About the Institute
The ABCD Institute is a one-day conference event, and an initiative to inform, educate, and engage participants in dialogues on discrimination issues across various topics, such as religion, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, ability, body size, and age. In alignment with the inclusive excellence promoted by the UW systems, this Institute is designed to promote a more inclusive, diverse, and respectful attitude towards individual differences, and to foster an atmosphere that celebrates human diversity. The dialogues from the Institute will serve as a platform for participants to learn constructive ways to be more inclusive and respectful of individual differences, thereby celebrating diversity in our society.
The conference will include a keynote speech, followed by 5 concurrent sessions offered by 10 experts from the UW system and surrounding area, comprised of interdisciplinary topics that combine various academic perspectives, including psychology, sociology, history, religious studies, communication, economics, and education. Participants will have the chance to attend five lectures throughout the day, at the completion they will be awarded the ABCD Institute's Diversity Training Certificate. This event is open to all UWC campuses as well as the surrounding communities. This event will be held on Friday, March 30th, 2018.
Who We Are
Kayoung Kim Ph.D.
Director, ABCD Institute
Dr. Kayoung Kim was born, raised, and educated in South Korea where she obtained her BA from Yonsei University. She came to the US in 2009 where she received her MS in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University, and PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Texas A&M University. She joined the UW-Fond du Lac faculty in 2015. Since then, her lab has developed numerous active research projects in children's cognitive development, and is currently collaborating with Children's Museum of Fond du Lac through the Living Lab Initiative. She is also actively involved in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), with her research focused on High Impact Practices (HIP) for student learning. In her efforts to promote and celebrate diversity on campus and beyond, Dr. Kim has received multiple grants to found the ABCD Institute. She is the recipient of 2017 Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award from the UW System, and has recently been selected as the 2018-2019 Wisconsin Teaching Fellow.
Rebecca Vis
Assistant Director, ABCD Institute
Rebecca Vis (Becky) is the Diversity Director of the UW-Fond du Lac Student Government. She will be graduating this spring from UW-Fond du Lac with her associates degree, with future plans to pursue a doctorate degree in psychology. Rebecca plans on opening up a facility to help individuals transfer successfully back into society from incarceration and/or detox from drugs and alcohol. This is a very personal mission for Rebecca as she was once that person who needed assistance and had very little resources. She is a very driven individual who is very active on and off campus in multiple organizations promoting inclusivity for all. Rebecca is a non-traditional student who works to inspire others as she balances school and her employment while raising her beautiful daughter, Clara.
Our Diversity Team
Richardson Paye
Thornton Albertz
Abbey George
Jenna McCauley
Emma Klein
Alyssa Reinke
Our Sponsors
UW Colleges, Grants to Increase Student Engagement
Fine Arts and Lectures Committee of UW-Fond du Lac
UW-Fond du Lac Foundation
UW-Fond du Lac Student Government Association
UW-Fond du Lac Art Student's League (logo design)