2021 Inclusive Excellence Summit

For session descriptions, please see Keynote and Concurrent Sessions sections below.

Dalia Antonia Caraballo Muller, Associate Professor, Latin American and Caribbean History, College of Arts and Sciences; and the following Presidential Honors Scholars in the Honors College: Grayson Smith; Alexis Harrell; Clayton Markham; Jyla Serfino; Suhana Monsalve

This round table brings together three cohorts of UB students who are veterans of the Impossible Project, a high-stakes, low-risk learning experience that invites students to leverage cross disciplinary thinking and effective collaboration to imagine new solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. By building individual and collective resilience, fostering strong team work skills and opening the door to creative thinking, the Impossible Project prepares young people to change the world. Come ​find out how!

Elizabeth Colucci, Director, Office of Fellowships and Scholarships; Suzanne Sullivan, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing; and Tanner Gelatt, Graduate Admissions Coordinator, School of Nursing 

Recruiting and supporting talented underrepresented graduate students is an institutional priority. Since 2016, UB has implemented strategic changes to the Arthur A. Schomburg Fellowship, UB’s SUNY Graduate Diversity Fellowship to prioritize excellence and competitive financial packages for fellows. Additionally, it now requires units to provide information on the recruitment, climate and progress of fellows. This session will share best practices for improving the campus climate for diverse graduate students, and foster discussion on how our campus can continually improve our inclusive environment.​

David Holmes, Clinical Associate Professor, Family Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Joseph Gambacorta, Clinical Associate Professor, Restorative Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine; Molli Oldenburg, Clinical Assistant Professor and Global Initiatives Coordinator, School of Nursing; and Gina Prescott, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

This interprofessional panel of faculty in the UB health professional schools will discuss their collaborative efforts to care for disadvantaged global populations and impact UB students through cross-cultural, experiential learning. The panelists will describe their initiatives, including global health experience preparations, challenges, outcomes and future directions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, faculty will describe student research projects in different countries. Opportunities for those who would like to get involved with global health outreach and research will also be discussed.

Megan Syrell, Assistant to the Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

In this presentation, participants will have an opportunity to explore what privilege and bias mean and how these concepts manifest in their own lives. We will discuss how our own social identities influence our interactions, how we can be more cognizant and inclusive of others, and how we as individuals can contribute to positive systemic change. Whether you have extensive experience navigating privilege and oppression or are unfamiliar with these concepts, this presentation will offer space for everyone to learn and grow together!​

Namsook Kim, Clinical Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy, Graduate School of Education 

This presentation, grounded in theory and research, aims to improve student engagement strategies of faculty, staff, students, and community members who are involved in teaching, coaching, advising, and working with international, immigrant, and refugee college students. We will explore the ways privilege and bias affect underrepresented students’ holistic college experience systematically, understanding key principles toward inclusion of and support for the students, and learn about the ways high-impact college practices improve students’ academic and sociocultural engagement and college success.​

Amanda Winkelsas, Clinical Assistant Professor and UB Teacher Residency Program Director, Learning and Instruction, Graduate School of Education; Ling Zhai, Doctoral Student, Learning and Instruction, Graduate School of Education; Amanda Seccia, Doctoral Student, Learning and Instruction, Graduate School of Education; and Claire Cameron, Associate Professor, Learning and Instruction, Graduate School of Education 

This session explores GSE’s new teacher residency program (UBTR), which aims to ensure more equitable school experiences for all students by diversifying the local teaching community and preparing, supporting, and retaining learner-ready teachers who foster positive change in urban classrooms, schools, and communities. The session explores (1) UBTR program supports and strategies to attract and prepare teachers from diverse backgrounds; (2) challenges and promising practices; and (3) the impact the program is having on UB program faculty and coursework, and partner BPS teachers and classrooms.​

Joshua Osmanski, FOCUS Project Coordinator, Department of Medicine; Urmo Jaanimägi, PCORI Project Coordinator, Department of Medicine; and Arpan Dharia, Research Physician, Department of Medicine

Our liver diseases programs aim to identify, engage, and link-to-care underserved and disenfranchised populations. We utilize a combination of disease diagnosis in unconventional healthcare settings, employ community-wide informatics approaches, and innovative healthcare delivery models to mitigate conventional healthcare delivery obstacles to these populations. Through our innovative approaches, we demonstrate how new models of care that integrate emerging technologies can effectively improve health outcomes through an inclusive and diverse approach, paving the way for social justice in the health care system. 

