The six colleges and universities in Luzerne County regularly use resources to develop educational programming that is available to everyone.

Each offers special programs designed to benefit underserved audiences.  Some of the schools use the occasion of Martin Luther King Day in January or Black History Month in February as a backdrop.

Diversity festival Luzerne County Community College will hold a Cultural Diversity Week Food and Art Festival Feb. 22-26 at its campus in Nanticoke.

The week will feature many activities for students, staff and the public, including performances by Taikoza, a Japanese music and dance group; Combo Latino.

A Latino jazz band, and Lea, an African-American civil rights singer. The college's cafeteria will feature ethnic dishes each day and several LCCC students will sing in the campus center during the week.

LCCC has entered into a partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau for the 2010 Census. The bureau is co-sponsoring Cultural Diversity Week in conjunction with the LCCC Diversity Council. LCCC diversity T-shirts will be given away on campus featuring the Census 2010 slogan, "It's In Our Hands," and the Census Bureau will distribute information during the week's activities.

"LCCC's affiliation with the U.S. Census Bureau provides the college with an opportunity to play an important role in Census 2010 and also allows us to partner with an agency that strongly supports diversity," said Francis Curry, LCCC director of admissions and liaison with the bureau.

The multicultural club at Misericordia University is helping plan the first Dream Week at the campus in Dallas, featuring a series of events inspired by the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others who have given their lives for their dreams.

The programs, open free to the public, will be held each evening Feb. 15 to 20 in the Sandy and Marlene Insalaco Hall under the direction of multicultural student outreach coordinator Erica Acosta and Dan Kimbrough, assistant professor of communications.

Programs will be held on King, Indian civil rights leader Mohandas Ghandi, and Argentinean revolutionary Che Guevara. A fourth program will feature the story of the Mirabal sisters, followed by a showing of the 2001 feature film, "In the Time of the Butterflies." The movie details the lives of the three sisters from the Dominican Republic who were killed over their efforts to overthrow a dictatorship.

The week's events will end with a program focusing on Jesus Christ's fight for the plight of the poor. The club will also participate in the MLK vigil walk to be held in Wilkes-Barre on Jan. 18.

For Dream Week program times and room locations, contact Acosta at 674-8155 or eacosta@misericordia.edu.

Pathways to Success

The McGowan Hispanic Outreach Program at King's College, Wilkes-Barre, will expand in February to incorporate students from several middle schools in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. Under the new program, Pathways to Success, participants will visit the college twice a month for hands-on workshops.

Coordinated by AmeriCorps VISTA member Edili Lopez, Pathways to Success will build on national models that bring college and middle school students together for learning experiences that introduce the younger students to a broad spectrum of academic disciplines and to the opportunities these disciplines provide. The interaction with King's students may also build the confidence and leadership skills to foster success in high school and post-high school studies.

For the past three academic years, students of Hispanic descent from GAR, Meyers and Coughlin high schools have participated in a program that provides them with math and literacy tutoring by a King's student, who also serves as a mentor. Some of those students also attended a three-week summer enrichment program with classes in math, biology, computer applications and leadership.

Student activities

At Penn State Wilkes-Barre in Lehman, diversity is not only welcomed, it's showcased through many performances focusing on the diversity we see every day.

In November, Penn State Wilkes-Barre hosted Frank LittleBear as he and other Native Americans presented two performances of traditional Native American dance, music and stories.

Feb. 11, Penn State Wilkes-Barre will host a Black History Month event with Michael Fosberg presenting "Incognito," a one-man show highlighting Fosberg's search for his biological father, his family history and the truth about his identity, ultimately learning he is the son of a black man. "Incognito" brings to the forefront many issues surrounding race, diversity, stereotyping and identity.

There will also be a Women's History Month and Irish Heritage Month performance March 22, with Screaming Orphans, a band of four Irish sisters who have traveled the world presenting their brand of pop-rock music.

Here and abroad

As one of the most diverse campuses in the Penn State system, Penn State Hazleton offers a wide range of opportunities for students to share and learn about various cultures.

The office of student affairs works with students to design programming and events to interest and inform students. Among these are cultural events which, this year, featured performers from South America and Ireland, along with Native Americans and a program on racial identity. Students are actively involved in the Multi-Cultural Club's annual Cultural Expo, sharing their ethnicity through displays, food, performance and more.

Perhaps the most beneficial experience for students is the study abroad program. Penn State's Office of Global Programs offers more than 180 summer, semester and full-year programs in more than 45 countries. At Penn State Hazleton, reciprocal programs with universities in India and Norway allow students to live and learn internationally.

During the 2008-09 academic year, Sherry Robinson, associate professor of business administration, taught and performed research at Buskerud University College, Hønefoss, Norway, on a Fulbright Scholarship. In October, Hans Anton Stubberud, dean of Buskerud's School of Business and Social Science, visited the campus to share information on his country and the exchange program.

Future scientists

A new Wilkes University initiative - the National Science Foundation Scholars Program - will help minority students launch research careers in the biological sciences. Funded by a $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the program will offer hands-on, year-round experience to minority students who show promise in biology.

The program, which begins in summer 2010, targets undergraduate juniors and seniors from groups historically underrepresented in science careers, including African-Americans, Alaska natives, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, Native Pacific Islanders and persons with disabilities. A group of up to four students will be recruited in each of the four years of the grant.

Minority students participating in the program receive hands-on, year-round research experience working closely with Wilkes professors; a scholarship of $6,000 per year, plus wages for research conducted during summer; an individualized curriculum designed to help scholars succeed in graduate school after graduating from Wilkes, and services from the Wilkes Center for Global Education and Diversity, including interaction with professional scientists from minority backgrounds and visits to research institutions.