Saturday Closing Session

The Sept. 28 main stage session, happening from 1:30-3:30 p.m., will feature the State of the Association presented by NACAC CEO Angel B. Pérez, followed by NACAC awards and this closing panel discussion.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Main Stage Program

Saturday, September 28
Los Angeles Convention Center, Hall G

The effects of the U.S. Supreme Court case banning the use of race in college admission in tandem with growing anti-DEI legislation has made it difficult for institutions to deliver on their goals of enrolling and educating diverse cohorts of students. Yet all hope is not lost. Three inspirational leaders will share new paradigms and pathways for supporting the most marginalized students and enrolling diverse classes that represent the rich tapestry of the world’s young people – all while complying with the law.

Speakers:

Art Coleman

EducationCounsel

Bio

Art Coleman

Art Coleman is a founding partner of EducationCounsel LLC, where he provides policy, strategic, and legal counseling services to national non-profit organizations, postsecondary institutions, school districts, and state agencies throughout the country. As a national leader on issues of student and faculty diversity, equity and inclusion, Coleman supports national non-profit organizations and higher education institutions in their efforts to advance DEI aims in legally sustainable ways, with a focus on mission-aligned objectives and principles of innovation.

Coleman previously served as deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) where, in the 1990s, he led the department’s development of the Title VI policy on race-conscious financial aid, as well as OCR’s first comprehensive Title IX sexual harassment policy guidance.

Coleman was instrumental in the establishment of the College Board’s Access and Diversity Collaborative (ADC) in 2004, which he has helped lead since its inception. He has authored amicus briefs in major U.S. Supreme Court cases and currently is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, where he teaches a master’s level course on enrollment management law and policy.

A former litigator, Coleman is a 1984 honors graduate of Duke University School of Law and a 1981 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Virginia.

La Jerne Terry Cornish

Ithaca College

Bio

La Jerne Terry Cornish

Dr. La Jerne Terry Cornish is the 10th president of Ithaca College (IC). She took office on March 7, 2022.

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Cornish served as interim president from August 2021 to March 2022, and as provost and executive vice president after joining IC as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs in July 2018.

During her tenure at Ithaca, and in addition to leading the college’s academic affairs division, Dr. Cornish served as the primary architect of Ithaca Forever, the college’s five-year strategic plan, along with Jason Freitag, associate professor in the Department of History. Cornish and Freitag worked with a 15-member steering committee composed of faculty, staff, students, and members of the Ithaca-area community. The plan was created during the 2018-19 academic year, and formally endorsed by the Ithaca College Board of Trustees in June 2019.

The plan, which contains nine transformative goals, aims to achieve the college’s vision of becoming a global destination for bold thinkers seeking to build thriving communities. Understanding the urgent need for significant and visionary change in the higher education business model, Ithaca Forever provides a blueprint for a sustainable future anchored by a commitment to inclusive, responsive, and student-centered action.

Shaun Harper

University of Southern California

Bio

Shaun Harper

Shaun Harper is a diversity, equity, and inclusion expert. He is a provost professor in the Rossier School of Education, Price School of Public Policy, and Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. He also is the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership, as well as founder and executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center. Dr. Harper has published 12 books and over 100 academic papers. In addition, he has authored more than 125 articles for the Washington Post, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and other widely read newspapers and magazines. The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, and numerous other news outlets have quoted Dr. Harper and featured his research. He has been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, ESPN, and NPR. The recipient of dozens of top awards in his fields and five honorary degrees, Dr. Harper served as the 2020-21 American Educational Research Association president and the 2016-17 Association for the Study of Higher Education president. He was inducted into the National Academy of Education in 2021.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Speakers:

Art Coleman

La Jerne Terry Cornish

Shaun Harper

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