“Educating for a Diverse America”
Summit and Symposium
The University of Texas at Austin
January 29, 2004
Welcome to the summit and symposium, "Educating for a Diverse America." The University is pleased to host this gathering of educators, students, and national leaders from the military and private sector. We open our doors to all who are joining us for this two-day conversation. Thank you for coming.
This symposium commemorates the 50th anniversary of the landmark legal decision Brown v. Board of Education and also provides an appropriate forum to discuss one of the most critical issues of our time -- equality in higher education.
Fifty years ago -- on May 17th, 1954 -- after a long legal struggle by the NAACP and other civil rights advocates, Chief Justice Earl Warren rendered the unanimous opinion of the United States Supreme Court. He wrote
"Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. . . . Today [education] is a principle instrument in awakening the child to cultural values, in preparing him for later professional training, and in helping him to adjust normally to his environment. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.
"We come then to the question presented: Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race . . . deprive the children of . . . equal educational opportunities? We believe that it does."
And with those words by Chief Justice Warren, "the opportunity of an education" was declared a legal right of all children in America -- and a lethal blow was struck against segregated classrooms throughout the land.
Fifty years after Brown, there is an important challenge for those of us who are involved in higher education in this country: How can we improve the ability of our universities to educate students for the world in which they will live for the next 50 years? We will be discussing that question, and many others, over the next two days.
It is our privilege to begin the symposium with a keynote address from a national leader who advanced the cause of racial equality and created his own landmark breakthrough when he became the first elected African-American governor in U.S. history -- L. Douglas Wilder, the former governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Here to introduce Governor Wilder is Dr. King Davis, the Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy at The University of Texas at Austin and director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health.
Dr. Davis has devoted his career to managed health care policy, mental health policy, and issues embracing social justice and economic development. Before coming to UT Austin, Dr. Davis held distinguished academic chairs at the University of Virginia, Howard University, the University of Maine, and other institutions. He has served as Director of Community Mental Health Services for the Commonwealth of Virginia and as Commissioner for the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse in Virginia, as well. Dr. Davis is the author of numerous publications, including a forthcoming book entitled The Color of Social Policy.
The University of Texas at Austin is extremely proud that Dr. Davis has become an active member of our community and made this university his home. Please welcome Dr. King Davis.
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I am pleased to join my distinguished colleagues at this Presidents' Summit. It's an honor to sit down with this group of national leaders to discuss the critical issues of equality and diversity in higher education.
But before we begin, I want to take this opportunity to thank Professor Lorraine Branham and the members of the planning committee for their guidance in helping to create this symposium. They have done an outstanding job and we applaud their good work.
I also want to thank Richard Garcia, a University of Texas law student, who approached me last summer to suggest that the University sponsor a symposium to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. Thank you, Richard, for your initiative and leadership.
In many ways, the genesis of this symposium began last spring, when I commissioned a Task Force on Racial Respect and Fairness to study racial relations on our campus and to recommend improvements. The task force was chaired by Dr. Darlene Grant, associate dean of Graduate Studies and professor of Social Work. They issued their report a few weeks ago. I have called for a 45-day period of public response to the report, and at the end of that period I will act on their recommendations.
In my State of the University address in September, I challenged the university community to work harder at crossing cultural boundaries and to build more understanding and awareness among our students, faculty, and staff. In that spirit we invited several national leaders in higher education to join us here in Austin for this summit and symposium. We selected these leaders because their institutions have been actively engaged in these issues for some time -- and because we have great respect for these individuals and what they have accomplished in their careers.
And so this morning we begin the discussion of "Educating for a Diverse America." It has been 50 years since Brown. Our nation has made significant progress since 1954, but there is still work to be done. And specifically in higher education -- How do we create a more culturally inclusive, more culturally sensitive university environment?
This morning I am joined by six outstanding educators who will share their thoughts.
President Faulkner moderated a panel that included Robert Berdahl, chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley; Paul Courant, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan; Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University; James Moeser, chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Diana Natalicio, president of the University of Texas at El Paso; and George Wright, president of Prairie View A&M University.
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Educating for a Diverse America
Summit and
Symposium
