Purdue News
Purdue News
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May 4, 2004 Head of state instruction to speak on May 17 Brown anniversary
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Suellen Reed, Indiana's superintendent of public instruction, will speak at Purdue University on May 17 at a reception honoring the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The talk and reception, sponsored by Purdue's Office of the Vice President for Human Relations and the School of Education, will take place from 3:30-5 p.m. in the Purdue Memorial Union West Faculty Lounge. It is free and open to the public. "We are honored that Dr. Reed will join Purdue on the anniversary of this important decision," said Alysa Rollock, vice president for human relations at Purdue. "The decision did not end all discrimination in public education, but it did provide the legal vehicle for change that is still being used today to bring equity to education, making a reality the American ideal of 'freedom and justice for all.'" In her position, Reed also leads the state board of education and the Indiana Department of Education. She was first elected in November 1992 and was re-elected to a third four-year term in 2000. Her areas of expertise include international education, gifted and talented education, elementary education and history, political science, and curriculum. She has a bachelor's degree from Hanover College and master's and doctorate degrees from Ball State University. She has done graduate work at Indiana University, Purdue University, Indiana State University, Earlham College, the University of Southern Indiana, the University of Scranton, Butler University, Florida Atlantic University, the University of Alaska, the University of Virginia, Scotland's Edinburgh University and the Oxford Roundtable at Oxford University, England. George Hynd, dean of the School of Education, will introduce Reed at the reception. "I'm proud that the School of Education can be part of the celebration of such an important occasion," Hynd said. "A quality education is the most important gift we can give this country's children. Fifty years ago, this court decision helped the United States begin the process of providing an equal education to all of its citizens." Reed's talk is part of a yearlong series of events at Purdue honoring the anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. On Feb. 12, Linda Brown Thompson and Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughters of the named plaintiff in the case, gave a talk chronicling the history of their family's participation in the court battle that permanently changed American public education. Writers: Reni Winter, (765) 496-3133, rwinter@purdue.edu Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu Sources: Alysa Rollock, (765) 494-5830, vphr@purdue.edu George W. Hynd, (765) 494-2336, ghynd@purdue.edu Suellen Reed, (317) 232-6665, sreed@doe.state.in.us Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Note to Journalists: A list of Purdue experts who can discuss the Brown vs. Board of Education decision is available online. Related Web sites: Brown v. Board of Education Foundation Brown v. Board of Education site Purdue African American Studies and Research Center Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction
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