Given the campus events and faculty conversations of this fall, the Faculty Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Workshops team invites faculty and teaching staff who are on campus just before classes resume in January to participate in one or more special events in their Midwinter 2020 Institute.
Kenneth Hardy
To be held the afternoon of Jan. 9 and morning of Jan. 10, the Midwinter Institute and events provide opportunities for informal dialogue and further learning about issues facing Syracuse University. This mid-year installment will offer a relaxed and focused setting in which prominent external scholar-presenters will discuss new approaches to inclusion and related subjects. The goal is to offer a chance for faculty and academic staff to meet, learn, renew and converse in ways that build further skills and facilitate analyses of the complex challenges ahead.
Kenneth V. Hardy, renowned scholar, clinician and former Syracuse University faculty member, opens the session on the afternoon of Jan. 9 with a presentation on specific approaches to social justice across identity groups, from classrooms to colleagues. Hardy, who is known as an innovator and educator on the forefront of these issues, will lead faculty in a wide-ranging discussion and interaction following his presentation.
On Jan. 10, events will be led by Stephanie Goodwin, a social psychologist and diversity educator, and the remarkable social-justice theater group PowerPlay of the University of New Hampshire, a longstanding and award-winning organization that uses professional actors and vivid situations to create interactive learning. Faculty will actively participate as scenes are created, discussed, modified and replayed in contrasting ways. These highly dynamic and interactive experiences have been shown to spark dialogue and decisions that create change for faculty in both learning environments and in peer-to-peer professional connections.
“This Midwinter Institute could not come at a better time,” says Professor of Social Work and Chief Diversity Officer Keith Alford. “I know that every participant will benefit tenfold by the rich content to be delivered. Coming together to further challenge and advance our diversity and inclusion acumen is paramount.”
“Dr. Hardy, Dr. Goodwin and PowerPlay will lead galvanizing and interactive sessions that explore issues facing our faculty and academic staff in the current campus context,” adds Cathryn Newton, senior advisor to the chancellor and provost for faculty engagement.
The 2020 Midwinter DEIA Faculty Institute—a supportive, stimulating, inclusive and informal opportunity—is open to all faculty and academic staff who teach (as defined broadly). RSVP is required; to indicate your interest, complete this brief registration form by end of day Friday, Dec. 20, or as soon thereafter as possible, as spaces will likely fill. With questions, please email inclusiveteaching@syr.edu.
