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Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales is an award-winning distinguished professor in the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. Since 2000, she’s taught Asian American Studies focusing on Filipina/x/o (American) Studies, women studies, and courses focused on the praxis of Ethnic Studies pedagogy. She is also an affiliated faculty member in the Educational Leadership. She has mentored hundreds of critical master’s and doctoral students, now teaching and working in schools, colleges, and community organizations nationwide. Before her position at SFSU, she did her undergraduate work at UC Berkeley in Ethnic Studies and received her Ph.D. from UCLA in Education.  In 2001, she founded Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP), a “barangay” that provides Ethnic Studies courses and curriculum, develops radical educators, and creates resources for Filipina/x/o communities and similarly marginalized people. Over the past two decades, she has worked with school districts, counties, and states to co-develop community rooted Ethnic Studies, Social Justice, and Filipino Language curricula. She has developed models of teacher development that are being used throughout California and beyond. She is also the co-founder and director of Community Responsive Education (CRE), a national firm that supports the development of responsive, equitable, and justice-driven educators. She is the author of four books of curriculum, and many articles focused on the applications of critical pedagogy, Ethnic Studies curriculum, Motherscholarship, and Pinayism.  Dr. Tintiangco-Cubales recently won the CSU Wang Teaching Award. She will be inducted as an American Educational Research Association (AERA) fellow this year. The AERA Council established the AERA Fellows Program to honor education researchers with substantial research accomplishments, to convey the Association’s commitment to excellence in research, and to emphasize to new scholars the importance of sustained research of excellence in the field.

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Dr. Jennifer Randall is the Dunn Family Chair of Psychometrics and Test Development in the School of Education at the University of Michigan. She is also the founding President of the Center for Measurement Justice, which is a research center dedicated to facilitating the adoption and implementation of justice-oriented educational assessment and measurement processes. Dr. Randall received her bachelor’s (1996) and master’s (1999) degrees from Duke University and her doctoral degree from Emory University (2007).  She began her career as a high school public-school teacher in social studies working with racially and ethnically minoritized students. It was in this capacity that she began to recognize the ways in which traditional assessment practices cause deep and irreparable harm to the most marginalized students – the students the system should be seeking to serve the most. Her work seeks to disrupt white supremacist, racist logics in assessment through assessment practices that center justice and are explicitly and unapologetically antiracist. She is committed to working with minoritized populations and our co-conspirators to explore the ways in which we can create a justice-oriented assessment system culture in which the sociocultural identities of students are deliberately considered, valued, and sustained - not as an afterthought, but rather - in the planning and development phases of assessment.

Dr. Randall’s work has been published in assessment and education journals such as Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, Educational Assessment, and Comparative Education. She sits on numerous state and national working groups, committees, and technical advisories as a fierce advocate for antiracist, liberating processes and regulations that center the needs of Black, Brown, and Indigenous students. In addition, she teaches courses in measurement theory, statistics, research design, and assessment.

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Dr. Susan C. Faircloth (an enrolled member of the Coharie Tribe of North Carolina) recently stepped away from her academic appointments, after 20 years as a professor and academic leader, to form an independent education consulting group, Two Feathers Consulting, LLC. In this role, she aims to more directly engage and serve individuals, communities, schools, and organizations. 

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Will (D)iversity, (E)quity and (I)nclusion Die? Advocacy and Action Towards Greater Accountability in an Empowered University

Margaret Beale Spencer, PhD is the Charles F Grey Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Comparative Human Development and the College and is the Marshall Field IV Professor of Urban Education at the University of Chicago.  A developmental psychologist, she is also an alumna of the Committee on Human Development at the University of Chicago. Before returning to Chicago, she was the endowed Board of Overseers Professor and Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies of Human Development (ISHD) Program and faculty member in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania (Psychology in Education Division). Additionally, she was Director of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Health Achievement Neighborhood Growth and Ethnic Studies (CHANGES), and also guided as its inaugural director, the W. E. B. Du Bois Collective Research Institute. Guiding the noted efforts and continuing to frame her scholarship, Spencer's Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (P-VEST) provides an identity-focused cultural ecological perspective which frames her gender, race, culture and context acknowledging program of human development research. Recognizing the universality of human vulnerability, the theory addresses resiliency, identity, and competence formation processes for diverse humans situated both in the United States and abroad.

