Three UT Dallas faculty members are slated to speak during the spring 2014 Diversity Lecture Series, which will take place the next three Fridays. 

“Each year the student body, faculty and staff continue to become more diverse,” said Dr. George Fair, interim vice president of Diversity and Community Engagement. “The goal of the lecture series is to build a stronger community and to develop a deeper understanding of issues related to diversity.”

March 21 – TI Auditorium (ECSS 2.102)

Raul Rojas

Dr. Raúl Rojas

At noon Friday, Dr. Raúl Rojas, assistant professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and director of the Bilingual Language Lab, will kick off the series with “Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition.”

Rojas is a faculty member in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program within the Callier Center for Communication Disorders. He is a speech-language pathologist and has provided bilingual speech-language pathology services in public schools, as well as early intervention for younger children. His research focuses on child language, specifically bilingual language development, in both typically developing and impaired children.

Rojas received his doctoral degree in bilingual development and child language from Temple University. He was honored with the Outstanding Contribution Award in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in 2010. In 2011, he received one of four New Century Scholars Research Grants from the ASHA Foundation.

March 28 – Kusch Auditorium (FN 2.102)

Dachang Cong

Dr. Dachang Cong

Dr. Dachang Cong, associate dean, director of the American Studies program and senior lecturer in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, will present “From Gold Mountain to Silicon Valley: A Long Journey of Asian Immigrants.”

Cong earned his PhD from Yale University in cultural anthropology. He teaches courses on American cultures, Chinese/East Asian cultures and globalization. He also teaches computer ethics in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.

Cong’s research focuses on how the shockwaves of the global digital revolution have reshaped the economies and cultures of the U.S., China and Japan. He also studies Chinatowns in New York City and San Francisco.

April 4 – Kusch Auditorium (FN 2.102)

Lynn Winstead

Dr. Lynn Winstead-Mabe

Dr. Lynn Winstead-Mabe, senior lecturer in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, will present “Interpersonal Communication in a Diverse World.”

Winstead-Mabe earned her PhD degree in philosophy from Texas A&M University-Commerce. She teaches courses in interpersonal, crisis, intercultural and professional communications. She also consults for several different law enforcement agencies and departments regarding communication and crisis management. She previously worked with law enforcement and their families as a licensed professional counselor in private practice for more than 20 years.

Winstead-Mabe specializes in dealing with communication issues that arise in law enforcement careers, in both the personal and professional lives of police officers.

Fair said each of the three lecturers helped the diverse student body succeed at UT Dallas.

 “The topics of the lectures — bilingualism, globalization and communication — are integral to the experience of students and the UT Dallas family daily,” Fair said.

Registration is free for the lectures.