UCR Newsroom

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — UC Riverside will host “The Keepers of the Language Conference” Saturday, Nov. 4, to explore the benefits and challenges of public university partnerships with indigenous nations in preserving native languages.

Panelists at the conference, which lasts from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in room 1500 Humanities and Social Sciences, will discuss how to develop and maintain language programs in Native American communities and the resources universities can offer these efforts.

The conference is a joint effort of the Department of Ethnic Studies at UC Riverside and Native American Studies at UC Davis.
“We will talk about both the theoretical and practical concerns of language recovery,” said Victoria Bomberry, assistant professor of ethnic studies at UCR and one of the conference organizers.

The conference is free, and free parking permits are available at the parking kiosk on campus. Continuing education credit is available through UC Riverside Extension.

Speakers will include scholars, writers, cultural leaders and others. There will be performances by “Bird Singers” and music by UCR’s Mayupatapi ensemble.

Conference co-sponsors include the University of California Humanities Research Institute, UCR Center for Ideas and Society, Native American Student Programs, UCR Extension, the UCR Department of Anthropology, UCR Department of Creative Writing and UCR Department of Women’s Studies.

The University of California, Riverside (www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment of over 19,000 is expected to grow to 21,000 students by 2020. The campus is planning a medical school and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion.

A broadcast studio with fiber cable to the AT&T Hollywood hub is available for live or taped interviews. To learn more, call (951) UCR-NEWS.