Having authored over 140 scholarly publications, edited several volumes, and provided Congressional Testimony in the nation’s Capital, Margaret Beale Spencer was recently elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2019). She is a recipient of the 2018 LifeTime Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association, the Division 7 (Developmental Science) 2018 Urie Bronfenbrenner Award for Distinguished Contributions to Developmental Science, and the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Award for Distinguished Contributions to Cultural and Ecological Research.  Margaret Beale Spencer’s scholarship has been generated from dozens of grants awarded by Foundations and Federal funding submissions as well as featured in ABC and CNN programming broadcasted internationally.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Will (D)iversity, (E)quity and (I)nclusion Die? Advocacy and Action Towards Greater Accountability in an Empowered University

April Baker-Bell is an award-winning transdisciplinary teacher-researcher-activist and associate professor of language, literacy, and English education in the Department of English and Department of African American and African Studies at Michigan State University. Baker-Bell is an international leader in conversations on Black Language education, and her research interrogates the intersections of Black Language and literacies, anti-Black racism, and antiracist pedagogies. Her award-winning book, Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity, and Pedagogy, brings together theory, research, and practice to dismantle Anti-Black Linguistic Racism (a term Baker-Bell coined) and white linguistic supremacy. Baker-Bell's latest research project involves collaborating with healthcare scholars and researchers to develop, implement and study antiracist medical curriculum interventions that support medical professionals with developing an antiracist praxis for confronting and reducing racial bias and anti-Black racism in medical and healthcare institutions. Baker-Bell is the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including the 2021 Coalition for Community Writing Outstanding Book Award, the 2021 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s New Directions Fellowship, the 2021 Michigan State University’s Community Engagement Scholarship Award and the 2021 Distinguished Partnership Award for Community-Engaged Creative Activity, the 2020 NCTE George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language, the 2020 Theory Into Practice Article of the Year Award, the 2019 Michigan State University Alumni Award for Innovation & Leadership in Teaching and Learning, and the 2018 AERA Language and Social Processes Early Career Scholar Award.

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Will (D)iversity, (E)quity and (I)nclusion Die? Advocacy and Action Towards Greater Accountability in an Empowered University

Joy Gaston Gayles is an Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professor of Higher Education and Senior Advisor for the Advancement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the College of Education at North Carolina State University. Dr. Gayles is internationally recognized for her research and scholarship on women and people of color in STEM fields and her work in the area of intercollegiate athletics in higher education. Issues of equity, inclusion, and justice undergird the collective body of her work.

Dr. Gayles is one of the primary thought leaders in her field of study and was recently named as one of 25 innovative women leading higher education in DIVERSE: Issues in Higher Education magazine. She is Immediate Past President of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), the primary professional association for studying post-secondary education issues.

Dr. Gayles is nationally known for her work in partnership with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) the largest faculty development center in the United States. In addition, she serves as a faculty success coach and campus workshop facilitator. To date, she has coached well over 100 faculty across the country and conducted over 50 campus workshops on topics such as mentoring, tenure and time management, mid-career faculty success, and writing through resistance.

Over the course of her career, she has won numerous awards for her scholarly contributions and for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. In 2020 she received the Chancellor’s Creating Community Award for Outstanding Faculty at NC State and was named University Scholar in 2018, two of the highest faculty awards at NC State University. She also received the Zenobia L. Hikes Woman of Color in the Academy Award for advancing the development of young women of color in their pursuit of excellence. She is a community builder at heart and values engaging in work that makes a real difference in the lives of others.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Engaging Faculty in an Empowered University: Reimagining the Meaning of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings is the former Kellner Family Distinguished Chair in Urban Education and Professor Emerita from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is Immediate Past President of the National Academy of Education and former (2005-2006) President of the American Educational Research Association. A holder of 9 international and national honorary degrees, Ladson-Billings is author/ editor of 18 books and more than 100 book chapters and journal articles including the critically acclaimed, "The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children."

