology. Do these diverse worlds work together or are they opposites? This panel discussion will focus on the seemingly divergent goals of traditional right brain/left brain thinking where both work together toward a desired end.

Partnerships in Pluralism REUNION
3-4 p.m., Fireside Lounge

Have you ever wondered about a new neighbor, co-worker, or classmate from a different culture? Tied to approach them to learn more about who they are yet, backed away unsure of what to say? What if there was a way to do this in a structured environment, among friends and peers? At RIT, there is such a way. One of the premier programs facilitating communication across cultures is the RIT Partnerships in Pluralism program. Taking diverse faculty and staff, pairing them together and structuring activities over a year, the program has opened the door to not only meaningful communication but rich friendships. Partnerships in Pluralism is now four years old and boasts more than 200 campus pairs. To celebrate current and previous Partners, and to encourage new participants, the first Partnerships in Pluralism Reunion is taking place and the campus community is invited to attend the Reunion, to learn more about the Partnerships in Pluralism Program and to join the group for next year’s session.

FRIDAY, May 2, 2008
Higher Educations Panel: How Diversity Drives Innovation on Neighboring Campuses
Inter-Collegiate Diversity Agora, 11:30 - 12:30 p.m., Fireside Lounge