Inclusive Excellence Summit
Date: Thursday, May 4, 2023
Location: In-Person (UB, Student Union, North Campus)
Registration: Outside Student Union Theatre, 2nd Floor
Intended Audience: UB Community
UB's third Inclusive Excellence Summit consisted of diverse sessions and workshops that highlight practices, research, and initiatives across the university that support diversity and inclusion. It served as a unique opportunity for our campuses to come together as a community of staff, faculty, and students to promote understanding and explore new ways to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Attendees had the chance not only to share their work with the University community, but also to learn about the various innovative and creative ways that our faculty, staff, and graduate students foster multiculturalism and diversity on a daily basis.
The Inclusive Excellence Summit is sponsored by the Office of Inclusive Excellence, the LGBTQ Faculty Staff Association, the Minority Faculty and Staff Association (MFSA), and the Professional Staff Senate Inclusion and Diversity Committee.
We hope you'll join us for our next Inclusive Excellence Summit in 2025!
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to us at vpix@buffalo.edu.
Summit Program
Keynote Address: Confronting Ourselves: Promoting Diversity, Cultural Competence, and Inclusive Excellence
Dr. Derek Greenfield is a nationally recognized thought leader, speaker, educator, and activist committed to inclusive excellence and positive change. With his dynamic, interactive style and transformational ideas, Dr. Greenfield's powerful workshops and keynote presentations have inspired and informed audiences from Texas to Tonga, with clients including CBS Sports, Visa, Progress Energy, Tinder, and over 300 colleges and universities. Furthermore, his work has been featured in media outlets such as ESPN, Source magazine, HuffPost Live, Hot97 Radio, Sports Illustrated, Seattle Times, and HBCU Digest. A former award-winning tenured faculty member, Dr. Greenfield most recently served as Vice President for Student Engagement and Campus Life/Chief Diversity Officer at Kentucky State University, where he spearheaded a dramatic turnaround in campus culture and retention. Dr. Greenfield earned his BA and MA in Sociology from Northwestern University, a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of Washington, and an EdD from Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa. He is a proud Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
For more information about Dr. Greenfield, visit: https://derekgreenfield.com/
American Diversity and Design Class Exhibit
The American Diversity and Design course (ARC 211), taught by Associate Professor Beth Tauke focuses on the relationship of design to the changing nature of our society in the U.S. It introduces students to eight issues of diversity: race, ethnicity, gender, class, age, physical characteristics, cognitive characteristics, and religion. The histories of our diverse physical and media environments are analyzed using theories and principles related to inclusive design.
The In Our Shoes project asks students to design a poster that builds awareness of how the design of UB’s campuses either serve as supports or barriers. Students acquire a pair of shoes and develop a description of the person who might wear them. They then take a trip around the campus imagining how it might be perceived by the person wearing the shoes. Students consider “design as a social act” and contemplate ways that the poster, as a form of communication design, can operate as a cultural force, either reflecting or shaping values, beliefs, and priorities.
Visit the Student Union Lobby from 12:05-12:45pm to meet the students and talk to them about their posters.
Zahra Leigh Amos; Tyler Brown; Trevor Caubang; Chelsea Chacha; Arianna Cinotti; Andrew Derysh; Ben Flora; Sophie Goodwin; Del Hart; Hannah Ikawa; Kyle Kardysauskas; Simarjit Kaur; Thomas Kish; Ha Hui Lei; Trexi Lin; Rina Nisrin; Dominic Pennacchio; Grace Perritt; Emily Petrinec; Eliason Raines; Harry Tian; Lola Villamonte-Stein; Connor Waasdorp; and Tre Wade
Concurrent Sessions
1. Neurodiversity Cultural Competency and Inclusive Practices
Susan Mann Dolce, Associate Director, Accessibility Resources; Rachel Bonnette, Post Doctoral Researcher and NSF Project Coordinator, Learning and Instruction, Graduate School of Education; Jeremy Raymore, Graduate Assistant, Student Engagement; and Kyle O’Neill, Training Facilitator, Organizational Development and Effectiveness, Human Resources
Neurodiversity Cultural Competency and Inclusive Practices will include essential information about the Neurodiversity Movement and its importance for student success, supported by spring 2022 survey data on the experiences of 174 UB students who identify as Neurodivergent or as an Ally. This presentation will include a review of current best practices for inclusivity in Higher Education, drawing on student recommendations. Attend and learn what Neurodivergent UB students have to say about finding belonging through improved access and inclusion at UB.
