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Diversity Summit 2026

The 8th Annual Diversity Summit will take place on February 24, 2026. This full-day event will feature a series of diversity-focused sessions hosted by members of the Geneseo community and invited guests, all dedicated to fostering engagement, perspective sharing, and meaningful dialogue. The Summit will culminate in a keynote address designed to inspire continued reflection and action.

Classes will not be in session. The Diversity Summit is free and open to all attendees.

The theme of this year鈥檚 Diversity Summit is centered in Courage – the courage to be vulnerable, to be authentic, to show up, to make movement, to change, to persist, and to grow. The organizers encourage the community to consider how courage guides our varied life experiences, whether at work, while learning, or in interactions with others.

Behind the scenes, there are plenty of opportunities to help the day run smoothly. From serving as a session room host to greeting attendees at the information table, our are integral in making the Diversity Summit a success. Opportunities are scheduled based on your availability. Please consider becoming a !

Program proposals look fantastic and the schedule will be available soon for you to begin planning your day. There will be more than 20 sessions to attend!

The day will begin again this year with Summit Sunrise Yoga led by Dr. Lee Pierce in the Multicultural Center at 8:00 a.m.

Doggy Therapy! Come get some love and snuggles from a few furry friends between 8:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. in the Bailey Hall Atrium. Myko and friends will available for anyone who would like to take a short break and relieve some stress.

This year鈥檚 Featured Event is The Hair Monologues offered by Casey Dapshi, Archer Maduro, and other members of the Geneseo community. Hair is personal, political, and particularly salient to people of various marginalized identities. Whether you cut it, grow it, pick it, braid it, dye it, shave it, or lost it, we want to hear how your hair has influenced your identity, and how your identity has influenced your hair. This session will feature monologue performances from select speakers, as well as space for the audience to share their own hair stories. The Hair Monologues will be performed on stage in the MCU Ballroom at 1:20 p.m. just before our keynote address.

The annual Community Art Project will encourage Diversity Summit attendees to reflect on what Courage means to them. How does courage show up in your life? More to come at the Summit from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

The final session of the Diversity Summit is a Film Screening of “The Green Book: Guide to Freedom” This screening aims to inspire learning and meaningful discussion about Black history, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of justice. Attendees should head to Milne Library and be ready for action at 4:30 p.m. Following the screening, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a discussion with the documentary鈥檚 producer, Dr. Yoruba Richen.

MacVittie College Union Ballroom
2:30 p.m.

In his keynote address, Finding Courage through Aspirational Masculinity, our keynote speaker, Don McPherson, will prompt us to explore how we can intentionally and thoughtfully shape the identities, relationships, and behaviors of boys and men. The framework promotes excellence, empathy, and growth within the broader social ecosystem. His work challenges the framing of gender-based violence as solely a 鈥渨omen鈥檚 issue,鈥� emphasizing the critical role men must play in addressing and dismantling harmful behaviors and cultural norms. McPherson argues that conflating male identity with the toxicity of violence not only obscures accountability, but also limits the potential for positive change.

Our phenomenal keynote speaker, will prompt us to consider the concept of “Aspirational Masculinity” in his address.

PDF Downloadable version: Coming Soon

PDF Downloadable version: Coming Soon

The first activity of the Diversity Summit is Summit Sunrise Yoga at 8:00 a.m. in the Multicultural Center. Sessions officially begin at 9:00 a.m. All sessions between 9:00 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. take place on the first and second levels of Bailey Hall. There is an intentional 10 minute break between each session block. Most sessions are 60 minutes in length. There are several 30 minute sessions for those looking for meaningful content in a shorter timeframe and two sessions that are 90 minutes for more in depth learning and practice. There is a one-hour break in sessions beginning at 12:20 p.m. The Diversity Summit formally resumes at 1:20 p.m. in the MacVittie College Union Ballroom with The Hair Monologues. The Keynote Address begins at 2:30 p.m. followed by a meet & greet and book signing next door in the Ballroom Lounge. The final session of the day, a film screening of The Green Book: A Guide to Freedom and Q&A with Yoruba Richens, will be hosted in the Milne Library room 134 at 4:30 p.m.

Behind the scenes, there are plenty of opportunities to help the day run smoothly. From serving as a session room host to greeting attendees at the information table, our are integral in making the Diversity Summit a success. Opportunities are scheduled based on your availability. Please consider becoming a !

If you require accommodations for equal access to this event, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services via email at access@geneseo.edu, or call 585-245-5112 at least one week prior to this event.

We are grateful to the University Police Department for providing on campus parking for Diversity Summit attendants. There will be no ticketing in campus parking lots with the exception of handicapped parking spaces, load zones, and reserved lots O, LL, W, and G on February 24, 2026 for the duration of Summit events.

We will be sharing a google form that gathers feedback on this year鈥檚 summit. This allows us to hear ideas related to the focus of next year鈥檚 Diversity Summit. If you’re interested in browsing the content of past Diversity Summits, visit the Summit archive. Any questions can be directed to the Diversity Summit Committee (diversitysummit@geneseo.edu).

The Diversity Summit Planning Committee includes representatives from the Office of Diversity & Equity, the President鈥檚 Commission on Diversity and Community, Division of Student & Campus Life, Division of Academic Affairs, and members of our campus community.