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Symposium on Diversity, Inclusion & Social Justice

The sixth annual Symposium is scheduled for April 30, 2025 and will feature keynote speaker Dr. Terrell Strayhorn to speak on Belonging As a Campus Imperative: Why It Matters and How to Build It. Belonging is a basic need, a human right and the foundation of success for faculty, staff and students in higher education. But what does it truly mean, and how can we build it? In this keynote, Dr. Terrell Strayhorn, a leading authority and influential voice on this matter, will weave together data, interviews and real-world stories to define belonging, explain its impact, and provide actionable strategies for fostering it in classrooms, workplaces and campus communities.

All students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community stakeholders are welcome to participate. Register for part or all of the day as your schedule permits!

For questions, please contact Jacki Black, director for Hispanic initiatives and diversity & inclusion educational programming.

History and Purpose of the Symposium

Each spring, the Division of Belonging and Student Affairs hosts the Symposium on Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice. Launched in 2019, this symposium serves as an “institutional examen” – a time to look inwardly at who we are and who we are called to be. In a dialogic process, we explore discrimination at the intersections of race, gender and sexuality, discuss how we are working to address these issues, and offer a vision for the future of equity and inclusion at Marquette. The purpose of the university, and especially the Jesuit university, is to be a convener of difficult conversation and a leader for social justice action. As such, this forum helps prepare us to have challenging intellectual discourse and refresh our values as an institution.