To further support B´ÎÔª’s commitment to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment, the university held series of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) ambassador training sessions for faculty and staff. The sessions were led by Dr. Kimberly Underwood, principal consultant of KMU Consulting Group, who has more than 25 years of experience in DEIB consulting work with higher education and corporate settings.

Staff attended training sessions that focused on highlighting B´ÎÔª’s approach to DEIB, which encouraged conversations and professional development surrounding topics such as emotional intelligence, managing bias, microaggressions in the workplace, implicit and explicit bias, power and privilege in higher education, foundations of DEIB, leadership within the new normal, coaching and mentoring for inclusivity, and effective communication while navigating courageous conversations.

Both the CREATE Institute and Underwood offered training sessions for faculty. Underwood’s Embrace Diversity faculty training were evidence-based workshops focused on assisting faculty to create classroom environments that are fully welcoming and support a sense of belonging for students. The training program covered a range of key issues related to personal development, teaching and learning, including building foundations of DEIB concepts, examining bias and microaggressions and their impacts within the learning environment, developing inclusive pedagogy and curriculum, and creating inclusive practices which translate to feelings of belonging and support. The sessions also helped faculty embody and activate the new Embrace Diversity Common Learning Outcome (CLO) for students, defined as “demonstrate inclusivity towards others by pursuing intercultural understanding and exploring ways to address historical or existing barriers to social equity.”

“The goal of these training sessions was to provide opportunities for faculty and staff to contribute to our campus culture in self-reflection and engagement with others, to appreciate a diverse community of individuals here at our university, and to begin the conversations that the campus community was interested in having,” said Seandra Mitchell, vice president of student affairs and campus inclusion. “We also wanted to provide a safe space to have these conversations and provide participants with tools to implement these skillsets within their departments and in interactions with students to work towards creating a space of inclusion and belonging on our campus.”

Although the series are completed, the work and conversations don’t stop here. Ongoing conversations will continue throughout the university amongst faculty, staff, students and the community.

“These conversations allow us to build community while also remaining compliant through the opportunities to discuss and reflect. We need to look within at our own inner biases and have the conversations in order for this work to be successful, which is what these trainings allowed us to do. The work is not meant to make people feel guilty, but rather to help people develop and grow,” said Mitchell.

Another round of trainings will be available for faculty and staff during the 2022-23 academic year, and it will also be expanded to offer training for current students.

Faculty and staff who completed the training series were celebrated at a DEIB Ambassador Training Reception in May. Staff were awarded the Certificate of Commitment on Inclusion and faculty received certificates from both Underwood and the CREATE Institute.