An Introduction to the DEI Council Chairs (2019-2020)
DEI Strategic Priority Committee 1: Creating a more inclusive and equitable campus community
Francesca Pugh- Opher (she, her, hers), Academic Advisor
Tell us about yourself: I serve as an Academic Advisor for two online programs: Law and Justice and Liberal Studies. As an advisor, I guide, mentor, and support students in accomplishing their educational and career goals. I am involved in a professional learning community to help academic advisors deepen their knowledge and skills in student support services. Also, I serve as an advisor to a Muslim student group on campus. It is my passion to promote a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable campus climate at Rowan University. Outside of school, I am the proud mother of two girls and a grandmother.
Why DEI work is important: As schools become increasingly diverse, it is important to ensure that all students, faculty, and staff have an opportunity to thrive. DEI efforts allow us to embrace our differences while building core values and advancing our mission for a more diverse and inclusive environment.
Purpose of committee: Our committee strives to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus environment for students, faculty, and staff. We will continue to focus on the betterment of the university through a DEI lens.
Favorite DEI resources: Diverse: Issues in higher education (diverseeducation.com)
Chris D’Angelo, M.A. (he, him, his), Director of Alumni Engagement
Tell us about yourself: I serve as the Director of Alumni Engagement at Rowan. My passion for higher education was sparked by undergraduate experiences working as a PRO, Resident Assistant, and student worker for the Dean of Students. I’m a two-time Rowan alum with a BA in Advertising and MA in Higher Education Administration. Outside of work I’m a proud father to my son, Landon, and dog dad to Emmy.
Why DEI work is important: As members of the Rowan community we should all strive to develop a campus culture that welcomes difference, holds people accountable for equity, and challenges pre-existing notions and misconceptions. I believe the work taking place at Rowan will only make us a more desirable institution for people to come learn and work.
Purpose of your committee: The overarching goal of our subcommittee is to create a more inclusive and equitable campus community. This can be accomplished through a combination of policy, educational & awareness campaigns, and program development/improvement.
Favorite DEI Resources: Faculty, staff and students interested in keeping up with current issues and learning more about how other institutions are tackling DEI on their campuses could benefit from following Educause (educause.edu) and Diverse Issues in Higher Education (diverseeducation.com). “Code Switch” and “The Will to Change” are two weekly podcasts with a great back catalogue of listening options, as well.
DEI Strategic Priority Committee 2: Recruiting, retaining and supporting a more diverse campus community
Jeff Bonfield (he, him, his), Director of Assessment
Tell us about yourself: I’ve worked professionally in higher education since 2001, but I started my career later than most. I attended three undergraduate institutions before earning a bachelor’s degree. I also stopped out for a few semesters to work. The jobs included cashier at a health food supermarket, barista, clerk at a library for the blind, and truck driver. I held these jobs in Denver, Seattle, Austin, and the Mid-Atlantic region respectively.
After graduating college, I taught community English as a second language classes in Philadelphia for a couple of years before starting work at Drexel University as a tutor Coordinator. I soon became the director of the academic support office and continued working in that field for twelve years. It was during this time that equity became a focus of my work. In particular, I evaluated my job performance in part on the extent to which students who were underrepresented on campus were at least equally if not overrepresented in the office, both working as tutors and receiving academic support.
My commitment to these values has deepened in my current job as Director of Assessment. I believe one of the most important functions of higher education is to increase social mobility. This is particularly important for populations that have been systematically oppressed and marginalized in America. Part of my current work is making visible to faculty how students from various populations are being evaluated in their coursework
Why DEI work is important: As I thought about this writing prompt, I kept coming back to, “Why do we keep having to defend this position?” I think maybe it’s because one’s view on whether DEI work is important is based on personal values rather than facts. I have no illusion that my words will influence anyone’s values, so I’ll just state the obvious for those who agree with me.
Higher education is disproportionately white and middle class. That is true of the students, faculty, and leadership of most of the colleges and universities in America. While I said above that one of the most important functions of higher education is to increase social mobility, it is also true that at its worst higher education reinforces the status quo.
It would be wonderful if DEI work were not important, because that would mean that the people studying and working in America’s colleges and universities are representative of the people living in America. I personally would see that kind of parity as an early sign that we’re finally overcoming the racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. that are pervasive throughout US history and much of our present.
Since we haven’t yet realized that dream, we have work to do. One step we can take in our own work is to ensure every student-related policy, procedure, and practice within the University affects all students equally—so, for instance, the student who works full time has an equal chance of success as the student whose education is paid for.
