K Week: A Community of Inclusion
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 25, 2009) – If anyone asked University of Kentucky's Vice President of Institutional Diversity Judy "JJ" Jackson what she would like to see on her campus, only one thing comes to mind: A Community of Inclusion.
"That's what we have to focus on – excellence, diversity and inclusion," she said. "K Week is our first opportunity to introduce this concept, our passion, to a new group of young people, our freshmen."
K Week has a number of events that reflect this theme of inclusion – some are detailed below – but Jackson's vision of a Community of Inclusion for UK started last year, her first year at UK, and is sure to extend many, many years into the future.
"For decades it has seemed difficult for higher education to think of excellence and diversity as dimensions of the same concept. At UK, they are inextricably woven together, undergirding every part of the development of our strategic plan to reach Top 20 status," said Jackson. " We strive for this to be evident in the search, creation and dissemination of knowledge by our faculty; for it to be obvious in the acquisition and demonstration of knowledge by our students; and in the commitment of our staff and administration to excellence in the caliber of programs and services that UK provides."
10-11 a.m. Tuesday, Common Reading Experience, various locations
In one hour at locations all over campus, about 5,000 incoming freshmen will break into 292 groups with student and staff or faculty leaders to discuss the award-winning book "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride. Developed by Student Affairs' New Student and Parent Programs, this Common Reading Experience will not only serve as a shared academic exercise for the freshmen, but also as an opportunity to discuss some complex social issues, like prejudice, poverty, race, religion, family, and the value of education. "The Color of Water" is the foundation and theme to be repeated throughout the year in classrooms and lecture halls. McBride will speak at the university on Oct. 1, and Incognito, a one-man performance with a similar theme, is slated Oct. 31. UK Vice President of Institutional Diversity Judy "JJ" Jackson, who will be one of the faculty leaders, said, “What we want to happen as a result of these student discussions is not so much to focus on James McBride as to look at the process of looking at your family and community and the way you were socialized and mixed and mingled.”
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, Aug. 28, The Hapa Project, Student Center Patio
The national phenomenon known as the Hapa Project was created by Kip Fulbeck, professor of art at the University of California, Santa Barbara, as a forum for Hapas (people who have a mixed racial heritage that includes Asian or Pacific Island descent). It begs the question, “What are you?” An Hawaiian word meaning “half,” hapa was once considered a derogatory term, but became a badge of pride for those with part Asian or Pacific Island ancestry. UK's event is an outgrowth of this national movement and is designed to raise awareness about the campus community's rich cultural heritage. Organizers believe participation in the event will further students' journey of self discovery. Sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center, the project invites students to ask themselves one simple but profound question, "Who am I?" The student's response and picture will be posted in the Hapa Project Gallery on the King Center's wall of windows. By reading about others, the entire campus can learn more about the individual threads of the rich tapestry that is life at UK.
4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, We Are UK, Memorial Hall Amphitheater
After a full day of pondering diversity and inclusion and on the eve of the first day of class, it's time to celebrate our differences and commonalities. The entire campus is welcome to attend We Are UK, an event to revel in the uniqueness that is the University of Kentucky. The festival features free food from around the world (including some of Kentucky's own culinary delights), but the spotlight will be on the students, faculty and staff who will share their own personal talents on the stage – from hip hop to country, from poetry to debate, and a smorgasbord of other random talents, abilities, gifts and skills. Sponsored by the Office of New Student and Parent Programs.
For more information about K Week activities, visit http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/KWeek/index.html