A Conversation on Race and Ethnicity at Iowa State

Max Goldberg/Iowa State Daily

Students and staff gather for closing remarks during ISCORE, March 3 in the Memorial Union.

Talon Delaney
February 11, 2018

Every year, educational leaders and experts from across the country meet to facilitate systemic changes for racial and ethnic justice at post-secondary institutions at NCORE, or the National Conference On Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education.

In the same spirit, Iowa State is hosting a conference of its own. The Iowa State Conference On Race and Ethnicity (ISCORE) will model NCORE in its goals. Through presentations and workshops, the ISCORE staff will lead focused discussions on diversity and inclusiveness on campus.

The conference will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 2 in the Memorial Union Sun Room. Attendance is free, breakfast and lunch will be provided and registration is open on the ISCORE website registry.

ISCORE is available only to ISU students, faculty and staff.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Susana Muñoz, Iowa State alumna with a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies. Her research focuses on “identity development, social activism and campus climate for undocumented Latinx students,” according to the Iowa State ISCORE website.

Muñoz is an assistant professor of higher education at Colorado State University. Her book,“Identity, Social Activism, and the Pursuit of Higher Education: The Journey Stories of Undocumented and Unafraid Community Activists,” chronicles the experiences of undocumented activists in the U.S.

The ISCORE staff will consist of ISU students, faculty and staff with NCORE experience. The three major goals of ISCORE are:

  1. Develop and enhance ISU student, faculty and staff awareness of racial and ethnic issues in higher education around the country.

  2. Continue to promote addressing multiculturalism in the classroom and in American higher education.

  3. Make information, regarding issues of race and ethnicity, accessible to the entire university community and support the university’s ongoing efforts.

A pre-conference will be held exclusively for ISU faculty and staff from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 28 in the same location. For more information about ISCORE check out their website here.