Diversity Matters

The College of Liberal Arts played an integral role in the 2007 Future Cougars of Color (FCOC) dinner April 19 in Spokane. The event, created by WSU's Office of Equity and Diversity (OED), was underwritten by the Kalispel Tribe of Indians and Northern Quest Casino.

Thanks to a generous gift to the Dean's Excellence Fund from Roger and Sue Johnson, Dean Erich Lear was able to sponsor 6 tables at the event, making the College of Liberal Arts OED's most visible university partner.

The FCOC scholarship and visitation program is a recruitment enhancement program for high-achieving high school seniors of color throughout the state of Washington.

"The FCOC program and the banquet matter greatly to the University and to our college," said Lear. "It is imperative that we recognize the contributions diversity has played at WSU, but it is perhaps even more important to reach out to young people of color and say, 'Please join us at Washington State University! Sharing your view of the world on this campus would be a gift to every fellow student, professor, and staff member as you pursue your own goals.'"

"It is the right time to understand diversity," said WSU President V. Lane Rawlins.

To learn more about the Future Cougars of Color program, see http://www.supportfcoc.wsu.edu/about.html.

To learn more about the Dean's Excellence Fund, contact Josh Knudson, senior director of development and alumni relations for the College of Liberal Arts.