Administration

Black University leadership roundtable on race, bias available online

Two more roundtable conversations on race scheduled for Sept. 8 and Nov. 5

Clockwise from top left, Clarence Lang, Jennifer Hamer, B. Stephen Carpenter, Will Price, Danielle Conway, and Randy Houston participate in a roundtable discussion on race and campus climate. An American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter captures the conversation in the bottom right. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Black members of University leadership led a roundtable discussion on race, bias and campus and workplace climate on June 30 as the first event in three-part series titled “Toward Racial Equity at Penn State: Social Difference, Social Equity and Social Change.”

This first roundtable conversation — “Race, Our Campus Climate and Workplace:  A Conversation with Penn State’s New Black Leadership” — is archived online and viewable at watch.psu.edu/toward-racial-equity/.

Jennifer Hamer, professor of African American studies and senior faculty mentor in the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity, moderated the conversation, which also included active participation from viewers through a chatroom moderated by  WPSU producer and director Will Price.

Marcus Whitehurst, vice provost for Educational Equity, provided opening remarks and thanked the panelists for their participation. Panelists sharing their experiences and expertise included B. Stephen Carpenter II, dean of the College of Arts and Architecture; Danielle Conway, dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law at Dickinson Law; Randy Houston, president of the Penn State Alumni Association; and Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts and professor of African American studies.

The “Toward Racial Equity at Penn State: Social Difference, Social Equity and Social Change” roundtable series will continue with two additional conversations to be held during the fall semester. Both will be viewable at https://www.watch.psu.edu/toward-racial-equity/.

A conversation scheduled for Sept. 8, titled “Race, Teaching and Learning in our Current Climate,” will explore the experience of people of color within predominately white classrooms. The series concludes on Nov. 5 with a conversation titled “Race in the Community,” which will focus on the experiences of people of color living within predominately white communities.

Last Updated April 15, 2021