The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) will hold its first-ever diversity summit April 19 and 20 at the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey.

The summit, titled “Leveraging Leadership for Inclusive Excellence,” will provide senior executives from PASSHE’s universities opportunities to share ideas, strategies and innovative best practices that enhance diversity on campus.

“In today’s global, multicultural society, maintaining a diverse student body and workforce at our Universities has never been more important,” said PASSHE Chancellor Judy G. Hample. “This summit will allow us to learn from each other by sharing a range of thoughts and perspectives that solidifies our commitment to diversity.”

The summit’s keynote speaker is Aaron Walton, a member of PASSHE’s Board of Governors and senior vice president of corporate affairs for Highmark Inc. in Pittsburgh.  The following nationally recognized speakers also are scheduled to appear: 

• Dr. A. Toy Caldwell-Colbert, provost and chief academic officer at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. She will speak about “Leadership from the Top –­­ Advocating for Inclusiveness.” 
• Dr. JoAnn Moody, a national diversity consultant specializing in diversity recruitment and search procedures, will lead a session titled “Recognizing Faculty Search Committee Hidden Biases and Developing Effective Strategies to Prevent Them.” 
• Jo Anne Simon, a civil rights attorney and national higher education disability issues expert, will provide an update on student and faculty disability issues.  
• Dr. Damon A. Williams, assistant vice provost for multicultural and international affairs at the University of Connecticut, will speak at the plenary session on “Leveraging Diversity To Promote Inclusive Excellence.”

With more than 109,000 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. The 14 PASSHE universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Approximately 405,000 PASSHE alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. PASSHE also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.