START Conference To Address Diversity Awareness And Respect In Business

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (February 23, 2007) – Corporate, academic, and community leaders will join together on March 30 to discuss business initiatives in diversity at the eighth annual START Conference, the Smeal College of Business' forum on diversity issues in business.

This year's conference will convene on March 30 at the Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State's University Park campus. Smeal Board of Visitors member William A. Donan '68, retired corporate vice president and president of Allegiance Healthcare Corporation-Southeast Region, is the keynote speaker.

Representatives from several global corporations will join faculty and administrators in diversity from Penn State and Smeal to share their insights and experiences in diversity issues and discuss ways to raise awareness in the corporate world and increase respect for individuals in the workplace.

Presentations and workshops will cover topics including corporate culture, leadership skills for managing a diverse workforce, skill sets and tools to succeed in a diverse corporate environment, and diversity initiatives in the corporate world.

The conference will also give students the opportunity to network with corporate representatives, explore career paths, and learn about the corporate climates of participating companies.

This year, for the first time, the conference will include student presentations from winners of START Diversity Awards. Twenty-four students submitted written abstracts on their own ideas, research, or experience with diversity issues. A panel of judges chose the top six written pieces for oral presentations to the judges.

The top three student presenters will be awarded START Diversity Awards, which include cash prizes of $500, $1,000, and $2,000, and will present their ideas at the START Conference.

The START (Striving Towards Awareness and Respect for Tomorrow) conference was established in 1999 by a group of students who recognized the need for open dialogue with professional and corporate leaders in order to create a productive and respectful work environment. Since its inception, the START conference has grown to become a Smeal tradition, attracting partnerships with some of today's leading companies, including Boeing, Geico, General Electric, Kimberly-Clark, Norfolk Southern, Philip Morris, and Shell Oil.

For more details, visit www.smeal.psu.edu/startconference.