WEST PLAINS, Mo.– Missouri State University-West Plains will participate in Missouri State University’s 2013 Public Affairs Conference, “Inclusive Excellence,” April 10-12 by offering area residents the opportunity to hear conference speakers via interactive television (ITV).

Local campus officials joined forces with conference organizers at the Springfield campus to make arrangements for area residents to see and hear five of the event’s plenary addresses on the local campus, said Emily Gibson, coordinator of theater and events with Missouri State-West Plains’ University/Community Programs (U/CP) Department, which is hosting the event locally.

This year’s conference, the ninth hosted by the university, will focus on what inclusive excellence means and how it is accomplished, according to Dr. Gilbert Brown, associate professor of counseling leadership and special education and the 2012-2013 provost fellow for public affairs.

“In 2009, Missouri State University declared inclusiveness as one of the university’s top priorities, but in the discussion of inclusive excellence, what does ‘inclusive’ mean?  Is it merely a synonym for ‘diversity’?,” Brown said.  “No, there is a broader meaning.  Inclusion implies more than the presence of ethnic and cultural diversity.  According to the American Association of Colleges and Universities, inclusion is ‘the active, intentional and ongoing engagement with diversity – in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum and in communities.’

“As citizens of a global society, how do we practice inclusive excellence in education, in healthcare, business, in social and political interactions, in the arts, and in the sciences?  Are we focusing on inclusive engagement or merely on the presence of diversity?  To what extent is inclusion important, necessary, desired?  Join us in a year-long dialog as we discuss, debate and explore the many aspects of inclusive excellence,” Brown added.

The five plenary addresses that will be provided via ITV to West Plains include:

•  “Network of Inclusion and the Politics of Choice” by Charlton McIlwain, associate professor of media, culture and communications at New York University, from noon to 1 p.m. April 10 in Lybyer Technology Center Room 202.  “Inclusion is not just a state of mind, an attitude or even a more expansive world view.  Inclusion is about the network.  Whether social or institutional, professional or political, online or off, the networks of social ties we build and maintain with others form the communicative infrastructure that makes inclusion possible.  Guided by principles of equality and equal opportunity, we must make active choices and take deliberate steps to reshape our networks consistent with our strivings toward greater inclusive excellence,” according to McIlwain.

•  “Beating the Odds: Creating a Climate of Success for All Students in STEM” by Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland-Baltimore, from 7 to 8 p.m. April 10 in Lybyer Technology Center Room 202.  Rapid and dramatic demographic and technological changes present our nation’s colleges, universities and schools with enormous challenges for educating and preparing students – particularly students from diverse backgrounds – for careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.  Over the past three decades, Hrabowski has studied minority student achievement, focusing special attention on the participation and performance of African Americans in STEM fields.  Hrabowski recently chaired the National Academies’ committee that produced the report, Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads.  He will draw on these experiences to discuss best practices for creating both a culture of inclusive excellence and a climate of success for all students in STEM.

•  “Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say: Skills to Increase Your Inclusive Excellence” by Maura Cullen, nationally renowned diversity trainer and speaker with the Social Justice Training Institute, from noon to 1 p.m. April 11 in Lybyer Technology Center Room 202.  “Many of our conversations around diversity have us walking on eggshells,” Cullen explains.  “This session offers practical ways to quickly transform the quality and effectiveness of our interactions.  Participants will learn several common statements that are often well intended but may be offensive.  Knowing the actual statements is helpful, however, the real learning comes by implementing the 10 core concepts that ultimately increases diversity skills and competency for you and those with whom you work.”

•  “Partnerships Supporting College Preparation and Success” by Edward St. John, professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Michigan, from 7 to 8 p.m. April 11 in Lybyer Technology Center Room 202.  While there has been progress during the past two decades, there are still barriers to college preparation for students in urban and rural high schools.  The critical challenges include preparation in advanced math, collegiate literacy preparedness, building family college knowledge, easing concerns about college costs, and providing bridge- and transition-support for college success.  Based on research supporting school systems, school-college partnerships, state agencies, foundations and policymakers engaged in addressing these challenges, St. John proposes an agenda for university collaboration with urban and rural high schools.

•  “Remember, They Are Always Watching” by Dennis Reigle, special projects business adviser with the American Institute of CPAs, from noon to 1 p.m. April 12 in Lybyer Technology Center Room 202.  “Our cultural and social norms are — to a large extent — driven by the behaviors we see modeled by both those around us and by those in this media saturated age.  Who is watching, what behaviors are celebrated and do these lead to excellence and inclusiveness?,” Reigle asks.

All local presentations are free and open to the public.

“We are thrilled to once again have the opportunity to give area residents a chance to participate in this important event through ITV,” Gibson said.  “As we become a more global society, inclusive excellence has become an important topic of discussion.  These speakers will give local residents valuable insight into the changing marketplace in which we now live and work.”

A number of other keynote sessions, panels and special events also are planned on the Springfield campus.  Complete program information can be found online at http://publicaffairs.missouristate.edu/conference/.  All events are free and open to the public.  Presenting sponsor of the event is The Springfield News-Leader.

For more information about the local presentations of plenary addresses, call the U/CP Department office at 471-255-7966.