The DEI Council is responsible for leading in the development, implementation, and monitoring of the University's diversity strategic action plan. The Council has three strategic priorities, led by seven dynamic leaders.

DEI Strategic Priority Committee (SPC) 1: Creating a more inclusive and equitable campus community

• DEI Content and Communications 
  • Create and update a multicultural calendar shared across campuses.
  • Contribute content to the DEI blog and social media.
  • Strategize surveys and email blasts in alignment with DEI.
• Empowering and Educating Faculty and Staff
  • Identify opportunities for collaboration in DEI programming among colleges, schools, and departments with overarching goals.
  • Establish a DEI Ambassador program for faculty and staff who are interested in taking a more formal role in shifting campus culture.
•  Supporting Student Organizations  
  • Collaborate with the Student Government Association (SGA) and Social Justice, Inclusion, and Conflict Resolution (SJICR) to address and better understand the challenges faced by SGA-sponsored and affinity organizations (advisor, recruitment, advisor training, membership, financial support, etc.).
  • Identify opportunities for collaboration among student organizations' overarching goals.
  • Expand DEI training on cultural sensitivity and conflict resolution to student leaders who often face difficult situations.

• Dr. Kha Sadler (She, Her, Hers) — Wellness Center DEI Coordinator, Mental Health Clinician, sadlerk@rowan.edu
• Patricia Fortunato (She, Her, Hers) — Content and Program Manager, Research and Grants, NeuroMusculoskeletal Institute at Rowan Medicine, Southern New Jersey Medication for Addiction Treatment Center of Excellence, fortun83@rowan.edu
• Dr. Stephen Fleming (He, Him, His) — Associate Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, flemings@rowan.edu

DEI Strategic Priority Committee (SPC) 2: Recruiting, retaining and supporting a more diverse campus community

• Offering solutions to DEI issues across campus   
  • Expanding the use of inclusive language practices in the classroom, throughout campus, and in our communications with prospective students and their families.
• Prioritizing Student Employment and Leadership Opportunities  
  • Reducing barriers to full participation in University opportunities such as on-campus employment, experiential learning, and student leadership.
• Foster Scholarships and Funding 
  • Expanding scholarship funding and revising its structure to better meet the needs of underrepresented student populations.
• Strengthening Faculty-Student Mentorship  
  • Increasing faculty involvement in student recruitment through outreach to minoritized communities.

• Dr. Amy Woodworth (She, Her, Hers) — Professor in the Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts, woodworth@rowan.edu

DEI Strategic Priority Committee (SPC) 3: Promoting and Supporting Inclusive Teaching, Scholarship and Professional Development

Goals:

• Develop Best Practices Guide for Faculty and Staff Recruitment, Hiring and Retention    
  • Developing a Faculty Hiring Toolkit as a guide for search committees that prioritizes DEI throughout the process of recruitment, hiring, and retention of minoritized faculty and staff.
• Prioritizing DEI in Faculty and Staff Annual Reviews 
  • Proposed, pending approval, DEI recommendations for Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion work is being valued and rewarded as part of the professional responsibility of every faculty and staff member at Rowan University. 
• Advancing DEI across Rowan University's Curriculum 
  
  • Exploring recommendations for intercultural competence and diversity across the curriculum.

• Dr. Eva Boodman (She, Her, Hers) — Assistant Professor of Philosophy, boodman@rowan.edu

The mission of the Law Enforcement and Community Collaborative (LECC) is to bring together the Rowan community with local law enforcement professionals to address the following strategic priorities: develop professional development rooted in a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion; identify and disseminate evidence-based practices that facilitate meaningful engagement with diverse communities; and develop an infrastructure to research, grants and program evaluation for LECC members and the broader community.

Conveners of the priority subcommittees include: Scott Thomson, former Chief, Camden County Police; Ryan Knight, Deputy Chief, Glassboro Police; Kevin Brown, Pastor, The Perfecting Church; and Evan Sorg, Assistant Professor, Law and Justice Studies.

Contact: Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

Email: DEI@Rowan.edu

The Antiracist Pedagogies and Practices Task Force is made up of faculty, staff, and students from across all Rowan colleges and campuses. Our goal is to draw from research and experience in and beyond our community in a bottom-up effort to support antiracist work on our campuses. We will collaborate to assess the assets and needs for antiracist efforts at our institution, taking account of local histories and current realities as we: 1. craft shared language around racism and antiracism on campus;  2. establish certificate programs in antiracist pedagogies and practices for faculty and staff, and 3. build a program for student leadership in antiracism. 

Contact: Rachael Shapiro, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Writing Arts, Convener of the Antiracist Pedagogies and Practices Task Force

Email: shapiror@rowan.edu

Black@Rowan is open to all, current and interested, Black faculty and staff. In line with the goals of Rowan University’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Black@Rowan is an affinity group that aims to create a supportive community of training, learning, advocacy, and self-care for Black faculty, staff, and educators. 

Contact: Kristen Barrett, Ph.D., Lecturer and Organic Chemistry Coordinator, Chair of the Community for Underrepresented Faculty and Staff

Email: Barrettk@rowan.edu

All meetings will be held virtually. If you identify as neurodivergent or think you may identify as neurodivergent, you are welcome here!

To join this group, please sign up at https://forms.gle/cfGEh3QxYZY7z5Es5 or email Serena Powell at powellse@rowan.edu.

The Faculty and Staff Neurodiversity Ally Group is a group to learn and engage about neurodiversity towards advancing a more inclusive and equitable Rowan University campus. Neurodiversity is the full range of variations in cognition, learning, behavior, and socialization that exists within the population. Individuals identifying as neurodivergent may include those labeled with dyspraxia, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyscalculia, autism, and Tourette syndrome.

The next meeting date and time for the group will be announced SOON!  

For more information, please contact Lara Roberts LeBeau. 

Contact:        

Lara Roberts LeBeau, Assistant Director of Testing Services at Rowan University.

Email:

lebeau@rowan.edu 

The Military Affiliated Affinity Group provides resources, networking opportunities, and shared experiences for faculty and staff at Rowan University. The affinity group is open to all current and interested, military-affiliated faculty and staff.

Contact: Beth Sosnoski, Military Services Coordinator

Email: militaryserviceoffice@rowan.edu