Diversity Fellows Program

Description

The Diversity Fellows Program (formerly known as the Inclusive Excellence Fellows Program) is an annual, cohort-based program. This program invites participants to critically reflect upon their pedagogical approaches, instructional/assessment decisions and how social realities and futures are related to their courses.

Fellows of this program will work to:

• critically examine how their disciplines and courses operate in discourse with social norms, narratives, and practices;
• explore their notions of curriculum; and
• implement a specific, equity-oriented pedagogical shift.

Each Fellow will develop goals unique to one of the courses they teach and a pedagogical action plan based on intertwining sociocultural knowledge, content and industry-based knowledge, and empowering pedagogical practices.

During the 2024-2025 academic year, Fellows will work to implement the goals they develop. Dr. Tuesda Roberts and Samantha Ivery will support those efforts in the form of individual consultation meetings with each Fellow, as well as in the form of whole-group meetings. Fellows will also be encouraged to support each other as they move from goal-setting to successful implementation.

Faculty members ideally situated to become Fellows are:

• poised to use sociocultural knowledge to transform their pedagogical practices within a Fall semester course they will teach;
• willing to engage in sustained professional growth via individual and cooperative engagement; and
• committed to enhancing students’ learning experiences by meaningfully integrating “depth and diversity” into the communication and creative arts curriculum

Stipend

Fellows will be compensated $1,000, with $700 to be dispersed after completing the May workshop, and $300 to be dispersed at the conclusion of their focal course, pending completion of all requirements, including: 

• submission of a finalized pedagogical plan 
• their participation in two individual consultation meetings with Tuesda Roberts; and two cohort meetings; 
• submission of a written Impact Statement, and;
• completion of an end-of-program survey 

Please note that stipends are processed as supplemental compensation and are subject to applicable payroll taxes.

Eligibility

Eligibility to be a part of the Diversity Fellows Program is based on:

• Status as a full-time faculty member, or an affiliated faculty member (Step 2 or above);
• Commitment to participate in a three-day workshop May 14-16, 2024;
• Commitment to participate in a total of three Sustained Engagement meetings (two individual consultation meetings with Tuesda Roberts and one cohort meeting);
• Willingness to submit an Impact Statement regarding the outcomes, successes, and challenges of implementing the pedagogical plan of action fellows develop; and
• Willingness to complete two surveys related to program effectiveness.

Evaluation Criteria

The strength and value of cohort-based programs, in part, is derived from having a group of individuals whose backgrounds, interests, and perspectives are diverse, especially when those qualities work in complimentary ways that promote dialog and growth. As such, Statement reviewers will consider the following factors when constructing each year’s cohort:

• Thoughtfulness of responses to Statement of Interest prompts, including the clarity of the proposed pedagogical goals;
• Faculty members’ clear descriptions of the connection they seek to make between their course, equity, and/or social justice; and
• The importance of creating a cohesive cohort, representative of varying interests and pedagogical aims

Application Process

Eligible applicants may complete and submit a Statement of Interest via Google Forms by the deadline stated in the calendar below.

Selection Process

Statements of Interest submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by Dr. Tuesda Roberts and Samantha Ivery. A recommended list of cohort members will then be shared for feedback with the Vice Provost for Internationalization and Equity, the Vice President for Equity and Social Justice, the Assistant Provost for Faculty Affairs, and the Provost.

Final decisions will be made by Dr. Tuesda Roberts and Samantha Ivery.

Calendar

• February 24, 2024 – Final day to submit Statements of Interest
• March 27, 2024 – Cohort members receive invitations to participate
• May 14 through 16, 2024 – Three-day workshop to take place
• TBD – Cohort members participate in two Sustained Engagement meetings
• December 2024 or May 2025 – Cohort members submit an Impact Statement regarding the outcomes, successes, and challenges of implementing a pedagogical plan of action.  Due date based on semester when focal course is taught (fall 2024 or spring 2025).

Contact

For questions regarding this program, please email DFP [at] emerson.edu (DFP[at]emerson[dot]edu) to reach Dr. Tuesda Roberts, Director for Faculty Development and Diversity, and Samantha Ivery, Director of Diversity and Equity Initiatives.