Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar will speak on affirmative action and outreach in higher education at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Oct. 20.
Salazar's talk will be in Old Main Chapel from noon to 1 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the Chancellor聮s Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs. Salazar聮s visit is an important and timely one, according to Ofelia Miramontes, interim associate vice chancellor for diversity and CACMA co-chair.
"The change in the Attorney General's Office, a new governor and many new legislators have changed the political climate in the state," Miramontes said.
"As we wrestle with issues of equity and access on the Boulder campus, it is important to understand the ways in which the chief law officer of the state views issues of affirmative action and his views on strategies that we can use to reach our goals."
The Colorado Attorney General's Office represents and defends the interests of the people of the state of Colorado by executing the responsibilities given to the Colorado Attorney General by custom, the Colorado Constitution and statutes enacted by the Colorado General Assembly and the people of the state of Colorado.
In November 1998 Salazar was elected the 36th Colorado Attorney General. His duties include oversight of the Colorado Department of Law and working on behalf of the people of the state of Colorado on numerous legal issues including water and environmental, criminal justice and consumer protection matters.
He also is chairman of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board and serves on the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
Salazar and his family have been ranchers and farmers in the San Luis Valley since the 1850s. He received a political science degree from Colorado College and a law degree from the University of Michigan. He also received an honorary doctorate of law in 1993 from Colorado College.
The Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs, sponsor of Salazar's speech, is a group of students, faculty and administrators that advises the chancellor on diversity issues and serves as a sounding board for campus minority issues.
CACMA organizes the campus diversity summit annually to address diversity issues including the development of minority faculty, staff recruitment and retention, greater cultural awareness through the curriculum and the building of a more welcoming and respectful campus community.