Editor: Portions of this story were included in an ISDIP news release. See its release at http://www.diversityandinclusionprofessionals.org/pr_20111014.html.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State University's Leadership Center is launching the first-ever Diversity & Inclusion Lending Library Nov. 9 with a seminar and lunch, as part of a new partnership with the International Society of Diversity and Inclusion Professionals (ISDIP).
The society, founded earlier this year and based in Cary, N.C., is the first global comprehensive association for the diversity and inclusion field. It spans all industries and sectors. Membership is open to all public- and private-sector professionals with diversity and inclusion job responsibilities or interests.
The collection will feature diversity and inclusion training materials, books, videos, games and other resources. Like other Leadership Center materials, they will be available for shipping to anyone interested in using them across the globe. The Leadership Center Lending Library’s annual fee of $50 will be waived for ISDIP members.
To mark the launch and sponsorship of the new collection, Cassandra Caldwell, ISDIP founder and CEO, will lead a seminar on Nov. 9. “The Inclusion Challenge: Thinking Globally and Acting Locally,” will focus on global trends, opportunities and challenges for diversity and inclusion. The seminar, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., will be at Ohio State's Frank W. Hale, Jr. Black Cultural Center, 153 W. 12th Ave., Columbus. Lunch will be served. The event is free but registration is required. Visit http://bit.ly/ISDIPtalk.
"Thanks to our strategic partnership with the OSU Leadership Center, we're helping to fulfill the International Society of Diversity and Inclusion Professionals' mission by elevating the diversity and inclusion field," Caldwell said. "The OSU Leadership Center has a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, and our strategic partnership with this like-minded institution will provide value-add for all members."
Jeff King, director of the OSU Leadership Center, agreed that the partnership between the center and ISDIP is a good match: "This partnership allows us to further support greater understanding on how we can build on our similarities and common goals rather than differences," King said. "We are excited to be working with Cassandra and ISDIP."
Todd Corley, senior vice president for diversity and inclusion at Abercrombie & Fitch, said the collection of diversity and inclusion resource materials in the leadership center's lending library is significant. "It not only helps to promote the (diversity) profession, but it also provides those invested in creating ‘diversity champion behavior’ with the latest research and best practices,” Corley said. “Like the ISDIP, A&F wants to impact the conversation on diversity in a bold and deliberate manner. A collection like this, housed at one of the largest universities in the country, meets that standard."
Besides the ISDIP and the OSU Leadership Center, sponsors of the event are: Abercrombie & Fitch; Ohio State's Office of Diversity and Inclusion; Ohio State University Extension; Ohio State's Department of Human and Community Resource Development; and Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
In addition to the lending library, the OSU Leadership Center provides leadership development and assessments as well as team-building and conflict management programs. Created in 1990, the center is located on Ohio State's Columbus campus, housed in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and OSU Extension.
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