Holocaust survivor, educator and author Gerda Weissmann Klein, who was scheduled to give the keynote address for the University of Colorado at Boulder's 13th annual Diversity Summit on Tuesday will not speak as scheduled due to illness.
In place of Klein's talk at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, two anthropology faculty members will speak. Professor Paul Shankman will discuss the Holocaust from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Professor Dennis Van Gerven will speak on race and the eugenics movement from 11 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. Both talks will be in the University Memorial Center's Glenn Miller Ballroom.
The Diversity Summit takes place on Monday, Feb. 18, and Tuesday, Feb. 19. The summit's theme is "Learning From Our Past to Build a Better Future." All events will take place at the UMC and are free and open to students, faculty, staff and the general public.
CU-Boulder hosts the summit each year to underscore the importance of respect, tolerance and acceptance of all human diversity, whether those differences be based on physical appearance, ability or disability, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or political ideology. Over the past 12 years, members of the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs (CACMA) have created a campus tradition that has helped to transform the campus community's understanding of diversity. The summit will occur as the university prepares to mark Black History Month and Holocaust Awareness Week in February and Women's History Month in March.
Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson, McKee and other campus officials will introduce guests and address students, faculty, staff and the general public during the two-day summit. Other events will include a student panel on diversity, an interactive theater presentation and a reception.
"I want to encourage our entire university community to attend this important series of workshops and events," Peterson said. "Ethnic, gender, intellectual and geographic/socio-economic diversity are integral to higher education and our mission, and as such, comprise one of our core values. The Diversity Summit is a time for the University of Colorado at Boulder to reaffirm our commitment and improve our community."
Other guest speakers will include Colorado Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, who will participate in a discussion about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19, in the UMC Ballroom, and Joseph C. Silva, a University of California, Davis retired professor and psychologist who will talk about disabilities and the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 18, in the UMC Ballroom.
For a complete Diversity Summit schedule, visit .