“Enhancing Curricula Excellence 
Through Diversity and Leadership” 
Theme for ESU’s 2009 Frederick
Douglass Institute for Intercultural Studies

The 2009 Frederick Douglass Institute (FDI) for Intercultural Studies Conference in the Lower Lounge of Dansbury Commons at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania scheduled for Thursday, October 15, and Friday, October 16 will feature Dr. James Anderson as keynote speaker. Anderson, an author and scholar, is the Chancellor of Fayetteville University (FSU) in North Carolina. This year’s conference theme, “Enhancing Curricula Excellence through Diversity and Leadership,” will address the educational benefits associated with integrative learning and diversifying the curriculum. The conference is open to the general public for a nominal fee of $25.00 per person which covers all sessions, refreshments and breakfast on Friday.

The conference will begin at 1:00 p.m. on October 15 with opening remarks by Dr. James C. Trotman, founding director of the Frederick Douglass Institute and professor of English at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Trotman is also the convener for the Douglass Institutes on each of the 14 university campuses within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).

Trotman earned his undergraduate and masters’ degrees from Penn State University and his doctorate from Teachers College of Columbia University. He has been a visiting professor at Eastern College in Quincy, Mass., and at Princeton Theological Seminary and has published on the topics of African American religious history, Frederick Douglass, and the concept of multiculturalism among others. His most recent book, Multiculturalism: Roots and Realities, is a collection of essays from the 1995 centennial celebration of Frederick Douglass, the great 19th century orator, abolitionist, and author. He has completed a biography on Frederick Douglass which is scheduled for publication in 2010.

Keynote speaker, Dr. Anderson, will speak at 1:30 p.m. Anderson has authored or co-authored several books including The Unfinished Agenda: Brown v. Board of Education (2004), and Driving Change through Diversity and Globalization – Transformative Leadership in the Academy (2007). He earned his doctorate in psychology at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., and his undergraduate degree in psychology from Villanova University. Dr. Anderson’s research and writing focuses on the assessment of student learning, as well as the impact of diversity on student learning, retention and overall institutional effectiveness. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Villanova University and the advisory board of the International Center for Student Success and Institutional Accountability.

Prior to becoming chancellor at FSU, Dr. Anderson served as the University of Albany’s Vice President for Student Success and Vice Provost for Institutional Assessment and Diversity. He was also a professor in the department of psychology. A former American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow, Danforth Fellow, and National Learning Communities Fellow, Dr. Anderson was honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Higher Education Award in 2005 from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. He received the Outstanding Service Award in 2004 from the Commission on Human Resources and Social Change of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC).

Other guest speakers include: Kym Ragusa, award-winning documentary filmmaker and writer; Dr. Peter Garland, the executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), and Dr. Charles “Chick” Woodard, vice president for student services and campus life at Kutztown University.

Ms. Ragusa will speak on Thursday, October 15 at 2:30 p.m. about her recent novel, The Skin Between Us. Ragusa’s novel tells of her poignant childhood in New York during the 1960s as the daughter of a black woman from West Harlem and an Italian man from East Harlem. The Skin Between Us recounts her upbringing as she describes her search for personal belonging and racial and cultural identity based on the influences of her family’s values.

Ms. Ragusa earned a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Hunter College, New York, and a master of arts degree in media studies from the New School for Social Research in New York. She is a documentary filmmaker, and is currently teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her essays have appeared in the anthologies Are Italians White: The Making of Race in America and The Milk of Almonds, and the journals Leggendaria and Tutte Storie. She is the recipient of a fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts and an Ida and Daniel Lang Award for Excellence in the Humanities. She has taught creative writing at City College, Queens College, and Eugene Lang College in New York, and at Josai International University in Japan. Her films have been shown on PBS and at festivals throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The Skin Between Us was published in 2006, and again in 2007 (Italian translation). She is currently at work on a new book of nonfiction.

A book signing and reception for Ms. Ragusa, Dr. Anderson and Dr. Trotman will immediately follow Ms. Ragusa’s lecture. On Friday, October 16, Dr. Garland will address FDI attendees at 9:25 a.m. Garland is responsible for overseeing the major functional areas in the Office of the Chancellor; serving as liaison to university presidents and the System's Board of Governors; leading major System-wide projects, programs and initiatives; and coordinating the work of vice chancellors and other executive staff.

Garland earned bachelor’s degrees in English and psychology and a master’s degree in educational administration from The College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in political science and a doctoral degree in higher education from Penn State. He has been widely published and has reviewed articles for the Association for the Study of Higher Education and the American Educational Research Association. He has lectured at and presented seminars at ESU, Shippensburg University, Penn State, Duquesne, Lehigh and New York universities.

Garland was previously Assistant Commissioner for Postsecondary and Higher Education for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. He also served in the department at various times as Acting Commissioner/Deputy Secretary for Postsecondary and Higher Education, Director of the Bureau of Postsecondary Services, Executive Assistant to the Commissioner for Higher Education and Senior Program Analyst in the Office of Higher Education Financing.

Dr. Woodard will speak on October 16 at 10:30 a.m. With more than 35 years of experience in higher education, Woodard is an educator and practitioner who has conducted numerous professional development, leadership and motivational workshops. He has served on panels throughout the country addressing such issues as multiculturalism, alcohol education, due process, family educational rights and privacy, customer satisfaction, leadership styles, and safety and security in higher education.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, his master of arts degree from Wayne State University and his doctorate in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology from the University of Michigan.

The entire schedule for the FDI Conference follows:

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Lower Lounge, Dansbury Commons

12:30 p.m. High Tea

1:00 p.m. Welcome Remarks:

Dr. Tom Tauer, Interim Vice Provost and Graduate 
East Stroudsburg University

1:15 p.m. Remarks

Dr. James Trotman, West Chester University 
Director Frederick Douglass Institute Collaborative


1:30 p.m. Introduction of Keynote Speaker

Dr. Peter Hawkes, Dean College of Arts & Sciences 
East Stroudsburg University

1:40 p.m. Keynote Speaker

Chancellor James A. Anderson 
Fayetteville State University


2:30 p.m. Kym Ragusa, author

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Book Signing and Reception

Author, Kym Ragusa, The Skin Between Us: A Memoir of Race, Beauty, and Belonging.

Author, Dr. James Anderson, Transformative Leadership in the Academy.

6:00 p.m. Dinner on your own Friday, October 16, 2009

Lower Lounge, Dansbury Commons

8:30 a.m. Breakfast

9:15 a.m. Introduction of Guest Speaker

Dr. Robert Dillman, President 
East Stroudsburg University

9: 25 a.m. Speaker

Mr. Peter Garland, Executive Vice Chancellor 
Pennsylvania State System of Higher of Education

10:15 a.m. Coffee Break

10:30 a.m. Introduction of Guest Speaker

Dr. Doreen Tobin, Vice President Student Affairs 
East Stroudsburg University

10:40 a.m. Speaker

Dr. Charles “Chick” Woodard, Vice President Student Affairs Kutztown University

11:15 a.m. Judging and awarding of Graduate Student Poster Session

Closing remarks 
Dr. Marilyn Wells, Interim Provost

Refreshments

The grant-funded conference is specifically organized for invited guests including provosts, social equity directors, faculty, FDI directors and others representing the fourteen universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) as well as the general public. The conference is made possible with support from ESU’s Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, Intercollegiate Athletics department and the English department.

For more information, or to make a reservation, or for special accommodations, please contact Dr. Patricia Graham, professor of intercultural and interdisciplinary studies and director of the Frederick Douglass Institute for Intercultural Studies at ESU, at 570-422-3887.