2. Social Justice as a Holistic Practice: Before, During, and After Their Time at UB
Danielle Johnson, Director, Daniel Acker Scholars Program and Social Justice Initiatives, Cora P. Maloney Center (CPMC); Vivian Jimenez, Director, Tutoring and Academic Support Services, Office of Student Success and Academic Support; Allen C. Williams, Assistant Director of Retention Initiatives, Intercultural and Diversity Center; Poorva Bhatia, Graduate Student, Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Mirna Cadet, Undergraduate Student, Department of Economics, College of Arts and Sciences; Sarah Hale, Graduate Student, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences; Semat Hossain, Undergraduate Student, Department of Communication, College of Arts and Sciences; and Esther Turay, Undergraduate Student, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
UB students are understanding and engaging in social justice work in deeply meaningful ways. Across disciplines, students are increasingly wanting to engage in this work and are recognizing the impact that they can have on their world. At this session, we will learn from the experiences of graduate and undergraduate students who feel connected to social justice, how their experiences before entering UB affected their drive for justice, and discuss how they plan to engage in this work after graduation.
3. Anti-Racism and Cultural Humility Education: Adapting Curriculum to Dismantle Structural Racism
Amanda Ramia, Curriculum and Instructional Designer, Medical Education and Educational Research Institute (MEERI) and Research Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Behavioral Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Sourav Sengupta, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Department of Psychiatry, and Director of Training - Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Jennifer Meka, Director, Medical Education and Educational Research Institute (MEERI) and Associate Dean for Medical Education, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; and Henry Taylor, Director, UB Center for Urban Studies and Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Architecture and Planning
This workshop will highlight healthcare experiences that are impacted by health inequities and social/structural determinants of health. The current state of representation of URiM (underrepresented in medicine) medical students, faculty and physicians, and the connection with ongoing health inequities and disparities will be discussed, with consideration of the “upstream causes of the causes” that have contributed to the current state of medicine. An overview of the progression of our antiracism curriculum development will also be included.
4. Building Pathways of Community Between Students and Alumni of Color
Ebehitale Imobhio, Assistant Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement, School of Public Health and Health Professions and Rose Thomas, Graduate Student, School of Social Work and School of Public Health and Health Professions
Students of color in higher education have reported increased rates of loneliness, anxiety, and other emotional difficulties. This trend has been found to be similar among several other marginalized student demographics including first generation students, low-income students, and disabled students. In the School of Public Health and Health Professions, two graduate students of color wanted to address this connection gap and isolation by utilizing their school’s alumni network. In order to foster academic, professional, and interpersonal growth for students of color in their school, these students worked to create a mentoring program that connected students of color with alumni of color. They believed it was important for our undergraduate students to build connections with alumni who have been through similar paths and experiences. During this session, we will discuss the history of this program, evaluative practices, successes, and lessons learned along the way and provide attendees with the opportunity to discuss how a similar program can be implemented in their departments or schools.
5. Climate Justice and Higher Education
Derek Nichols, Associate Director for Sustainability, UB Sustainability
Negative environmental impacts are felt disproportionately more often in marginalized and disadvantaged communities, especially those that are primarily lived in by people of color. This session will focus on higher education's role in perpetuating these injustices and how to change for the better.
6. Creating an Inclusive Higher Education Environment for Minority Graduate Students: Panel
Franchesca Arecy, Graduate Student, Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences; Hendrick Francois, Medical Student, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Sarah Quinones, Graduate Student, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Professions; Brandon Salazar, Graduate Student, Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences; and Antara Satchidanand, Graduate Student, Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
The inclusion of minority students in higher education spaces is imperative for a diverse future across disciplines in research, medicine, STEM, among other fields where these individuals are underrepresented. Bouchrika (2022) reported that in 2023 2.3% of Hispanic or Latinx graduates earn a doctoral or professional degree. 1% of Black or African American graduates earn a doctorate or professional degrees. This is a total of 3.3% among Hispanic/Latinx and Black and African American graduate students. These statistics require further discussion.
7. Creating LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in Medical Education
Nat Voos, Graduate Student, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and Grant Parrelli, Medical Student, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
LGBTQ+ patients face multiple health disparities, and a lack of comprehensive training for medical students contributes to these disparities. We will explore the current practices at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences that have been implemented in order to adequately prepare medical students to care for LGBTQ+ patients. In addition, we will explore future directions that can be taken in medical education for creating curriculum designed around LGBTQ+ student and healthcare needs.
