Innovation in Diversity & Inclusion Grant

idi Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion Grant ProgramThough one semester is coming to a close, we are still planning for the next! There is a new opportunity just ahead for recognizing and promoting diversity and inclusion at LLCC. The Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion Grant has been under development this fall by the IDI Grant Project Team (appointed by the Campus Climate Team’s Safety & Inclusivity Workgroup). It provides an internal grant opportunity for any LLCC faculty, staff, student or department, and can be used to address a need and/or to promote/celebrate diversity.

There will be $1500 available, and submitted projects must fall into one or more of these categories:  (1) Training, Teaching and Learning, (2) Recruitment and Retention, (3) Environments and Processes, (4) Other Innovation.

Some project examples:

  • Training, Teaching and Learning Examples: Host a training event, purchase materials for an inclusivity workshop, buy books from diverse authors, etc.
  • Recruitment and Retention Examples: Projects aimed at recruiting traditionally minoritized individuals to be students or employees, targeted retention projects (for students and employees), etc.
  • Environment and Processes Examples: Address physical accessibility concerns; purchasing materials needed for implementation of inclusive practices by individuals, groups, or departments; fund tools needed to make a process more inclusive, etc.

If you have questions, please contact shelby.bedford@llcc.edu. More information on the application and criteria will be coming soon. In the meantime, keep this opportunity in mind as you plan for the spring semester, and supervisors please encourage your departments to consider submitting an application. Let the innovation begin!

IDI Grant Project Team:
Shelby Bedford
Laura Anderson
Michelle Pulce-Flynn
Jamil Steele
Kyla Kruse

New Professional Development menu tab

What is professional development? It is improving, updating and expanding knowledge and skills that support an individual’s role within the college and/or the overall mission, vision and values of the institution.

There is now a tab on the LincIn menu to help centralize communication about professional development opportunities. By clicking on this tab, faculty and staff can see all articles submitted on conferences, workshops, webinars and more.

The Campus Climate Team’s Professional Development project team has been working on ways to enhance professional development, including the communication about available opportunities. Participating in professional development helps us keep our knowledge and skills relevant and up-to-date, and sets us up for success!

Exploring and Engaging Equity video series

Equity-Conscious Practices. Equity Conscious Community College Pathways. Support for CC-ALL is provided by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Evolving from consciousness gaps to critical consciousness can occur by knowing what equity is and isn’t, talking about sensitive issues around race and making data-informed decisions grounded in equity. Get a summary of the videos from the Office of Community College Research & Leadership shared over the last four weeks in this recap video. The videos in the series advance strategic solutions to redress inequities through ongoing sustainable efforts centered around equity.

The Campus Climate Team has been sharing one video a week from OCCRL’s Exploring and Engaging Equity Video Vignette Series – exploring what equity is and revealing strategies to engage in equity-focused action. The team would like to know how many have been watching the videos and would appreciate your feedback on the series. If you watched at least one of the videos, please complete the brief feedback form by Aug. 17.

Exploring and Engaging Equity video series

Equity-Conscious Practices. Equity Conscious Community College Pathways. Support for CC-ALL is provided by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Delve deeper into how equity consciousness and cultural proficiency are interconnected in the fourth video in the Exploring and Engaging Equity Video Vignette Series from the Office of Community College Research & Leadership. This week’s episode focuses on equity-conscious leaders and cultural proficiency — leading for change. Hear about how important it is for leaders in education to include these practices within their overall framework. Also learn about “equity traps,” which are patterns of thinking and behaviors that prevent educators from being successful with all students.

The Campus Climate Team has been sharing one video a week from OCCRL’s Exploring and Engaging Equity Video Vignette Series — a valuable, free and conveniently accessible professional development resource on equity. The videos show topics of critical importance that aim to foster student success and equitable outcomes. They explore what equity is and reveal strategies to engage in equity-focused action.

Exploring and Engaging Equity video series

Equity-Conscious Practices. Equity Conscious Community College Pathways. Support for CC-ALL is provided by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.This is the third week the Campus Climate Team is sharing a video from the Office of Community College Research & Leadership’s Exploring and Engaging Equity Video Vignette Series — a valuable, free and conveniently accessible professional development resource on equity. OCCRL’s videos show topics of critical importance that aim to foster student success and equitable outcomes. This week’s episode focuses on developing critical consciousness for advancing equity. Critical consciousness offers a way for marginalized people to try to make sense of inequitable social and economic conditions around them, and act to change those conditions. Learn about critical consciousness in relation to education and about the acts of reflecting, analyzing and taking steps to change social inequities. If you missed prior weeks’ videos, you can still access and view them: Episode 1: Equity-Conscious Practices and Episode 2: Identifying Equity Consciousness Gaps.

