CLARION UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Inter-Office Correspondence

Date:
To:
From:
Re:

July 1, 2013
Dr. Jocelind Gant, Assistant to the President for Social Equity
Mr. Rogers J. Laugand III, Director of Minority Student Services
2012-2013 Martin Luther King Jr. Program Report

PROJECT TITLE
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee
“Living The Dream”
2012-2013
Committee Members:
Mr. Rogers J. Laugand III, Co-Chair
Dr. Philip Terman, Co-Chair
Dr. Greg Goodman
Dr. Cahndice Matthews
Ms. Heather Kirkwood-Mazik
Dr. John Groves
Mr. Joseph Croskey
Dr. Kathleen Welsch
Ms. Kelly Ryan
Mr. Mark Franchino
Dr. Wayne Swanger
MAIN SOURCE OF FUNDING: President’s Office
Other Co-Sponsors: Minority Student Services, Office of Social Equity, and English
Department.
ABSTRACT:
The Martin Luther King Jr. Committee coordinated sponsored and co-sponsored university-wide
and community programs that were meant to nurture Clarion’s social diversity
campus/community climate. The project was designed to enhance awareness of Dr. King's beliefs
and actions as inspiration for our efforts in fostering a just, multicultural and understanding
community. The commemorative endeavors took place from November to March.
GOAL STATEMENT:
The Martin Luther King Jr. Committee maintains that the breadth of Dr. King's heritage as a
national and international leader is a largely untapped resource. Consequently, we provided a
series of programs that focused on Dr. King 's dream of achieving a truly inclusive human
community. Some interests of Dr. King that celebrate the enriching potential of social diversity
include fair educational opportunities, ending human violence, moderating intolerance, expanding
good work opportunities for all citizens, and the moral/ethical foundations of human behavior.
Programs developed in these domains in cooperation with various academic and student affairs
departments seemed appropriate for the committee to cooperatively sponsor.

2

OBJECTIVE:
To enhance the positive effects of a just, multicultural and understanding environment in the
spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the committee intended to:
(a)

Identify scholars, activist and performers whose work, in our opinion,
contributed to the celebration of human diversity. As appropriate, some of
these persons were invited to Clarion University to share their ideas and
experiences with the campus community through various educational
modes.

(b)

Ensure that these guests were exposed to as many students, faculty, staff
and community members as possible to encourage "conversations of
respect" (Hill, 1991) and build bridges toward human harmony. These
discourses focused on the concept of social equity as represented in Dr.
King's thoughts and by his participation in social change organizations.

(c)

Support responsible social activism to enhance social justice that Dr.
King's example represented. The range of possible involvement was
demonstrated by the variety of guests supported by the committee.

TARGET GROUP:
The target groups were those individuals who were misinformed about those who were different
from them and lacked the understanding and appreciation of a diverse community. The
committee sponsored programs that served the purpose of breaking down stereotypical images
about "others" among the administrative, student, faculty, staff and community bodies. In the
final analysis, the campus and community population was targeted.
THE PROBLEM:
The Clarion campus community has worked with varying degrees of success to create a
curriculum and complimentary program that serves to "educate the total student regardless of
race" (Taylor, 1986). This statement illustrates, however, that minority status has been often
conceived as residing in only one marginalized social category like race or gender. Dr. King's
concern with the content of one's character and the nature of power in society transcends a focus
on narrow bases of inequality; his vision constructed a broader and more complex conception of
social equity.
The Martin Luther King series is meant to further educate the campus and the community about
the concerns for uniqueness, empowerment, commonality, and interdependence that Dr. King
recognized as crucial in order to fully celebrate the diversity of human experience in a pluralistic
democracy. One of our main concerns is the need for us to unify as a total community.
3

METHODOLOGY:
The committee met the objective (a) in the following manner: During the spring 2012 semester,
we worked with various departments and organizations to suggest, coordinate initiatives, and
help sponsor appropriate programs. Each scholar, activist, or performance addressed a theme
found in Dr. King's teachings. The following criteria was utilized in the selection process:
(1)

Preference was accorded to all persons who clearly demonstrated Dr.
King's wide interest in social equity. In addition, those studying various
topics that spoke to civil rights were invited to share their knowledge.

