FARMINGTON – Diversity comes in many forms and can be very invisible, said Johanna Prince, University of Maine at Farmington instructor and an organizer of a campus conference “Teaching in a Diverse World” planned for Thursday.

A presentation by keynote speaker Stephen Wessler, executive director of Portland’s Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, begins at 11:45 a.m. and kicks off the one-day conference.

His presentation, “Creating Safe and Respectful Schools,” to be held in North Dining Hall at UMF’s Olsen Student Center provides an understanding of the problem of hate in schools along with skills and strategies for intervening to prevent harassment.

While an attorney in the Maine Attorney General’s office, Wessler’s work led to the creation of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence in 1999. The center focuses on programs in schools, colleges and communities to prevent bias, prejudice, harassment and violence.

“We are so excited to have the opportunity to bring Wessler’s expertise to the educational community,” said Katherine Yardley, dean of the College of Education, Health and Rehabilitation. “Creating a climate in which every student feels physically and emotionally safe and ready to learn is the foundation of providing a positive educational experience.”

To help teacher education students understand the impact of diversity as they enter classrooms, presenters from all over Maine were invited to share during the conference. Once organizers realized the variety of topics for the sessions planned, they chose to invite the public as well as local teachers, Prince said.

While parents and teachers help maintain school culture, what children bring to school (the nonacademic part of their life) brings enormous diversity and makes an impact on what they put in and get out of their education, she said.

Sponsored by the UMF College of Education, Health and Rehabilitation, the conference is free and open to the public and will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. with sessions in both the UMF Olsen Student Center and Education Center.

A list of conference sessions descriptions, presenters, times and locations is available at http://faculty.umf.maine.edu/~princej/conference/Conference.html