ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Attorney General Ken Salazar will speak on affirmative action and outreach in higher education at the University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ 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 ChancellorÂ’s Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs. SalazarÂ’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 ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Attorney General's Office represents and defends the interests of the people of the state of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ by executing the responsibilities given to the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Attorney General by custom, the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Constitution and statutes enacted by the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ General Assembly and the people of the state of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥.
In November 1998 Salazar was elected the 36th ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Attorney General. His duties include oversight of the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Department of Law and working on behalf of the people of the state of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ 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 ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ 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 ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ College and a law degree from the University of Michigan. He also received an honorary doctorate of law in 1993 from ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ 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.