Two Oct. 30 programs at Mississippi State University will provide public forums for examining a range of issues now under discussion across America.
At 4 p.m. in the Colvard Union ballroom, United States Navy Capt. Jeffrey Kendall Sapp will address the topic, "21st Century Leadership: Working in a Diverse Society."
At 7 p.m., a group of MSU faculty members and Starkville community representatives will be part of a panel discussion in the same location. Focusing on Muslim people and their culture, the evening presentation is titled "Mending Rifts: Going Beyond Stereotypical Views on Islam." Audience input will be welcomed.
MSU's Holmes Cultural Diversity Center and the women's studies program of the College of Arts and Sciences are sponsoring both programs. The University Honors Program and a number of campus organizations are providing additional support.
Sapp, a United States Naval Academy graduate, is Navy ROTC commander and naval sciences professor at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, La. He was the first African-American co-captain of the academy football team and, subsequently, the first black to become deputy athletic director at his alma mater.
Forum panelists will include philosophy and religion scholar Alex Naughton, aerospace engineer Masoud Rais-Rohani, political scientist Hannah Britton, Islamic community representatives Rahma and Oda Dakhlalla, pediatrician Dr. Fauzia Khan, and psychology researcher Carolyn Adams-Price.
William "Brother" Rogers, assistant director of the Starkville-based Stennis Center for Public Service, will serve as forum moderator.
"Our goal in inviting Capt. Sapp is to provide information and generate dialogue about issues that currently are in the national consciousness," said Stacy Roberson, Holmes Center director. Sapp is a frequent speaker on the development of leadership and customer-focused organizations and a former commander of the Navy destroyer USS Ingersoll, she added.
Meg Murray, women's studies program director, said the forum about Islam "will be an opportunity to hear many sides of issues now under wide discussion throughout America."
For more information about the programs, telephone Roberson at (662) 325-2033 or Murray at 325-2358.