Purpose of your committee: To contribute to Rowan University’s efforts to recruit, enroll, support, retain, and graduate a diverse student population.
Favorite DEI resources: Books have profoundly influenced my values and my understanding of the world and other people, but the books are almost entirely works of fiction. Some of my favorites are (in no particular order):
- Ralph – Ellison – Invisible Man
- Leslie Marmon Silko – Ceremony
- Salman Rushdie – Midnight’s Children
- J. D. Salinger – Franny and Zooey
- Toni Morrison – Beloved (The audiobook is read by the author and is mind-blowingly good.)
- Haruki Murakami – The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
- Octavia Butler – Parable of the Sower
DEI Strategic Priority Committee 3: Promoting and Supporting Inclusive Teaching, Scholarship and Professional Development
Stephanie Farrell (she/her/hers), Ph.D., Faculty and Department Chair of Experiential Engineering Education
Tell us about yourself: I serve as Interim Dean of the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and Professor, and I am Founding Chair of the Experiential Engineering Education Department at Rowan University. I recently completed my term as president of the American Society for Engineering Education. I am currently the lead on two NSF-sponsored diversity projects: Rowan Engineering’s Transforming Engineering Diversity, funded through the Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (RED) Program, and ASEE’s national LGBTQ+ advocacy in STEM initiative.
Why DEI work is important: In the context of higher education, we need to consider the learning case for diversity. Diversity is essential to the social and intellectual development of all students, and building an inclusive environment enhances learning outcomes. We need to prepare a more diverse workforce that represents the society that it serves. And from a business perspective, we need to consider the benefits of diversity: diversity increases innovation and productivity, increases tolerance for ambiguity and paradox, enhances critical thinking, increases creativity, and has a positive impact on the bottom line. And perhaps most importantly, DEI work is the right thing to do.
What is the purpose of your committee: Our committee focuses on supporting the integration of DEI work into teaching, research, and professional development. We support faculty and staff in their efforts to embrace DEI work as part of their own professional responsibilities. We also advocate for DEI work to be valued and rewarded within our professional culture and merit evaluation system.
Favorite DEI resources:
Dawn Singleton, ED.D (she, her, hers), Senior Director of Student Success and Inclusion Programs
Tell us about yourself: Dr. Dawn Singleton is the Senior Director for Student Success and Inclusion Programs. She earned her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Rowan University. In her role, she provides oversight to student pipeline and support programs and the Achieving Success through Collaboration, Engagement & Determination (ASCEND) Office. In addition to overseeing the programs and student success services of the ASCEND Office, she serves as an adjunct faculty member in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Education. Dr. Singleton has over 15 years of student affairs experience gained at a variety of colleges and universities including small and large public, and private institutions. She has held a range of student affairs leadership positions, in which she has worked closely with students, administrators, and faculty to enhance student success. Throughout her career, Dr. Singleton has developed multiple student centered initiatives, advised and programmed for diverse student populations, including international, first generation, underrepresented, and English language learner (ELL) students. As an administrator, she prides herself on implementing programs and services that produce successful life and educational outcomes for all students. In her current role, she leads an awesome team of counselors, directors, and staff passionate about providing access and tools for student growth and engagement. She also coordinates holistic academic and social support programs to assist first-generation, under-resourced, and underrepresented students persist to graduation, utilizing student development theories, high impact strategies, and frequent program assessment. Dr. Singleton’s research has focused on intersectional issues related to gender, ethnicity, and culture, comparatively, that confound women’s advancement in leadership roles within the US and South Africa. Her current research continues to focus on issues of social justice and improving the persistence and outcomes for underrepresented students. She has presented at numerous conferences and led trainings on supporting first generation and underrepresented students through intentional programming, student success initiatives, and campus partnerships.
Why DEI work is important: As a student affairs educator, creating a sense of belonging for all students is critical to the work that I do and my core values. So advancing diversity, equity and inclusion is important to me, because diverse representation and inclusive learning environments, provide inspiration and real life opportunities for students. It also provides for an enriched campus experience, which ultimately impacts our student’s ability to achieve their educational and professional goals.
Purpose of your committee? Our committee focuses on supporting the integration of DEI work into teaching, research, and professional development. We support faculty and staff in their efforts to embrace DEI work as part of their own professional responsibilities. We also advocate for DEI work to be valued and rewarded within our professional culture and merit evaluation system.
Favorite DEI resource: Right now my favorite resource database is NASPA’s Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice resource files and publications, https://www.naspa.org/focus-areas/equity-inclusion-and-social-justice