(2)

Overall, the resource persons included both sexes. Additionally, they were
representative of disciplines and pursuits that provided substance to Dr.
King's thinking e.g., history, economics, and political science.

For each visit, contracts were negotiated via the candidate’s agent or through personal contacts in
order to get the most favorable terms for Clarion University.
Our approach to objective (b) was as follows: The manner of exposure and interaction varied
depending upon the type of presentation and arrangements made by the primary sponsor. We
encouraged the resource persons to be invited to attend classes in their respective fields and
interact informally with students, administrators, faculty, and staff. The Martin Luther King Jr.
Committee functioned as follows:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)

Identified and assisted other groups in finding respective scholars and
performers.
Developed program activities and assisted others when possible.
Provided follow-up actions to related programs.
Assessed the effectiveness of sponsored programs.
Promoted the participation of the campus and community members. The
committee ensured that the series were broadly advertised through
newspapers, radio, posters, faculty, and student organizations.

Objective (c) was met by making available information about participation in organizations and
activities that related to the relevant theme (s). We asked each guest or group to suggest
appropriate solutions to problems of social inequality as a crucial part of every presentation.

4

FEASIBILITY AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS:
The prospects of keeping this undertaking successful are good especially with respect to the
presence of qualified personnel at Clarion to assist in implementing each year's version of the
project. The major constraint for the proposed King Committee program during a particular year
is fiscal. It can be quite difficult to secure reasonably priced programs, high quality guests
interacting at appropriate times with significant numbers of the campus community. Extensive
negotiating and organization on our part coupled with contributions from other campus
departments and the good will on the part of the presenters or agents played a critical role in
providing effective commemorative activities. The schedule of events included the following:
Mix It Up Day, October 30, 2012
Susan Rankin, November 12, 2012
Louis Clark III, November 13, 2012
Rev. Lora Adams-King, January 31, 2013
Howard P. Hanson, February 7, 2013
Kim El, March 11, 2013
Bruce Weigl, March 28, 2013
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, the committee was successful in providing programs that were educational in
nature and consistently coincided with our theme. Because the committee wanted to attract a
diverse population and increase participation, members sought to provide events that focused on
some type of entertainment. As a result, the programs were well attended reaching out to diverse
audiences across the campus and community. The events were rated very high and many
individuals indicated an interest in having similar programs in the future (SEE
ATTACHMENTS).
Based on the feedback from the evaluations as well as the verbal feedback, the committee feels
that the Martin Luther King Jr. Series was a great success. More specifically, we believe we
accomplished the following:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)

(f)

Increased the scope of understanding from a humanistic perspective
Raised the multicultural awareness and appreciation for the richness of
difference among all individuals
Combated the stereotypes that individuals may have about a particular
group
Created ongoing dialogue on the issues of racial understanding, gender
equality, and economic empowerment
Developed a program that the entire community has come to appreciate,
and one that community members are eager to support in some form or
fashion
Contributed to the infusion of knowledge and heightened awareness of
5

(g)

commonalties among differences
Provided a catalyst for the examination of new knowledge about American
history

The Martin Luther King series has become an established part of the university and community
culture. It is a series of events that people look forward to seeing each year. The Martin Luther
King series has become a great success but only due to the commitment of many people working
together as a team. Through this team effort, the university has been able to provide educational
programs that enrich the social, cultural and intellectual environment in which we live.
BUDGET
2012-2013
Program
Susan Rankin/Social Equity

Honorarium/Contribution Food
$500

Total
$500

Louis Clark

$1,200

$1,364

Rev. Lora Adams-King

$500

$500

Howard P. Hanson

$1,200

$1,200

Mark Southers/Pittsburgh Playwrights
Kim El
Bruce Weigl
Total

$2,500

$33

$2,533

$750
$6,650

$33
$230

$783
$6,880

$164

Printing

$530

Grand Total

$7,410

6