Syracuse University to host Diversity Business Summit on March 1

Syracuse University to host Diversity Business Summit on March 1February 18, 2002Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Youth advocate, author and public relations’ professional Terrie Williams will be the keynote speaker during Syracuse University’s Diversity Business Summit on March 1. The event, presented by the University’s Career Services Network and Office of Multicultural Affairs, will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium.

A sit-down lunch will be provided to the first 125 students who register to attend the summit. The deadline for lunch reservations is Feb. 20. Students planning to attend the workshops should register online at http://students.syr.edu/careerservices/. Departments interested in sponsoring a table can do so by calling Veronica George at 443-3616. On-site registration will also be available on the morning of the event for workshops only.

The Diversity Business Summit was created to bridge the gap between students of diversity and employers seeking opportunities to diversify the workforce. The summit is open to all students, but is specifically designed to address the professional development needs of students from traditionally marginalized and underrepresented communities–students of color, students with disabilities, LGBT populations, students with different religious affiliations and women. The program was initiated last year by the African American Male Congress as the Black Business Summit, and was expanded this year to include other underrepresented populations.

Diversity is one of the University’s five core values, and is identified as a priority in both the University’s Academic Plan and the Division of Student Affairs’ 2001-2006 Strategic Plan. Numerous campus departmental and student organizations are collaborating with the Career Services Network and the Office of Multicultural Affairs on the event.

“Students of underrepresented groups are achieving the necessary education and experience to qualify for good jobs, however, they frequently find that these professional opportunities are not made available to them” says Cynthia Fulford, assistant director of the Center for Career Services and organizer of the summit. “Employers are increasingly aware that cultural bias in their workplaces creates a barrier to hiring and retaining individuals from marginalized groups. The Diversity Business Summit is designed to give both groups the opportunity to begin to develop understanding through dialogue.”

The event will include several workshops to be held during the morning. They are “Reality Check: The Transition from College into the Workplace;” “Career Architects: Building Your Future;” “Making the Grade: Performance Reviews in the Workplace;” and “Smart Money: Understanding Your Benefits Package.” A seminar for employers, “Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Students,” will also be offered.

Lunch and Williams’ keynote address will take place from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. A career fair will follow from 1 to 4 p.m. Participating employers include General Electric, Morgan Stanley, Pfizer, Federated Merchandising Corp., Key Bank, Microsoft, Marsh Inc., Teach for America, Philip Morris, Kaufmann’s, Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy and Mather, American Association of Advertising Agencies, U.S. Navy, the Social Security Administration, the Peace Corps and the U.S. Marine Corps., Cigna, U.S. Department of State.

Williams, president of the Terrie Williams Agency, a New York City-based public relations and communications firm, works with some of the biggest names in entertainment. She is author of “Stay Strong: Simple Life Lessons for Today’s Teens” (Scholastic Inc, 2000) a book aimed at showing teens how to succeed in life and reach for their dreams. A new version of the book is forthcoming in March.

She is also the author of “The Personal Touch: What You Really Need to Know in Today’s Fast-Paced Business World.” She holds a bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and a master’s degree from Columbia University.