Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, will speak at Colgate on Thursday, Sept. 17, as part of the university’s Diversity Week activities.
Steele’s lecture, “Unity and Diversity: Common Ground in the 21st Century,” will be at 4:15 p.m. in Memorial Chapel and is free and open to the public.
Steele is the first African-American to be elected chairman of the GOP in the party’s 155-year history.
“We are thrilled to have a person of Michael Steele’s stature on campus during this important week of dialogue and education surrounding the topic of diversity,” said Keenan Grenell, vice president and dean of diversity.
Besides the dean of diversity office, the lecture is sponsored by the president’s office and the Center for Freedom and Western Civilization.
“We hope that Michael Steele’s visit will open up a discussion of how racial attitudes are changing in America,” said political science professor Robert Kraynak, who directs the Center for Freedom and Western Civilization.
Steele is expected to meet with a range of students and faculty during his time on campus, including several multicultural student organizations and the College Republicans.
During Diversity Week, there will be a variety of activities on campus and in the village of Hamilton, where a community festival will be held.
Details about the week’s schedule will be posted soon on the www.colgate.edu/diversity website.
Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, was elected GOP chairman in January 2009. He is a partner in a Washington, D.C., law firm.