Hi all,
George Mason University organizes an annual conference on diversity. Our underlying motivation and "brand" is bridging the research-practice gap. Indeed, the conference has been (re)named "Workplace Diversity: Practice & Research." The goal is to bring together researchers and practitioners to improve research on and the practice of diversity management. "Practitioners" can include teachers, trainers, managers, executives, ..... I believe researchers could do more important and relevant work if they heard from practitioners about the problems and decisions practitioners face. I believe practitioners could be more effective if they heard from researchers about relevant concepts and research findings. In addition to sharing questions and "answers," I would like to stimulate collaborations (research & consulting) among participants. I know this has happened at past conferences.
Each conference will have a specific theme that fits within this broader concept. The 2009 conference, which will be held in the DC area on July 16 and 17, is cultural competency. I am seeking suggestions for sessions and session leaders. Although most sessions will relate to cultural competency, other highly relevant topics are possible.
Each session lasts 90 minutes and almost all combine information presentation and participant involvement. We are open to almost any approach. For example, facilitated discussions might revolve around questions that have important research and practice implications. Workshops might involve overviews of research findings and small group discussions of possible field applications or research. Etc. The key criteria are (a) The session is relevant to research (e.g., summarizes past results or explores future areas), and (b) The session is relevant to practice (e.g., teaching, training, managing, etc.).
No direct compensation is provided for presenters, though the registration fee will be waived - probably for no more than 1 presenter per session.
If you would like to lead a session or have ideas for sessions you would like to attend, please get back to me asap with your ideas. Even if you have no interest in leading a session this year, I hope you can join us at the conference. The conference web site is som.gmu.edu/diversity and information about the 2009 conference should be added/updated in the next week or two.
Cheers,
David
David A. Kravitz
Professor and Management Area Chair
School of Management
219 Enterprise Hall, MSN 5F5
George Mason University
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, Virginia 22030-4444
phone: 703-993-1781
fax: 703-993-1879
email:
dkravitz@gmu.edu web:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~dkravitz/