Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Who we are and what we do
The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) was launched in January, 2019 and at that time was the first division of its kind at a higher education institution in New Jersey. The division is charged with facilitating systemic change that addresses the following strategic priorities: creating an inclusive and equitable campus, recruiting and retaining diverse students, faculty, and staff, and promoting and supporting inclusive scholarship, teaching, and professional development.
The departments in the Division of DEI include the following: Office of Social Justice and Inclusion and Conflict Resolution (SJICR), Center for Access, Persistence and Achievement (CAPA), Center for Neurodiversity, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at RowanSOM, and the Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is shared between the Division of DEI and the Division of Academic Affairs.
We are proud of the work that we have accomplished during the last 3 years. Here is a brief list of our accomplishments:
- The DEI Foundations Certificate has 900 completers
- The Inclusive Pedagogy and Practices Certificate has 101 completers
- Mandatory Implicit Bias Training for all Faculty and Staff Search Committee Members
- Facilitated strategic action planning for all departments/units on Rowan’s three campuses
- Facilitated the Neurodiversity Taskforce that resulted in the Center for Neurodiversity
- Developed a Faculty Toolkit to be used by search committees and departments in recruitment and retention of diverse faculty
- Law Enforcement and Community Collaborative (LECC)
- Convened an Antiracist Pedagogies and Practices Taskforce
- Expanded Affinity Groups for Faculty and Staff
- The Community for Underrepresented Faculty and Staff (CUFS)
- Neurodiversity Faculty and Staff Affinity Group
- Military Affiliated Affinity Faculty and Staff Affinity Group
- Launched a university-wide DEI Book Study
- Launched an institution subscription with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD)
- Launched Profs for Change, a Student DEI Ambassador Program through SJICR
- Worked in collaboration with the Dean of Students, Office of Community Standards, and the Office of Employee Equity in Human Resources to address bias and discrimination complaints
In closing, I’d like to reiterate that although we are very proud of our accomplishments, I understand that we have a great deal of work that lies ahead to ensure that we are living out our vision and mission and effectively addressing our strategic priorities: creating a more inclusive and equitable campus community; recruiting and retaining diverse students, faculty and staff; and promoting and supporting inclusive scholarship, teaching, and service. I hope we can count on your support.
Monika Williams Shealey, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President
Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
DEI Hosts Critical Conversations
Critical Race Theory Teach - In
The Africana Studies program and History Department’s DEI committee, and the Division of DEI are planning a virtual Critical Race Theory (CRT) “Teach-in” that will educate students, faculty, administrators, staff, and the wider community about CRT and the controversy surrounding its alleged teaching in K-12 public schools (with implications for higher education). This event will begin with a panel discussion on CRT that will include a scholar/professor, high-school teacher, and student. The majority of the time will be set aside for breakout sessions that allow each group to explore a set of questions about CRT and to determine specific action that can potentially resolve/address some of the key issues raised in the discussion.
Join us November, 16th from 5:00 - 6:30 P.M. via Zoom
Please register here: https://rowan.campuslabs.com/engage/event/7540697
First Annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Summit
"More than a Hashtag"
Tim Wise - Keynote Speaker
Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity, and Pedagogy
Event hosted by CASE of The College of Education
To access the recording, please visit rowan.zoom.us and log in using your Rowan credentials. After you have done so, please click on the image or the link below to view the video.
35th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Celebration and Day of Service
Please click the image below or the link here to view the recording of this event: https://youtu.be/KqYHSbSkEP0
What's At Stake? A Collision of Democracy, Politics and Activism
Minding your Mental Health: COVID-19, Racism, and the Elections
This session builds on the summer virtual series, We Are Not OK. Presenters will discuss the stressors that many of us face as a result of the crippling effects of COVID-19, racial and civil unrest, and a toxic political culture. Presenters will also provide coping strategies and share resources and supports to help students, faculty and staff to combat stress, anxiety and depression.
Surviving Elections: Ensuring Civil Discourse in the Workplace
The session provided guidance for managers in creating and sustaining safe spaces that promote civil discourse. Presenters shared strategies that managers can employe to increase collaborative opportunities and promote leadership with an equity lens.
Understanding the Electoral Process Today
This session provided an update and answered questions on what happened in the 2020 election, why it happened, and what might still be happening for the final results that have not been settled as of November 16, 2020. Panelists broke down the key factors at play from the perspective of a variety of disciplines.
What Do We Do Now? Activism, Advocacy, and Coalition Building
This session offered tools to engage faculty, staff and students in leveraging their activism and advocacy to promote greater collaboration, which will result in postive outcomes for the Rowan community. The time is now to build strategic partnerships with diverse communities that are aligned to our core values of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Dreams Will Not Be Deferred
Dreams Will Not Be Deferred: A Conversation with Chief Diversity Officers on the Status of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in New Jersey Higher Education Institutions
With the growing racial unrest in our country, higher education institutions are uniquely situated to promote anti-racism through education, create safe spaces for marginalized communities, engage in coalition building and ensure accountability in addressing bias, harassment and discrimination complaints. Colleges and universities across the country are responding to our current climate and the persistent issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion by appointing Chief Diversity Officers in record numbers. This session highlighted the voices of Chief Diversity Officers at NJ higher education institutions, who are demonstrating promising gains in reimagining campuses that center the voices of diverse communities and leading institutional change that results in positive outcomes for students, faculty and staff.
