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UNL has always stressed diversity
JAMES MOESER is the UNL chancel
lor and a Daily Nebraskan guest
columnist
Some of the best educational opportunities a major
university can offer occur outside of the classroom, and
this is particularly true of this week’s Big 12
Conference on Black Student Government at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
From its inception, the university has recognized
diversity as a key component of higher education - the
very charter of this institution provides for the admis
sion and education of all persons regardless of age, sex,
color or nationality.
That was a radical statement for 1869, and among
my highest goals for UNL is to continue this historic
commitment to the value of diversity by encouraging
participation in events that expose students and faculty
to cultures and backgrounds different from their own.
When all of us participate in such events as the Big
12 Conference on Black Student Government, we con
tinue on that path to maturation, understanding-and
wisdom that I hope all of us expect to gain from higher
education.
I want to encourage all faculty and students, regard
“-—i
I want to encourage all faculty
and students, regardless of their
ethnic identity or academic
pursuits, to participate in this
week’s conference.”
less of their ethnic identity or academic pursuits, to
participate in this week’s conference.
In addition to featuring nationally renowned and
respected speakers such as Dr. Cornel West, the confer
ence will also feature a career and graduate school fair,
a dance performance and a gospel music extravaganza.
Recent events on our campus have rekindled the
debate about what issues still divide us. Understanding
and appreciating our differences, however, will ulti
mately unite us.
I look forward to continuing that conversation at the
Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government.