8. Embracing Language Differences and Reducing Bias and Oppression in Writing
Odette Reid, Associate Director, The Center for Excellence in Writing and Rhonda Reid, Director, The Center for Excellence in Writing
Linguistic Racism and language oppression on a university campus contributes to the negative experience of some students. The belief that there is only one way to write and speak alienates writers from various countries and those from different socioeconomic backgrounds. To promote Linguistic Justice (Baker-Bell, 2020) and eliminate language oppression, we must be intentional in our practices. Taking a translingual approach with multilingual writers and honoring the home literacies of students from diverse backgrounds are inclusive practices that can reduce biases.
9. Onboarding Faculty Through Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) and Design
Kristen Moore, Associate Professor, Engineering Education, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Rajan Batta, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Diversity, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; and Matilde Sanchez-Pena, Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering Education, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
This presentation will explore an equity and inclusion-driven approach to faculty orientation. We will present on three key principles that drove the design of our orientation; 1) transparency builds towards equity; 2) inequity and oppression are designed; and 3) mentoring practices can be redesigned to be more inclusive.
10. Inhabiting Spaces: Empowering Dialogue and Community Through Creative Collaboration
Tiffany Du Mouchelle, Clinical Assistant Professor of Voice, Director of Vocal Performance, and Co-Director of Inhabiting Spaces 2023, Department of Music, College of Arts and Sciences and Lili Stern, Graduate Student, Arts Management Program and Producer for Inhabiting Spaces 2023, College of Arts and Sciences
How is inclusion possible if people do not share space? Without shared space, be it in-person or virtual, dialogue is not possible. Inhabiting Spaces explores how cross-disciplinary creative collaboration offers pathways to inclusion, community, and understanding. In a university as large and diverse as the University at Buffalo, shared experiences must be cultivated. Du Mouchelle and Stern share their experiences and lead participants through exercises that explore dialogue, creative collaboration, and inclusivity.
11. Multicultural Competence and Strategies to Support a More Inclusive Campus Community
Meg Syrell, Coordinator of Orientation, Transition and Parent Programs, Office of the Vice President for Student Life and Jeremy Jungbluth, Learning Designer for Inclusive Pedagogy, Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation
Learning from and growing alongside others is an overarching goal of public higher education. Increasing our cultural humility and multicultural competence through an investment in our multicultural awareness, knowledge, skills, and action is necessary to develop and sustain a culturally responsive campus community. In this workshop, we provide a foundation for participants to define cultural humility and multicultural competence, discuss the inherent value to the University at Buffalo community, and offer effective strategies for sustaining inclusive institutional environments.
12. Neurodiversity Student Panel
Susan Mann Dolce, Associate Director, Accessibility Resources, Rudraaksh Karthick Bhuvaneswari, Undergraduate Student, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Nakharin Homniyom, Graduate Student, School of Social Work; Megan Hunter, Undergraduate Student, Department of Theatre and Dance, College of Arts and Sciences; Jeremy Raymore, Graduate Student, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, Graduate School of Education; and Aniya Wiggins, Undergraduate Student, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Listen to graduate and undergraduate UB students share their experiences about navigating academics and student life as neurodivergent students. Students will respond to the questions and topics they think are most important for others to understand about their experiences at UB and beyond, including both challenges and the practices they believe support access. Opportunity for the audience to ask questions will be provided.
13. Peeing and Pooping in Peace
Edward Steinfeld, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Architecture, School of Architecture and Planning; Beth Tauke, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, School of Architecture and Planning; Adam Thibodeaux, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, School of Architecture and Planning; and Elizabeth Bartelt, Clinical Assistant Professor, Community Health and Health Behavior, School of Public Health and Health Professions
This workshop will inform participants about research underway at UB on design of restrooms to support access by transgender and gender diverse populations and the development of a public interactive exhibit to debut at UB during Transgender Awareness Week this coming Fall. Using an active learning approach, the workshop will engage participants in generating and discussing questions about public restroom design, sharing stories about restroom experiences, and contributing to the design and planning of the exhibit.
14. Valuing Identity: Chosen Name and Gender Pronouns in HUB
Samantha Smith, Assistant Registrar for Enrollment and Transfer Credit, Office of the Registrar and Joseph Rizzo, Associate Registrar and Associate Director of HUB and Student Systems, Office of the Registrar
In this session, participants will learn the importance of respecting student's chosen identity through the use of displaying student's chosen name and preferred pronouns in UB's student information system. Through the use of videos and research, we will explore the deeper meaning behind respecting one's identity.
