Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Welcome to the 2022-2023 Academic year!

The Division of DEI recently received the HEED Award for the consecutive year!! Many thanks to the collaborative efforts of the division, the DEI council, and Rowan University employees and students who continue to make our campus a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming environment.
We are hosting the first annual 2022 Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Supplier Diversity Forum and Trade Show on October 6, 2022. ALL Rowan University departments & diverse businesses in the region are welcome! Please register here.
Please update your college/department's Strategic Action Plans (SAP)- DUE December 5th, 2022. You can find the link to update your SAPs here.
- If you have questions, please contact mcphersonp@rowan.edu and/or shapiror@rowan.edu.

Dr. Rachael Shapiro is convening a meeting of leaders of DEI committees in October if you would like to be involved in our important committee work, please email any of the following people: shaprior@rowan.edu, shealey@rowan.edu, mcphersonp@rowan.edu, and/or gunn@rowan.edu

Social Justice, Inclusion and Conflict Resolution (SJICR)

SJICR has many exciting and important events planned for this year. Please visit this link for regularly updated SJICR information and events for the most up-to-date information.
Upcoming events include:
- Sept. 15 - Oct. 15: Happy Latinx Heritage Month!! – Each year, we celebrate National Latinx Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures, contributions, and resilience of Latinx, Hispanic and Latino-identified communities. Please join our office and student organizations in various events throughout the month (see flier below)
  - Fri. 9/30: 12:00 - 3:00 PM, Hawthorn Hall – SJICR presents Un Tiempo Con Comida, “A time with Food,” celebrating Latinx culture with Dancing & Food
- Fri. 9/23: 4:00 - 5:30 PM, Hawthorn Hall – SJICR Open House, visit our updated space/centers. All Rowan community members are welcome!
- Wed. 9/28: 7:30 PM, Hawthorn 115 – U Good F.A.M?, Student Dialogue
- Wed. 9/20 (Location & Time TBD) - BSU/NAACP Town Hall
- Fri. 10/7: 5:00 - 7:00 PM, Hawthorn Hall 204– Interfaith Dialogue, join the interfaith alliance as they discuss varying topics surrounding faith and spirituality
- Wed. 10/5: 6:00 - 8:00 PM, SC Ballroom – Yom Kippur Event, come break the fast together with Hillel
- Tue. 10/11: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm, SC Balrooms – Big Gay Brunch, join SJICR and other campus partners as we celebrate National Coming out Day (more details to come)
- Fri. 10/21: 6:00 - 8:00OM, Hawthorn Hall 204 – Rowan United with the Muslim Student Association and Hillel (more details to come)

The Center for Neurodiversity

The Center for Neurodiversity welcomes the new co-directors for 2022-2023, Chiara Latimer and John Woodruff! A huge thank you to Dr. Amy Accardo, inaugural director of the Center, for the amazing job she has done since the launch of the center. The Center for Neurodiversity also welcomes Visiting Scholar in Residence, Zosia Zaks, and Ph.D. Graduate Assistant, Mary Kalliny. The Center is located on the first floor of Laurel Hall. Please visit the website: go.rowan.edu/neurodiversity.

Upcoming events:

Neurodiversity Scholar Series with Zosia Zaks: The series will answer popular questions about Neurodiversity and offer practical tips on supporting neurodivergent students on campus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM6O6G3O8SE
Neurodiversity 101 Virtual Lunch and Learn with Erica King, Higher Education Intern, Center for Neurodiversity. Thursday, October 6th at 12 noon, please email neurodiversity@rowan.edu for the link.

Accessibility Services

A new Student Accessibility Council (SAC) is being formed. This advisory council will provide feedback to Accessibility Services and assist with programming/outreach to students, faculty, and staff related to topics including access, disability, equity, inclusion, mental health, neurodiversity, and social justice. For more information, please contact John Woodruff, woodruff@rowan.edu

Center for Access, Persistence and Achievement (CAPA)

CAPA is pleased to share the digital brochure with further information on the Center for Access, Persistence and Achievement - https://sites.rowan.edu/ascend/_docs/capa-digital-brochure.pdf

Please visit the website - www.rowan.edu/capa

ASCEND upcoming events, please email singletond@rowan.edu for more information
- ASCEND Upcoming events: (1) Participating in “Back to school nights” at partner middle and high schools on 9/21/22 & 9/23/22, (2)CHAMP/GEAR UP Kickoff/Open House on 9/24/22 - Rowan Camden Campus (3) GEAR UP Week Activities 9/26/22 - 9/30/22 - Workshops @ Camden Campus as well as Social Media Campaign to bring attention to the work of GEAR UP programs (4) Saturday Academy begins 10/8/22
CHAMP/GEAR UP updates, please email wigfall@rowan.edu for more information
- CHAMP/GEAR UP upcoming events: (1) Participating in “Back to school nights” at partner middle and high schools (2) Kickoff/Open House on 9/24/22 - Rowan Camden Campus (3) GEAR UP Week Activities 9/26/22 - 9/30/22 - Workshops @ Camden Campus as well as Social Media Campaign to bring attention to the work of GEAR UP programs, (4) Saturday Academy begins 10/8/22
Upward Bound updates, please email olivencia@rowan.edu for more information
- Upward Bound upcoming events: (1) Kickoff at Rowan Camden Campus 10/1/22, (2) Community service Volunteering events:
  - Out of the Darkness Community Walk it (suicide prevention and mental illness awareness) Cooper River 10/8/22
  - Camden County 4-H Haunting Walk at Blackwood 10/14/22
  - Breast Cancer Walk Cooper River 10/16/22
  - Southern New Jersey Fall Heart Walk Riverwinds Community Center 10/22/22

The Faculty Center

The Faculty Center is working on several DEI-related initiatives, including building the infrastructure to house all DEI professional development certificate programs in the Center, making DEI more central to the Center’s messaging, and working on finalizing the White Paper for Antiracist Taskforce. Additionally, the faculty center is focused on:
- Responding to Black Student Union’s demand for a course in the Black Diaspora
- Processing the data from the Faculty of Color listening tour to inform work to do in the future around providing infrastructural support for faculty of color work and support for work around cluster hires

Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM)

RowanSOM eagerly awaits hearing back on the SOM’s HEED Health Professions submission.
SOM concluded its Vice Dean and Director of the Student Success Center (formerly the Center for Teaching and Learning) finalist interviews.
The Aftershock is a documentary on Hulu regarding the Black maternal mortality crisis. RowanSOM is planning a SOM panel discussion and looking for potential co-sponsors to make a university-wide virtual event. You can watch the documentary here.

The October issue of the DEI Newsletter will be available online SOON! This month’s edition includes:

Every issue of the newsletter is available on the RowansSOM DEI website.

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU)

Celebrating CMSRU's 10th Anniversary CMSRU is celebrating a decade of growth and innovation in medical education and research on Friday, October 14, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. All CMSRU alumni, faculty, staff, and deans are invited to celebrate this milestone event. This complimentary event is sponsored by CMSRU’s Office of the Dean and the Rowan Foundation.

October 2022 DEI Updates