Exploring and Engaging Equity video series

Equity-Conscious Practices. Equity Conscious Community College Pathways. Support for CC-ALL is provided by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.The Campus Climate Team is sharing one video a week from the Office of Community College Research & Leadership’s Exploring and Engaging Equity Video Vignette Series — a valuable, free and conveniently accessible professional development resource on equity. OCCRL’s videos show topics of critical importance that aim to foster student success and equitable outcomes. If you missed last week’s video, you can still access and view Episode 1: Equity-Conscious Practices. The second episode focuses on identifying equity consciousness gaps. Watch the video to learn how to make equity a priority to attain equal outcomes by using data-informed decisions that are grounded in equity consciousness.

Exploring and Engaging Equity video series

Equity-Conscious Practices. Equity Conscious Community College Pathways. Support for CC-ALL is provided by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.The Campus Climate Team would like to share a free and conveniently accessible professional development resource on equity. The Office of Community College Research & Leadership has created the Exploring and Engaging Equity Video Vignette Series. OCCRL’s videos show topics of critical importance that aim to foster student success and equitable outcomes. Over the next five weeks, we will be sharing one video a week from the series’ first module. The first video focuses on equity-conscious practices. It talks about what the term “equity” really means and how educators can actualize equitable outcomes for all students, regardless of their backgrounds and characteristics. Learn how to use strategic solutions through ongoing and sustainable efforts that are grounded in equity.

Soup and Stories: QueerCore with QueenEarth March 17

The Campus Climate Team’s Safety and Inclusivity Workgroup would like to invite students, faculty and staff to the upcoming LLCC Student Life Soup and Story program: QueerCore with QueenEarth (Melissa Smith) on Tuesday, March 17, 11 a.m. to noon in the Robert H. Stephens Room. An open mic will follow until 12:45 p.m.

Lunch is $5 for faculty/staff. (Students are free.) Be sure to register by Monday, March 16 if you would like lunch!

QueerCore: Behind the Music is an educational concert series that highlights Queer stories through art. Hosted by QueenEarth (Melissa Smith), this traveling open mic features her coming out stories and invites community members to share their own. Since 2012, QueerCore has been a catalyst for community conversations about identity and inclusion. With discussion and Q&A, participants will be given tools to imagine their path beyond college. They will leave this event with answers about how to navigate the world as creative leaders for themselves with a roadmap for equity to influence tomorrow. #imagineifyoumadeyourownway

View a preview of what to expect here: https://youtu.be/-HTQayoIVjU.

A community event, through performance art, creative expression, and storytelling, QueerCore seeks to give a voice and visibility to artists of the often underrepresented GLBTQA community. This show is also meant to encourage  community members to “come out” and share stories and triumphs, and to celebrate the parts of ourselves that make us unique. For some that “different” part is our sexuality. For others, it may be their skin color, religion, accent, etc. Aren’t we all, always, coming out?

If you have any questions, contact studentlife@llcc.eduRegister now!

Inclusivity Series presentation today at noon

LLCC Inclusivity Speaker Series. Diversity, Inclusion, Identity, Community.The second speaker in the Inclusivity Series, Dr. Stephen John Quaye, is facilitating sessions on intergroup dialogue today, Jan. 28, starting at noon in the Robert H. Stephens Room. The event will also be available via livestream. The sessions for faculty and staff include:

  • Noon-1 p.m. – Keynote presentation
  • 1-1:45 p.m. – Facilitated workshop

The event is co-sponsored by the Campus Climate Team’s Safety and Inclusivity Workgroup, Student Life and TRIO.

Dr. Stephen John Quaye

In this presentation, participants will learn different terminology (e.g., privilege, power, oppression, intersectionality). In the workshop following the presentation, participants will learn dialogic skills for enabling them to engage in healthier cross-racial dialogues.

Dr. Quaye is associate professor in the higher education and student affairs program at Ohio State University and an associate editor of the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Quaye focuses on understanding how students can engage difficult dialogues honestly and productively, as well as how storytelling is used as an educational tool to foster reflection and learning across differences. He also is interested in the strategies educators use to facilitate these dialogues and what they learn about themselves in the process.