15. Strength-Based Approach to Inclusive Education for International Students
Yueqiu Zhang, Graduate Student, Department of Learning and Instruction, Graduate School of Education and Rhonda Reid, Director, The Center for Excellence in Writing
To create and promote inclusive, connected, and multicultural campus environments for international students, administrators, faculty and staff need to shift the discourse from a deficit view point to a strength-based perspective; these multilingual and multicultural students' voices and perspectives need to be heard and valued, and thus their needs and strengths could be fully recognized and supported. Strength-based approach to inclusive education for international students also recognizes multicultural awareness and competence as contributing factors to enhancing understanding among diverse populations in the UB community.
16. Stronger Together: UB Athletics DEI Gameplan
D'Ann Keller, Senior Associate Athletics Director/SWA, Division of Athletics; Sarah Tranelli, Director of Communications, Athletic Communications, Division of Athletics; and Erik Silis, Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, Division of Athletics
UB Athletics is committed to cultivating a culture of inclusion through active engagements, partnerships and celebrations. Through a variety of organizational initiatives, our strategy must be more than reacting to today's environment, our goals must follow a purposeful strategy upheld by our strategic pillars that challenge our current systems to aid in progress.
17. Utilizing Faculty Collaboration and Intersectionality in Co-Teaching Social Justice Advocacy
Najla Hrustanovic, Counseling Adjunct Instructor, Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, Graduate School of Education and Dr. Rasha Mohamed, Antioch University Faculty
The limitations of teaching social justice courses in higher education are two-fold: 1) teaching through a singular white-centered lens due to majority-white faculty pool, perpetuating a cycle of oppression and unintentional harm, 2) faculty of color being assigned as the only faculty teaching these courses, placing undue burden and challenges on faculty of color to teach those courses. In response to these teaching limitations, this presentation offers a different model that centers on the power of co-facilitation in social justice-based courses. This presentation will explore the benefits of this model, its impact on student learning outcomes, and implementation of counselor future advocacy and leadership. What this model makes clear is that there are opportunities to structure social justice courses in ways that bring about collaboration, community, and inspiration for collective advocacy. Recommendations for further teaching research and training will also be discussed.
18. Your Name Matters! A Simplified Approach to Pronouncing People's Names
Virginia Stever, Administrative Director, Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
Your Name Matters! addresses understanding the importance of people's names and how to better pronounce them more closely to the way people pronounce them themselves. The approach is light and audience interaction is critical to its success. The system does not teach others how to speak other languages but rather provides a simple set of rules that help speakers approximate the pronunciation of people’s names. First impressions are important and can be instrumental in building trusting relationships. And it's fun!
19. The Privilege and Perils of Free Speech: Academic Freedom, Banning Curriculum, Hate Speech, and Student Belonging
Bernadette Gargano, Lecturer and Vice Dean of Student Affairs, School of Law and Lucinda Finley, Professor and Program Director for Appellate Advocacy, School of Law
In public schools, conflicts over Free Speech have been at the forefront of current nationwide disputes. From firings for course content to speakers spewing hate speech to the banning of books and curriculum, we are at a critical time to understand what it means to have "Free Speech." The panel will provide an overview of the law and its history, and then provide a forum for stakeholders to generate ideas, especially in the context of creating an environment of belonging.
20. Assessment in the Service of Equity
Mary Odden, Assessment Specialist, Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation; Cathleen Morreale, Assistant Vice Provost for Educational Effectiveness and Learning Analytics, Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation; and Carol Van Zile-Tamsen, Associate Vice Provost for Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation
Participants will learn about the different aspects of equity in assessment. Presenters will provide case studies and examples from their work in the Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation. After a brief presentation, attendees will practice applying those principles and develop their own equitable and culturally responsive materials for their course, program, or service.
Jacqueline Hollins, Committee Chair; Interim Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence, Provost Office
Poorva Bhatia, Graduate Assistant, Office of the Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence
Ramelli L. Choates, Senior Associate Director, Cora P. Maloney Center
Giambattista Davis, Academic Advisor and EDI Coordinator, University Honors College
Benjamin L. Fabian, Associate Director for Student Support and Resources, Dean of Students Office
Vivian Jimenez, Director of Tutoring and Academic Support, Office of Student Success and Academic Support
Danielle Johnson, Director Social Justice Initiatives and Daniel Acker Scholars Program, Cora P. Maloney Center
Susan Mann Dolce, Associate Director, Accessibility Resources
Amber Melvin, Assistant Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence, Office of the Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence
David Mines, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Investigator, Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Derek J. Nichols, Associate Director for Sustainability, UB Sustainability
Sharon Sanford, Associate Athletic Director, Division of Athletics
Jodi Valenti-Protas, Staff Assistant, Office of the Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence
Allen C. Williams, Assistant Director for Retention Initiatives, Intercultural and Diversity Center