Pre-Conference Workshops

Separate registration and fee required ($95 members; $155 non-members per workshop). Registration is limited, so register early.

Monday, March 14, 2022, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm CT

Workshop 1: Seeing Each Other: Anti-Oppression in Practice for Authentic Belonging

The Office of Identity, Inclusion, and Collective Conscience (I2C2) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is grounded in an inclusive, community-minded, anti-oppression mission that prioritizes accountable responsiveness to dismantling oppressive systems, including the “isms,” unconscious bias, and more nuanced systems of hierarchy and marginalization. Consequently, I2C2 interrogates complacent organizational practices and institutional structures that implicitly work against actualizing an anti-oppression vision. Cultivating an environment that honors sincere inclusion, celebrates multifaceted identity, and centers inherent dignity in all is inevitably challenging and downright uncomfortable to accomplish with intention, humility, bravery, and fidelity. Drawing on the presenters’ experiences of embracing this “healthy discomfort,” as well as the successes and challenges of the I2C2’s inaugural year, this interactive workshop will provide participants with a guiding framework and key activities for expanding discourse and evolving a community of co-learning.

PRESENTERS

Brandi Shah, Staff Physician at Student Health Services; Adrienne Fowler-Payne, Program Director, CU²RE Program; Carmella Goree, Education Coordinator; and Shyla Fields, Director of the Office of Identity, Inclusion, and Collective Conscience—all at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Workshop 2: Creating an Anti-Racist, Social Justice-Oriented Campus Action Plan for Faculty

Workshop attendees will focus on the creation of a mission- and value-aligned, comprehensive DEI action plan to expand social justice and anti-racist programming on their campuses at the micro and macro levels. The workshop will present a holistic and scaffolded approach to anti-racist work that engages participants in building foundational knowledge, learning and practicing application strategies, and promoting institutional change through a combination of professional learning communities, workshops, and critical conversations about readings/videos. Although initially designed for faculty, the approach is transferable to other audiences/contexts because its concepts, theories, structure, and format are rooted in principles of the science of learning and because its focus is on universities as cultural systems. The experiential, interactive components of this workshop are designed to encourage attendees to engage with anti-racist and justice-oriented content/activities with mindfulness and compassion.

PRESENTERS

Betsy Eudey, Director/Professor Gender Studies and Interim COIL Coordinator; Shradha Tibrewal, Director, Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and Professor, Master of Social Work Program; and Mary Roaf, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies—all of California State University Stanislaus

Tuesday, March 15, 2022, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm CT

Workshop 3: Assessing and Addressing Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In light of the current political climate, the onset of COVID, and the magnification of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues in higher education, the City University of New York–Brooklyn College, Harvard University, and the University of Florida developed an assessment to measure institutional climate with respect to DEI. A pilot was conducted with data from more than 85 representatives of postsecondary institutions to evaluate the technical properties, including a psychometric analysis. The pilot research, which included focus groups with college presidents and diversity officers, found that the instrument helped many institutions engage in important conversations about DEI, bringing to light issues of ethnic/racial, gender, religious, and LGBTQ+ inequities. Using the newly developed DEI framework, this workshop will allow participants to actively engage in a structured reflection on DEI within their own contexts and to draft a plan for their institutions.

PRESENTERS

M. David Miller, Professor of Research and Evaluation Methods and Director of the School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education—University of Florida; Tammie Cumming, Associate Provost and Assistant Vice President, and Isana Leshchinskaya, Assessment and Accreditation Specialist—both of Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Workshop 4: Voices for Justice: Developing Equity in the Arts

This workshop will feature a framework and a process for developing a Voices for Justice performing arts series focused on racial equity. The presenters will offer an overview of the theoretical underpinnings, related research, and specific examples of this cocurricular programmatic effort to center racial equity in the performing arts. Through engagement in small and large group discussions, workshop participants will develop their own racial equity Voices for Justice series and receive peer feedback on their series drafts.

PRESENTERS

Megan Kline Crockett, Executive Director of the Carpenter Performing Arts Center; Angela M. Locks, Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Academic Affairs; Ray Briggs, Associate Professor of Music and Assistant Director of Jazz Studies; and John Hamilton, Associate Vice President of University Access and Retention—all at California State University, Long Beach