We Are Not OK: Injustice, Action, and Healing Series
Amid another national crisis, Rowan DEI stands to lead
Being the nation's first university division dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion already made Rowan DEI distinct. With the grief, outrage and unrest roiling the country this spring, we are all the more committed to serve as dedicated institutional educators and facilitators of equity and justice.
Beginning Thursday, June 4, at 3 p.m., we invited students and everyone in and around the academic community to come together online for We Are Not OK: Injustice, Action, and Healing Series.
Cosponsored with the divisions of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, this series helped focus on educating, supporting, and providing resources and next steps for the Rowan community and beyond. During each session, we invited participants to voice their concerns and contribute to the development of action plans that lead to sustainable change. Please see below to view the recordings of these sessions.
Thursday, June 4, 3 p.m.
The Match that Lit the Flame: Unpacking Systemic Racism, Policing, and Resistance
Our goal is to increase the awareness and understanding of the historical context of systemic racism, policing, and resistance in this country. Participants will develop tools to critically examine recent events within a historical and sociopolitical context. Everyone will leave this session with strategies and resources to facilitate individual and collective progress.
Moderator: Monika Williams Shealey
Panelists: Shelley Zion, Bill Carrigan, Sandra Joy, Arielle Gedeon
Monday, June 8, 3 p.m.
I Can't Breathe: Discussion of Racial Battle Fatigue, Trauma, and Self-Care
In this session, we center the voices of students, faculty, and staff of color in an effort to increase awareness and understanding of racial battle fatigue and trauma. In addition, participants will explore coping mechanisms that improve their overall well-being and strategies that facilitate collective care.
Moderator: Richard Jones
Panelists: Kha Sadler, Rahbe Simmons, Michael Nash, Wilson Nyah, Marie-Ange Munyemana
Thursday, June 11, 3 p.m.
Speaking Truth to Power through Pedagogy: Anti-Racist Teaching in Higher Education
This session will build upon faculty members’ awareness of systemic racism while exploring anti-racist pedagogy and what its application across disciplines will entail. Participants will engage in critical self-reflection in order to effectively implement anti-racist pedagogy in their classroom. Finally, participants will explore critical components to designing an anti-racist course and professional approach: (1) incorporating the topics of race and inequality into course content, (2) teaching from an anti-racist pedagogical approach, and (3) anti-racist organizing within the campus and linking our efforts to the surrounding community. Participants will leave this session with strategies and resources to develop anti-racist learning outcomes, classroom culture and dynamics, classroom strategies, methods, and assessment.
(Language of this session description as well as the outline of the discussion comes from Kyoko Kishimoto's article Anti-racist pedagogy: From faculty's self-reflection to organizing within and beyond the classroom: Kishimoto, K. (2018). Anti-racist pedagogy: From faculty’s self-reflection to organizing within and beyond the classroom. Race Ethnicity and Education, 21(4), 540-554. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13613324.2016.1248824 as well as from The Anti-Racist Pedagogy Across the Curriculum (ARPAC) Institute at St. Cloud State University. We encourage you to visit their websites at http://www.stcloudstate.edu/arpac and https://www.stcloudstate.edu/arpac/institute/default.aspx.)
Moderator: Kristin Barrett
Panelists: Chanelle Rose, Rachael Shapiro, Kenzo Sung, Josh Stolz
Friday, June 12, 3 p.m.
White People, Do Something: A Dialogue on Whiteness and Allyship
This session will examine the ways in which white people continue to benefit from systemic oppression. Participants will explore strategies for abandoning white guilt in order to re-center the needs of people of color. Everyone will develop a toolkit of anti-racist resources and action items to effect social change.
Moderator: Roxie Patton
Panelists: Andrew Havrisko, Kevin Koett, Kate Kedley, Abigail Brous
Monday, June 15, 3 p.m.
Where Do We Go From Here? Navigating Campus and Community
This session completes series and will provide participants with an opportunity to engage in problem-solving strategies in collaboration with key community constituents. Participants will be provided with a tool to facilitate their action planning.
Moderator: Kevin Koett
Panelists: John Wallace, Loretta Winters, John Polillo, Adam McCain, Ayala Gedeon, Drew Harrison, Lou Manzo, Kevin Brown
Additional Speakers: Rowan President Ali Houshmand, Monika Williams Shealey, Zakiya Smith Ellis
Professional Development Opportunities
If you are interested in professional development for your organization or company, Rowan University's Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is pleased to offer onsite training at your location or virtual options. The Foundations of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certificate Program furthers discussions on diversity, equity and inclusion among your employees in order to address numerous topics, including identity work, implicit bias, microaggressions, and advocacy. To view descriptions of the Foundations of DEI Certificate modules, please visit our Professional Development webpage. If you would like more information about how to bring this training to your group, please contact us at dei@rowan.edu or fill out our interest form here.About DEI at Rowan University
As the first higher education division of its kind in the nation, Rowan's DEI combines programming and services for students and employees to address some of the most persisitent issues for individuals and organizations. This unique institutional structure is providing the means for people in every area of the university community to create a stronger, more vibrant and inclusive environment. We welcome your thoughts and comments as we collaborate to build understanding and improve our life together. Please reach us by email at dei@rowan.edu.
If you would like to contribute to the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion's continued efforts, please click the button below. Give Here
