Administration

Communications

Author of Honky to speak at opening convocation
Monday, September 03, 2007

CANTON, Mo. – Dalton Conley, PhD, sociologist and author of Honky, the true story of his growing up as the only Caucasian child in one of New York City’s African American/Latino ghettos, will be the speaker at Culver-Stockton on Thursday, Sept. 6, for the opening convocation to kick off the 2007-08 academic year. Conley will discuss “White Like Me: Race, Class and Childhood in Urban America” at 11 a.m. in the Alexander Campbell auditorium in the Performing Arts Center.

Honky is one of six books written by Conley that focus on race relations, wealth and poverty in America, and the impact of birth order and family on individuals. This year, Culver-Stockton selected Honky as the required summer reading assignment for all new students and the entire faculty.

“Experiencing and studying diversity is an important aspect of the college experience,” said R. Joseph Dieker, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. “The book provides important insights, and meeting the author will enhance the shared awareness on campus of the differences all around us.” Dieker added that, after reading the book this summer, the Culver-Stockton faculty focused on discussing diversity during the fall faculty workshops.

Conley is professor of social sciences and chair of sociology at New York University. He also holds appointments at the NYU Wagner School of Public Service, as an adjunct professor of community medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and as a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is also senior advisor to the United Nations Millennium Project. In 2005, Conley became the first sociologist to win the Alan T. Waterman Award from the National Science Foundation in recognition of the value of his research. Much published and honored, Conley’s most recent book, published in 2005, is The Pecking Order: A Bold New Look at How Family and Society Determine Who We Become.