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Addressing Systemic Racism Through Justice and Equity: The Role of Faculty at a Community-Engaged, Empowered University

Dr. David Stovall, Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago

David Stovall, Ph.D. is Professor of Black Studies and Criminology, Law & Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).  His scholarship investigates three areas 1) Critical Race Theory, 2) the relationship between housing and education, and 3) the intersection of race, place and school. In the attempt to bring theory to action, he works with community organizations and schools to address issues of equity, justice and abolishing the school/prison nexus.  His work led him to become a member of the design team for the Greater Lawndale/Little Village School for Social Justice (SOJO), which opened in the Fall of 2005. Furthering his work with communities, students, and teachers, his work manifests itself in his involvement with the Peoples Education Movement, a collection of classroom teachers, community members, students and university professors in Chicago, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area who engage in collaborative community projects centered in creating relevant curriculum.  In addition to his duties and responsibilities as a professor at UIC, he also served as a volunteer social studies teacher at the Greater Lawndale/Little Village School for Social Justice from 2005-2018.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Addressing Systemic Racism Through Justice and Equity: The Role of Faculty at a Community-Engaged, Empowered University

Dr. Patricia Pérez, Professor, California State University, Fullerton

Dr. Pérez is a professor in the Department of Chicanx/a/o Studies and inaugural Coordinator of the H&SS Collective for Justice, Equity and Transformation. 

Dr. Pérez' research interests focus on U.S. higher education inequities with an emphasis on students and faculty of color. Her recent publications include the following edited or co-edited texts: “The Tenure Track Process for Chicana and Latina Faculty: Experiences of Resisting and Persisting in the Academy,” “Facilitating Educational Success for Migrant Farmworker Students in the U.S.,” and “Higher Education Access and Choice for Latino Students: Critical Findings and Theoretical Perspectives.” 

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Addressing Systemic Racism Through Justice and Equity: The Role of Faculty at a Community-Engaged, Empowered University

Dr. Eddie Cole, Associate Professor, UCLA

Dr. Cole is an associate professor of higher education and organizational change at UCLA, and the author of The Campus Color Line: College Presidents and the Struggle for Black Freedom (Princeton University Press, 2020). Twitter: @EddieRCole

Dr. Cole's research focuses on college presidents' historic role in shaping racial policies and practices both inside and outside of the educational sphere. As a scholar of higher education history, his approach in covering historical material and making connections to the current, critical context has garnered respect and praise from academics as well as intellectuals and activists beyond the academy.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Addressing Systemic Racism Through Justice and Equity: The Role of Faculty at a Community-Engaged, Empowered University

Dr. Carol D. Lee, Professor Emeritus, Northwestern University

Dr. Lee's research addresses cultural supports for learning that include a broad ecological focus, with attention to language and literacy and African-American youth.  Her career spans a 54 year history, including work as an English Language Arts teacher at the high school and community college levels, a primary grade teacher, and a university professor. 

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Unsettling Universities: Reimagining Higher Education as a Site of Love and Resistance for Indigenous Students

Dr. Heather Shotton, Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma.

Dr. Shotton discussed the multiple and nuanced ways that universities perpetuate settler colonial aims of erasure for indigenous students. She invited  us to unsettle our institutions and reimagine higher education as a site of love and resistance through our scholarship, learning, and practice. 

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Why We Need Racial Equity Literacy More than We Need Cultural Competence: Principles for Antiracist Action in P-20 Education

Dr. Paul Gorski, Founder and Lead Equity Specialist, Equity Literacy Institute.

Dr. Gorski shared a set of basic principles he calls the basic principles of equity literacy to help avoid common racial equity detours and maximize the transformative potential of our racial justice work in education.  

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Reclaiming the Racial Justice Meaning of Equity

Dr. Estela Mara Bensimon, professor of Higher Education in Rossier School of Education and Director of the Center for Urban Education, University of Southern California. 

Dr. Bensimon explained how equity, once viewed suspiciously as racially divisive and associated with the activism of social justice movements that academic purists disdain as "advocacy" work, is now being enthusiastically embraced within the academic scene. 

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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 Spencer Foundation Presentation and Panel Discussion

Dr. Na'ilah Suad Nasir, President of the Spencer Foundation.

