From the Desk of the Chancellor, Feb. 1, 2010

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Today begins Black History Month—a time to celebrate African Americans and their contributions to our history and culture.

I congratulate IUPUI Assistant Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Kenneth Durgans who received the Champion of Diversity award on January 15, 2010, from the Indiana Minority Business Magazine. Although Dr. Durgans has been at IUPUI only for a year and a half, he has quickly become recognized for his leadership and advocacy. Dr. Rose Mays, a recently retired School of Nursing faculty member received the Rosa Parks Trailblazer Award at the same event.

On February 25, IUPUI will honor its own when I present the 2010 Joseph T. Taylor Awards for Excellence in Diversity. Please join me by registering for the 21st Annual Joseph Taylor Symposium Voices in the City: Language, Literacy, and Urban Life. The luncheon speaker is Patricia Smith, poet and National Slam Poetry Champion.

Meanwhile, among the events occurring this month that add to our knowledge of African Americans and their achievements is a talk on February 10 by Dr. Na'im Akbar. “Back to Basics in Defining Who We Are” is the title of a talk he will give at 11:30 a.m., IUPUI Campus Center, 450 C.

Dr. Na'im Akbar’s lecture is sponsored by the IUPUI Multicultural Center, Black Faculty and Staff Council, and Africana Studies. A pioneer in the development of an African-centered approach to modern psychology, Dr. Akbar is currently on the Department of Psychology faculty at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

As author of Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery, Dr.Na'im Akbar believes “Black people in America have a much greater inner power than they realize, but they must re-discover themselves in order to use it.” He has been interviewed on the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Tony Brown's Journal,” “The Geraldo Show,” and a variety of other programs.

For a listing of other events this month, see the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion calendar.

Comments? Write chancllr@iupui.edu .