Faculty Diversity Dialogue Program James Benevides Associate Teaching

Faculty Diversity Dialogue Program James Benevides, Associate Teaching Professor, School of Biological Sciences Stephen Dilks, Professor, College of Arts and Sciences Jennifer Hunter, Associate Professor, School of Nursing Orisa Igwe, Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy Johanna Nilsson, Professor, School of Education Jennifer Santee, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy Fariha Shafi, Associate Professor, School of Medicine

Introduction Purpose: • Create a faculty-led dialogue program with an established organizational structure responsible for planning and facilitating regular and sustainable diversity and inclusion conversations • Enhance faculty capacity to have respectful, quality dialogue about diversity, equity, and inclusion and to share strategies that promote responsive teaching and research • Provide a venue for faculty to develop and suggest action steps to the faculty senate and administration

History • In the fall of 2015, the Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Inclusion convened a group of faculty to discuss how to provide faculty development opportunities • In fall of 2015, a subcommittee, made up of volunteers from the larger committee, was formed to create a program based on the suggestions from the larger committee • We met several times during Spring , Summer, and Fall of 2016 • We concluded that a successful program should be dynamic, characterized by timely topics, promote dialogue rather than be didactic, and provide a safe environment where confidentiality and respect are maintained • A proposal was developed and presented to the Provost and the Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Inclusion to seek support and funding • They agreed to support and fund this program

Our Proposal • Faculty are invited to engage in hour-long dialogues on issues of diversity and inclusion (personal, institutional, cultural) • Dialogue sessions to occur over the lunch hour; lunch will be provided • 3 topics per semester will be explored; sessions will be held on both the Volker and Hospital Hill campuses (6 sessions altogether) • Each topic will be decided upon no earlier than the prior semester • Examples of possible topics • • Political correctness/Language in the classroom Gender neutral bathrooms How to hire and retain under-represented minority faculty Recognition of diversity and inclusion in the promotion and tenure process

Our Proposal • Start the program Fall 2017 • Advisory board – faculty representatives • Selects topics from those suggested by faculty • Selects facilitator for each dialogue • Assesses success of the program • Faculty coordinator – Stephen Dilks • • • Markets program to faculty Informs staff and students of program initiatives Coordinates and attends advisory board meetings as ex-officio Assists advisory board in evaluating program Attends all dialogue sessions to maintain confidentiality and civility as well as spark conversation Communicates to administration so that funding continues and action steps developed by faculty are taken into account by administration • What is left to plan: connection to faculty senate

Question for Faculty Senate • This is a program developed by faculty, for faculty • What should the link to the senate be, for example • Advisory board makes regular reports to senate? • Member of senate serves on advisory board? • How can the senate use this program to convey the concerns of the faculty regarding issues of diversity and inclusion?