In this series, Dr. Nasir gave a presentation, followed by a panel discussion with Illinois faculty, regarding funding and research on race and inequality in education. Dr. Nasir also explained how her vision for diversity and inclusion will be reflected in the Spencer Foundation organizational structures, culture, and opportunities.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Toward a Renewed Consciousness for Justice: Racial Justice or Racial "Just Us" Among Asian Americans

Dr. OiYan Poon, Assistant Professor of Higher Education Leadership and Director of the Race & Intersectional Studies for Educational Equity (RISE) Center at Colorado State University

In this series, Dr. Poon identified and described the ideological divisions between notions of racial justice and racial "just us." She explained how the current attacks on affirmative action offer an opportunity for Asian Americans, and others, to develop a renewed and transformative consciousness for racial justice.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Culturally Responsive School Leadership

Dr. Muhammad Khalifa, Robert Beck Endowed Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

This presentation focused on how school leaders can effectively serve minoritized students. Dr. Khalifa demonstrated how leaders can engage students, parents, teachers, and communities in ways that positively impact learning by honoring indigenous heritages and local cultural practices.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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To be Unapologetically 'Ungoogley': Why STEM Diversity Fails Women of Color

Dr. Kimberly Scott, Associate Professor of Social Transformation in the College of Liberal Arts at Arizona State University

This talk offered a systemic approach that applies intersectionality as a methodology, particularly for efforts aiming to engage underrepresented girls and women in STEM. Dr. Scott discussed and presented examples of how counting the number of bodies in a STEM space falls short of creating a just system, drawing on her experiences teaching in a special-needs district, working in a rehabilitation center for female prostitutes and slaves, and collaborating with others to lead the nationally recognized, girl-centered STEM program COMPUGIRLS.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Listening to the Voices of Equity: Towards Diversity in Recruitment and Retention

Dr. Cynthia B. Dillard, Mary Frances Early Professor of Teacher Education and Department Head, Department of Educational Theory and Practice at University of Georgia

This talk and panel discussion focused on equity as a way to increase and sustain diversity within education and as a mandate for research. With Cynthia B. Dillard moderating the event, panelists Arielle Brown, Michael Diaz, Georgina Lozano, and Tori Susberry generously shared their stories and insights.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Undocumented to Hyperdocumented: The Power of Documentation

Dra. Aurora Chang, Assistant Professor in School of Education at Loyola University Chicago

Scholar Aurora Chang related lessons she learned during her transition from an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala to a "hyperdocumented" (her term) academic in the U.S. Through the sharing of stories from her life and the lives of her students, Chang revealed how "undocumented intelligence" and hyperdocumentation are, in her view, the foundation upon which undocumented students' critical hope is built and their powerful narratives told. 

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Wedge Politics: The Current Transgender Backlash and its Effects in Educational Settings

Dr. Z Nicolazzo, Assistant Professor of Educational Policy Studies & Practice, University of Arizona

During the Dean's Diversity presentation, Dr. Nicolazzo discussed how the use of the transgender community to further wedge politics is built upon misogyny, racism, and sexism. The talk delved into how this political strategy impacts transgender people in K-12 and higher education, and it explored ideas for furthering transformational thinking and practice. Dr. Nicolazzo is the co-author of Trans* in College: Transgender Students' Strategies for Navigating Campus Life and the Institutional Politics of Inclusion.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant

José Ángel N.
Speaker José Ángel N. is the author of Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented  Immigrant, which was published by University of Illinois Press in 2014. The timely book is a compelling memoir about José Ángel's quest to build a new life in the U.S. With bravery and honesty, he details the constraints, deceptions, and humiliations that characterize alien life within the shadows of society.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

During his Dean's Diversity presentation, José Ángel N. talked about how having access to higher education has served as a counterbalance to the challenges of living as an undocumented immigrant. He focused on how our shared humanity unites us, despite the current political climate.

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Cultivating the Gifts and Talents of Faculty of Color

Dr. Linda Tillman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Professor Emerita of Educational Leadership, School of Education

Dr. Tillman is a nationally recognized scholar and leader in higher education. Her research and scholarship focuses on school leadership, the education of all children in K-12 education, and culturally appropriate approaches to investigations.

