By Rebecca Wyatt, OU Web Writer

The eighth annual Diverse Voices Conference, a forum for those in higher education and the community to speak out about the value of human diversity, will be held at Oakland University Saturday, March 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in 201 Dodge Hall. The conference is free and open to the public.

While attending a graduate program at Harvard School of Education, Chaunda Scott, assistant professor of education, noticed students and faculty would gather to discuss diversity voluntarily, so she decided to create a program where students could gather with faculty from all areas and community members to discuss diversity.

The event has grown from 40 participants the first year to 400 participants last year.

Student presenters from OU, the University of Detroit Mercy, Davenport University and University of Michigan-Dearborn will share their views about diversity.

The keynote speaker for this year’s conference is Morgan Schafer, Starbucks’ vice president for the New York region.

“Morgan Shafer has done a great job leading his team forward in the area of diversity,” Scott said. “He will be here to talk to students and the community to encourage them to do the same.”

Scott’s goal is to grow the Diverse Voices Conference into an international event within five years. Currently, Diverse Voices is expanding into the community. In January, Diverse Voices presented a jazz concert to raise money for Hurricane Katrina survivors and hosted a diversity panel to address diversity in the workplace.

For more information on the Diverse Voices Conference, contact Chaunda Scott at (248) 370-4171 or cscott@oakland.edu.