Article addresses recent statement for diversity in Fond du Lac County

“Can Fond du Lac embrace diversity? Some community leaders say yes,” about a diversity initiative in Fond du Lac County, was published Monday in the Fond du Lac Reporter. Ripon College President Zach Messitte is a signer of the Statement in Support of Diversity in Fond du Lac County.

“The brainchild of Ripon College, Marian University, Moraine Park Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac, the new Statement in Support of Diversity in Fond du Lac County was announced in June through two full-page ads in The Reporter,” the story reads. “It is available for viewing and signing at: ripon.edu/diversity-statement/.

“ ‘Local business leaders want and need employees of color, or those who may speak a different language, to feel at home in Fond du Lac County,’ said Ripon College President Zach Messitte. ‘A worker shortage in areas like manufacturing, teaching, nursing and retail has colleges and businesses scrambling to train and recruit.

“ ‘Diversity is just part of 21st-century life, and I think we can clearly state the majority of people in this country have adopted this belief,’ Messitte said.”

Among the supporters of the initiative are leaders of higher education, business executives and long-standing community organizations.