Racial equity continues to be an important topic in the landscape of higher education. A key aspect of it is the role of higher education administrators in recognizing and facilitating a diverse campus that promotes and supports its faculty so that they can make contributions to students, the campus, and society. Thus, higher education administrators should be committed to cultivating the talents of all faculty, particularly those of color who often encounter challenges in the realms of recruitment, promotion, and tenure. This lecture focused on some of the challenges faced by faculty of color, particularly in predominantly white institutions, and strategies for cultivating the gifts and talents of these scholars.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

Watch the video of Tillman's talk.

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Scholar Activism and Self-Care in an Era of #BlackLivesMatter

Dr.  Stephen John Quaye
Associate Professor in Student Affairs in Higher Education Program, Miami University

Dr. Quaye's research and teaching focus on how to enable undergraduate and graduate students to engage in difficult issues such as oppression. He also pursues how storytelling is used as an educational tool to foster reflection and learning across differences.

Since 2014, public student activism has been on the rise. Black Lives Matter activists have used protesting, teach-ins, and meetings to call attention to racism on campus and in society. What's often missing from the conversations about activism, however, is how scholars engage in it. What is their role and how do they practice self-care alongside the onslaught of media attention to black people being killed? Dr. Quaye made a case in this lecture for scholar activism and discussed how scholars blend their activist identities with their scholarship. Additionally, he explored the possibilities and challenges of scholar activism and strategies for practicing self-care in the midst of activism.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

Watch the video of Quaye's talk.

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Fostering Advancement for Diverse Faculty and Staff

Dr.  Pamela Eddy
Professor in Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership, College of William and Mary

Dr. Eddy's research interests include community college leadership and development, organizational change and educational partnerships, gender roles in higher education, and faculty development.

This session focused on the portrait of today’s college leaders, which shows that top positions remain stubbornly filled by white males and suggests strategies for rethinking constructions of leadership ideals. Despite leadership development programs targeting women and diverse leaders, these populations have not obtained equity in leadership ranks. New visions of leadership require questioning who can be considered for leadership and where leadership occurs. Development of mid-level leaders and changing norms of who gets access to leadership development can provide leverage for change. Questioning underlying assumptions about leadership is required for true change to occur, however, and both individuals and institutions can contribute to building the new models of leadership. Institutional policy can help create a climate that fosters more diverse leadership and addresses structural issues that remain as barriers. Colleges and universities need to tap into the talent of all potential leaders.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

Watch the video of Eddy's talk.

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The Black Woman's Blueprint for Institutional Transformation in Higher Education

Dr.  Lori Patton Davis
Professor in Higher Education and Student Affairs, Indiana University

Dr. Patton Davis's research focuses on African-Americans in higher education, critical race theory in postsecondary contexts, and college student development.

Given the current socio-political climate in the U.S. and on college campuses, a number of questions have emerged regarding the role of higher education in addressing oppression and systemic inequities. Concerns about the capacity of higher education institutions to engage in substantive change are among the most critical issues facing institutional leaders, faculty, and students. In this presentation, Dr. Patton Davis argued that efforts to address societal inequities and those situated in higher education might be best implemented by examining black women’s work and contributions. Dr. Patton Davis offered concrete examples of the strategies black women have enacted toward change, and she provided an explanation regarding the seeming reluctance to acknowledge black women’s labor despite the benefits gained by numerous populations. Finally, Dr. Patton discussed the overwhelming invisibility of black women’s contributions, as well as the need for a more intersectional approach to institutional transformation that is grounded in the traditions, intellect, and work of black women.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

Watch the video of Patton Davis's talk.

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Understanding Latina/o Educational Pathways from the Perspectives of Scholar and Subject of Inquiry

Dr.  Michelle Espino
Assistant Professor of Higher Education; University of Maryland, College Park

Michelle Espino's research centers on understanding community contexts and institutional responses associated with educational achievement and outcomes along the academic life course for racial/ethnic minorities.

Drawing from critical race methodologies and Chicana feminism, Dr. Espino discussed the slow advancement of Latina/o students, administrators, and faculty along an educational pipeline that is rooted in historical and current inequities. She emphasized the critical nature of research that co-constructs and co-interprets the realities experienced by participants and the researcher at particular moments in time and across familial, community, and educational contexts. Dr. Espino also discussed the responsibility of offering scholarly work with care and respect; attending to power dynamics as interviewer, narrator, and subject; and weaving together participants’ lived experiences and her own in order to transform traditional paradigms and practices that hinder Latina/o educational attainment.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

Watch the video of Espino's talk.

