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2019 Inclusive Excellence Symposium: "Disrupt"

At Utah State University, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive learning environment for all campus community members.

We believe inclusion and equity are not just beneficial to underrepresented groups but also vital to the health of our community. Diversity deepens our understanding of today’s complex world and enriches us as people. Yet diversity cannot thrive in our community without inclusion.

Many individuals and groups at USU have made great strides in research, high-impact practices, and teaching to improve the lives of underrepresented members in our community. Aggies Think, Care, Act is working with President Noelle Cockett to bring these efforts together for the Inclusive Excellence Symposium. This event is designed to create space for our campus partners to collaborate and share experience and expertise that contributes to equity and inclusion at USU and in our community.

Keynote Address: Crystal Fleming

Author of How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy and the Racial Divide


Combining no-holds-barred social critique, humorous personal anecdotes, and analysis of the latest interdisciplinary scholarship on systemic racism, sociologist Crystal M. Fleming provides a fresh, accessible, and irreverent take on everything that’s wrong with our “national conversation about race.” Drawing upon critical race theory, as well as her own experiences as a queer black millennial college professor and researcher, Fleming unveils how systemic racism exposes us all to racial ignorance—and provides a road map for transforming our knowledge into concrete social change. (source: Beacon Press)

Symposium Mission

Empower USU students, faculty, and staff to advance equity and inclusion through education, collaboration, and research.

Symposium Background

This symposium is hosted by President Noelle Cockett and organized by Aggies Think, Care, Act (ATCA). ATCA embodies a set of principles embraced at Utah State University and promotes USU’s Principles of Communities on diversity, human dignity, and social responsibility. ATCA believes all Aggies belong at USU and encourages each individual to play a role in making the university an inclusive campus.

The symposium will emphasize the benefits of greater diversity within our communities. Attendees will receive education and training for understanding the experiences of underrepresented groups in order to reduce barriers to their academic and career success. The symposium will also promote networking, collaboration, and dialogue among faculty, staff, students, and community members.

Presented by the Office of the President

Symposium Committee

  • Taylor Adams (Statewide Campuses)
  • Alison Adams-Perlac (Office of Equity)
  • Scott Bates (Department of Psychology)
  • Eri Bentley (Chair – Aggies Think, Care, Act; Counseling and Psychological Services)
  • Michelle Bogdan-Holt (Inclusion Center)
  • Amanda DeRito (Marketing and Communications)
  • Krystin Deschamps (Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards)
  • Christopher González (Latinx Cultural Center; Department of English)
  • Kristine Miller (Honors Program; Department of English)