UF Faculty One-Book Reading Project Will Highlight Diversity

July 8, 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Summer reading lists for University of Florida faculty members will have one title in common this year – one that UF President Bernie Machen has asked them to read as part of an effort to raise diversity awareness.

The project, which Machen announced Tuesday in a memo to UF’s approximately 4,000 faculty members, has been dubbed the Faculty Reading Initiative and is part of activities surrounding Machen’s inauguration scheduled for Sept. 9-10. The book of choice is “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race” by Beverly Daniel Tatum, president of Spelman College in Atlanta.

“While other organizations and professions have similar programs, there is not, so far as I know, another major university with a reading program focused specifically and solely on faculty,” Machen said. “This activity is modeled basically on our freshman-assigned text concept, but takes the idea in a new direction.”

Katheryn Russell-Brown, a professor and director of the Center for the Study of Race & Race Relations at UF’s Levin College of Law, said the initiative “fits perfectly with President Machen’s stated interest in diversity. We thought it was a really nice meld of race, education and curriculum.”

The initiative was conceived by Russell-Brown’s center. The plan is for faculty members, after reading the book, to participate in a two-part symposium scheduled for Sept. 9 as part of activities surrounding Machen’s inauguration. The symposium, to be held at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, will begin with a roundtable discussion led by 10 to 12 faculty members. Participants will address issues raised by the book and discuss how it might be used to enhance research, teaching and campus service, Russell-Brown said. Part two will feature a closing plenary given by Tatum.

A clinical psychologist, Tatum is a recognized expert in the field of racial identity. Her book, published in 1997, drew widespread acclaim and earned her appearances on CNN’s “TalkBack Live,” Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” and the Learning Channel, among others.

The university also is encouraging other members of the campus and Gainesville communities to participate in the reading project. To help encourage participation in the project, the president’s office has made available for faculty members 250 free copies of the book. The copies will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning July 15 in the President’s Office in Tigert Hall. Copies also will be available on Monday at the UF Bookstore for $15.95.

“This is a creative, timely and important project,” Russell-Brown said. “It has the potential to bring together faculty from varied backgrounds. It also has the potential to transform curricula and enhance the interaction among faculty, students and administrators.”