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The Distance Between Compositional Diversity and Institutional Transformation

Dr.  Dafina-Lazarus Stewart
Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs, Bowling Green State University

Dr. Dafina-Lazarus Stewart is a scholar, educator, and activist focused on empowering and imagining futures that sustain and cultivate learning, growth, and success of marginalized groups in the U.S. higher education institutions.

During the last three academic years, colleges and universities nationwide have been in the news as student demands from racially minoritized students, particularly black students and their accomplices, have gone viral via social media. The current generation of student activism by black students is calling for direct actions, tangible outcomes, and greater institutional accountability for creating and sustaining campus environments that are more diverse and inclusive. Incidents of racial microaggressions against minoritized faculty, staff, and students continue despite pledges to increase the numbers of faculty, staff, and students of color; sizeable commitment of dollars; and notable gains in the racial and ethnic diversity of certain parts of campus. In this lecture, Dr. Dafina-Lazarus Stewart called attention to the gap between focusing attention on compositional diversity and actually doing the work necessary to foment and sustain institutional transformation toward greater racial justice.

College fireside chat lecture
Dr. Dafina-Lazarus Stewart wrote in a blog post that became viral a love letter to minoritized faculty members in colleges and universities. Stewart shared cautions, encouragement, and blessings gained at the beginning of zir 16th year of teaching, research, and service in the academy. Ze's ultimate message was to affirm the camaraderie of minoritized faculty, urging others to "create a life that can transport [them] beyond" the dysfunction of the academy. In this intimate conversation held at the College of Education, Dr. Stewart talked further about love and critical hope as imperatives to reaching wholeness in the academy.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

Watch the video of Stewart's talk. 

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A Discussion on Plantation Politics, Neoracism, and Critical Race Tempered Radicalism 

Dr. Dian Squire
Visiting Assistant Professor, Iowa State University

Dr. Squire's research focuses on issues of diversity, equity, and justice in higher education. He focuses on access to graduate education and the experiences of diverse graduate students. 

In a neoliberal era with heightened racial tension, universities must examine the ways they include communities of color and fundamentally reshape their organizations to support the holistic learning and development of the growing diversity on campuses. In the wake of material instances of white supremacy, it is no longer enough to provide statements of support, minor policy changes, or conduct another campus climate survey. The evidence is clear: U.S. colleges and universities are built upon historical roots of racism and white supremacist normativity, which needs to change. Through the exploration of three frameworks, Dr. Dian Squire helped students, faculty, and staff work toward racial justice. Attendees of this lecture left with the knowledge to reframe the way they examine current institutional organizations as shaped by their white supremacist histories and discovered more in the way of international graduate admissions infused with neoracist and neoliberal action. By exploring the formation of universities and providing two contemporary manifestations of whiteness, one can more easily name and deconstruct oppressive systems to reconstruct just and liberating opportunities.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

Watch the video of Squire's talk.

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Disentangling Continuous and Discrete Structure Within Data

Dr. Doug Steinley Professor of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri - Columbia

Dr. Steinley's talk focused on general strategies for extracting class structure and factor structure when fitting models to data. Demonstrations were given on a data set of Internet habits of college students. 

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Presenting Findings from an Experimental Evaluation of Job Corps

Dr. Peter Z. Schochet
Senior Fellow and Senior at Mathematica, Princeton

Dr. Schochet presented findings from an experimental evaluation of Job Corps, the nation's largest education and training program for disadvantaged youths ages 16 to 24. The study used data collected during nine years on a nationwide sample of 15,400 treatments and controls. 

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.

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Studying and Designing Alternative Infrastructures for Learning

Dr. Reed Stevens
Professor of Learning Sciences, School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University

Dr. Stevens' research program has spanned two decades. His work has taken place in K-12 classrooms, museums, homes, and preschools. His presentation drew on insights from field studies that looked into the possibilities of designing new tools that offer alternatives to traditional school infrastructures.

During this lecture, any statements made or materials presented do not necessarily represent the views of this University of Illinois, or its respective colleges, departments, employees, agents, or affiliates.