Council on Internationalism as a guest of the Republic of Colombia and the Universidad de La Salle. His lecture was titled “Location in Internationalization: There is a There There”. With over 600 presidents, international officers, and attendees representing 219 universities, Dr. Lancaster was provided with a very unique opportunity to recruit students as Kentucky State University the only university from the United States represented at the conference. KSU is scheduled to return with students July 2013, while the specifics for La Salle to send students to KSU are in process.

Thomas McPartland and Tucker Landy accompanied fifteen WYS honors students to attend the Kentucky Honors Roundtable (KHR) fall conference at the Murray State University, October 26-27. Many were first-time freshmen. The Honors Roundtable brings students from honors programs around the state together for fun and education. Three sophomores, Reginald Grimes II, Raven Watkins, and Jazmynn Wilson presented a panel on "Good, Evil, and the Afterlife: Parallel Visions in the Spiritual Traditions of the World," examining how different cultures, traditions, and texts deal with questions regarding good and evil, the immortality of the soul, and the concepts of hell and the afterlife. The works considered included The Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, Dante's Inferno, Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, texts from the Buddhist and Islamic traditions, and the Bible. The panelists came to differing conclusions about how universal are the visions of the different traditions. They engaged in a fruitful discussion with the audience. Also attending were freshmen Somto Adi, Toi Creel, Makeyla Henderson, William Goins, Travis Lafollette, Matthew Skaggs, and Traci Thomas; sophomores Chelsea North, Callie Towles, Sarah Tuttle, and Ebony Wallace; and junior Inna Malyuk. Drs. Gary Elliott, Tucker Landy, and Thomas McPartland helped students prepare their presentations.

At the annual Conference of the National Council of Deans of Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Dean Sam Oleka was reappointed the Chair of the Committee on Cultural Diversity. The conference took place in Seattle Washington October 2012. Dr. Oleka moderated a panel discussion on: “How to Improve Student Retention and Increase Graduation Rates using a Well-designed and Engaging Academic Learning Committee” and lead the Minority Deans' Breakfast discussion on: “Strategic Pathways for Minority Faculty Leadership Development.”

Reba Rye coordinated the Senior Art Exhibition of Andre Hudson at the Vibrant Life Gallery, St. Clair St, Frankfort. Scott Ross and Skylar Gibbons, Studio Art Major, installed a hanging/display system for the gallery in support of both the cultivation of Art Area exhibitions downtown and in support of a local community activity venue.

Cynthia Lynne Shelton, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Africana and International Studies, Whitney Young College, was invited by Dr. Jose Vicente, President of Zumbi dos Palmares University, Sao Paulo, Brazil to lecture at the Black Observatory Seminary (lecture series) and to attend the prestigious Raca Negra Awards the week of November 19, 2012. Dr. Shelton's paper is entitled "Living the Dream: The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and the Americas". The ceremony, known as the "Oscars of Afro-Brazil" celebrates the nation's leaders. Past American attendees include Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and President Barack Obama. Dr. Shelton was invited in recognition of her contributions to intercultural exchange between the US and Brazil and her educational efforts throughout the African Diaspora.