MANRRS, Bumpers College Hosting Campuswide DEI Panel Discussion

Micayla Blair

A panel discussion on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the U of A is scheduled for March 1, and the campus community is invited to attend.

"Transcending Spaces: A Community Conversation with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advocates" is set for 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1, in AFLS Building, room D-107. It's also being offered virtually.

The event is sponsored by U of A's MANRRS RSO — Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences — and the Student Services Office in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Panel members include Deacue Fields, Bumpers College dean; Ayanna Bledsoe, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art director of inclusion and belonging; and Wendell Scales, Arkansas Lighthouse Academies deputy director of innovation.

Students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to listen to an hour-long conversation, which will be followed by a time of networking and connecting, including refreshments.

The discussion will include time on the purpose and impact of MANRRS, and how diversity, equity and inclusion has been integrated into its various activities, areas of opportunity and areas of improvement. Time will also be spent on partnering across various community groups and environments, and making students, faculty, staff and others across the state aware of opportunities to be involved.

Panel members will also discuss how DEI impacts them personally, socially and professionally, and opportunities and resources available to enhance DEI and cultural competency education.

MANRRS is open to anyone on campus. The group provides students of color with academic support, networking and career development, and is open to anyone with an interest in promoting diversity in agriculture, natural resources and related sciences.

Transcending Spaces: A Community Conversation with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advocates

• Tuesday, March 1, 4-6 p.m.
• AFLS Building, room D-107
• Panelists: Deacue Fields, Bumpers College; Ayanna Bledsoe, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; and Wendell Scales, Arkansas Lighthouse Academies

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.