Press Release

The Forum on Workplace Inclusion® 34th Annual Conference “Solving for X: Tackling Inequities in a World of Unknowns” Registration Now Open

Feb 2, 2022

Media contact: Rachel Farris
Augsburg University

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Forum on Workplace Inclusion® 34th  Annual Conference “Solving for X: Tackling Inequities in a World of Unknowns” Registration Now Open

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — January 6, 2022 — The Forum on Workplace Inclusion® (The Forum) at Augsburg University has opened registration for its 34th annual conference “Solving for X: Tackling Inequities in a World of Unknowns.” The Forum’s annual conference will take place on April 5 – 7, 2022. This year’s conference will be entirely virtual through the online conference platform Pathable. Discounted “early bird” rates, group rates, and team meeting packages are now available. Early bird rates are available for a limited time.

About the 2022 Conference

What many hoped would be a temporary departure from “business as usual” in 2020 has permanently changed the way we envision the workplace of the future.

Centering diversity, equity, and inclusion will bring new challenges — especially as the very foundations of our structures continue to shift. Preparing for changes we cannot easily sense has many of us uneasily scrambling to invent solutions for problems that are yet unknown.  The central question we raise for the 2022 Forum on Workplace Inclusion is this:

Solving for X: As we look to a future of continuous and unforeseeable change, what must we do to tackle systemic inequities so deeply embedded in our everyday environments and raise up inclusive, equitable, and sustainable work cultures that maximize our pluralistic potential?

“In light of the multiple pandemics–health, financial, racial equity–many organizations have made pronouncements of support to underserved populations and for diversity, equity, and inclusion, but some of those pronouncements have been purely performative,” said Steven Humerickhouse, The Forum’s executive director. 

“But even for the most sincere, the challenge is what is the right thing to do when everything around us is shifting. The Forum’s 2022 flagship conference is designed to help us all suss out where to put our energies and what direction we should head,“ Humerickhouse said.

Coming off of the success of last year’s virtual conference format and with the continued uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Forum chose to host this year’s conference virtually again in 2022. 

“As much as we want to meet in person again, a virtual gathering allows us the unique opportunity to bring more voices into the room from across the world, some very remote from us in the U.S. It lowers the barriers of cost, place, and time, making the conference more accessible and allowing the learning to continue after the event has concluded,” Humerickhouse said.

The Forum’s annual conference is the nation’s largest – and one of the world’s largest – workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) conferences designed for national and global audiences. This conference marks The Forum’s third year as part of Augsburg University.

“All of us who lead organizations dedicated to equity and inclusion have benefited from The Forum’s outstanding programming – both at this annual conference and in its innovative ongoing efforts to offer the best thinking and strategies for living out our DEI commitments,” said Paul Pribbenow, Augsburg University’s president. “We are proud to partner with The Forum to help expand diversity, equity, and inclusion skills, and we value the opportunity to learn from the many DEI practitioners who find the Forum a meaningful professional resource,” he said.

The Forum’s annual conference is curated with help from global experts on some of the world’s leading issues and topics vetted by our committee of DEI practitioners. This year’s conference will also feature on-demand access for up to three months after the conference.

This year’s conference features

  • 84 workshops and seminars, with six featured sessions, three general sessions, art and wellness workshops, book readings, networking events, performances, and diversity awards presentations, more than 120 presenters and speakers from around the world, and our innovative Marketplace of Ideas virtual exhibitor space.
  • Also returning in a new format is the popular DEI Coaching Center where leading DEI professionals provide outcome-focused coaching attendees can apply when returning to the workplace.

How can we do all this in a virtual setting? Join us and find out! Press passes are available. Contact The Forum at workplaceforum@augsburg.edu for details.

About The Forum
For 33 years, The Forum has served as a convening hub for those seeking to grow professional leadership and effectiveness skills in the field of DEI by engaging people, advancing ideas, and igniting change. It is hosted at Augsburg University located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The annual conference is HRCI and SHRM Continuing Education Credit (CEU) eligible.

For rates, registration, or more information, visit ForumWorkplaceInclusion.org 

About Augsburg
Augsburg University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees to 3,400 students of diverse backgrounds at its campus in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and nearby Rochester, Minnesota, location. Augsburg educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings. Learn more at Augsburg.edu

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The Forum on Workplace Inclusion®
2211 Riverside Ave, CB 54
Minneapolis, MN 55454
workplaceforum@augsburg.edu
(612) 373-5994

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