Topics: Administrative, Speakers, Student Affairs
January 13, 2014
Notable coach, author and educator Ken Carter, the inspiration for the 2005 film “Coach Carter,” will speak Jan. 21, 2014 at Ball State.
Coach, author and educator Ken Carter, the inspiration of the 2005 film “Coach Carter,” will speak on the importance of passion in the journey to success when he visits Ball State University Tuesday, Jan. 21, as part of the campus' Unity Week events and in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Pruis Hall and is free and open to the public.
Carter has traveled the country to deliver hard-hitting advice to audiences on the topics of accountability, integrity, teamwork and leadership on and off the basketball court. He made national headlines in 1999 when he chose to stand by his belief that his students at California's Richmond High School take their academics seriously, locking out his undefeated, state playoff-bound basketball team to force them to hit the books. The event was the basis of the film that starred Samuel L. Jackson as Coach Carter.
Carter is the founder and chairman of the Coach Ken Carter Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes and provides education, training and mentoring programs for minority youth, as well as the Coach Carter Impact Academy, designed to enable disadvantaged youth to reach their full academic and life potential.
Unity Week events, which are free and open to the public, will begin Jan. 20 with the Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. community breakfast at 9 a.m. in the Pittenger Student Center, Cardinal Hall. This year’s theme is “Mosaic: Connecting the Pieces.”
Additional Unity Week events include:
- MLK Day of Service: Jan. 20 (sponsored by Student Voluntary Services)
- MLK Unity March: 4 p.m. Jan. 20, Ball State Multicultural Center
- “I Stand For…” (wall) and “I am…” (photo shoot): 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Jan. 21, Student Center, Tally food court
- Minority Workshop includes simulation activities related to the experiences of various cultural and identity groups: 5-7 p.m. Jan. 21, Student Center, Halls B and C
- Tunnel of Oppression (students will participate in the simulation of oppression of various cultural groups): 5-9 p.m. Jan. 22, Student Center, Ballroom
- Mural Painting: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Jan. 23, Atrium
- Latinopalooza (Latino Student Union will sponsor a showcase of talents of Ball State students): 6-8 p.m. Jan. 24, Pruis Hall
- Friday Night Filmworks: “The Butler,” 9 p.m. Jan. 24, Pruis Hall
- Diversity symposium: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 25, Student Center
- Unity Pageant (crowning Miss and Mr. Unity): 7 p.m. Jan. 25, Pruis Hall
Unity Week is sponsored by Student Affairs, the Multicultural Center, the Office of Institutional Diversity, the Office of Student Life, Black Student Association, Latino Student Union, Asian American Student Association, Spectrum, Today’s Black Women, Alpha Phi Omega, University Program Board, Student Government Association, Student Voluntary Services, the Office of Housing and Residence Life and the Office of the President.