Members of the UB Working Group for Transgender Inclusion Physical Facilities Subcommittee: Michael Wright, Chair and Senior Architect, Facilities Design and Construction; Edward Steinfeld, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Architecture and Director of the IDEA Center, School of Architecture and Planning; and Jessica Byerly Coram, Assistant Director, Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

A University working group has been tasked to create “all gender” restrooms across campus that can accommodate individuals with a wide range of gender identities. The task force is identifying single user restrooms that can easily be converted to “all gender” use and seeking opportunities in renovation and new construction projects to create new types of shared inclusive restrooms that accommodate a non-binary conception of gender while also providing increased accessibility, more security and privacy, increased infection control and features to accommodate different religious beliefs. This session will provide a status update on the Task Force’s activities and give the University community an opportunity to comment on the design of future restrooms in UB facilities.​ Both conceptual and built examples of inclusive restrooms will be presented for discussion.

Mary Clare Fahey, Assistant Director for Residential Inclusion Initiatives, Campus Living; Maura Belliveau, Director, Center for Diversity Innovation and Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program; Mark Coldren, Associate Vice President, Human Resources; Ben Fabian, Assistant Director for Student Support, Student Conduct and Advocacy and President, LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association; and Linwood Roberts Jr., Director of Community Engagement, School of Dental Medicine and past President of the University at Buffalo Minority Faculty Staff Association

The Professional Staff Senate committees for Inclusion and Diversity and Professional Development hosts a panel discussion focused on the current state and future direction of UB initiatives as they influence staff. Designed to define where we are as a university, and envision next steps this presentation welcomes a cohort of diverse UB leaders. Moderated by Mary Clare Fahey, this presentation concludes with an open discussion of the future directions of our institutional culture including how attendees might impact these steps.​

Susan Mann Dolce, Associate Director, Accessibility Resources; Marla McBride, Associate Director, Health Promotion; Neil McGillicuddy, Consultant, Employee Assistance Program; and Carissa Uschold-Klepfer, Assistant Director for Outreach, Suicide Prevention Coordinator and Eating Disorder Treatment Team Coordinator, Student Counseling Services

This panel session will examine feelings of inclusion and comfort of students, faculty, and staff with mental health challenges (e.g., depression, anxiety). This group is underserved yet appears to be increasing in both numbers and complexity of issues. The focus of this panel is to disseminate information regarding the efforts of four university offices (Accessibility Resources, Health Promotion, Student Counseling, Employee Assistance) to increase inclusion for this diverse group of university citizens through identifying current practices and outlining future plans.​

Katarzyna Kordas, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions; and Samina Raja, Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Associate Dean for Research and Inclusive Excellence, School of Architecture and Planning. Kordas and Raja co-direct the UB Community for Global Health Equity.

Increasingly, American university students, faculty and staff engage with communities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). For example, students are encouraged to pursue global experiences to supplement classroom training, develop new competencies or broaden their worldview. While the traveler can profit personally and professionally from the exchange, the host community does not always receive equivalent benefits. Through a roundtable discussion and interactive exercises, we explore questions of privilege and cultural humility that arise when we engage in LMICs.​ How might universities prepare faculty and students for a decolonized perspective in global health research and education through co-production of knowledge?

Hyein Amber Kim, Clinical Assistant Professor, Director of Korean Program, Linguistics, College of Arts and Sciences; and Justin Ko, Scrum Master at M&T Bank

The journey of recognizing your privileges and biases may be an uncomfortable and vulnerable one. Hyein Amber Kim shares her experiences living in both Korea and the US, navigating through various identities, and addressing her own privileges and biases. The purpose of the presentation is for participants to address the What? So What? and Now What? questions regarding their own personal privileges and biases, and brainstorm and share what they can do moving forward.​

Heather Orom, Associate Professor, Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Director of Graduate Studies, School of Public Health and Health Professions; and Jessica S. Kruger, Clinical Assistant Professor, Community Health and Health Behavior and Interim Coordinator for Teaching Innovation and Excellence, School of Public Health and Health Professions

Creating an inclusive classroom environment is important for a student success. In this two-part session we will first present a peer-difference education video that elicits self-reflection in diverse students about their unique challenges. It has been well-received by students of all backgrounds and may improve academic attainment. Next, we will conduct an interactive training in which attendees will learn about best practices and simple ways to integrate inclusive pedagogy techniques into their classrooms.

D'Ann Keller, Senior Associate Athletic Director/SWA, Intercollegiate Athletics

A candid chat with International Student-Athletes focused on their experiences, and how this may differ from domestic student-athletes and other international students. What should we be doing to increase our cultural competence and how we better can we support their success.​ COVID-19 impact on the student-athlete experience also will be addressed.

Betsy Rodriguez, Director, Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program; and Heweon Seo, Psychologist and Group Coordinator, Counseling Services

Distress caused by trauma is prevalent in our world of higher education. This workshop will help you understand how to work with individuals who are experiencing distress caused by trauma in their lives through the lens of Trauma Informed Care. You will learn techniques to minimize the damage, which occurs when individuals are distressed due to trauma in their lives. You will have the opportunity to share your experiences and knowledge on this subject with others and gather ideas to implement with staff and/or students.​

Jonathan White, Director of Design Consulting, Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access, School of Architecture and Planning

People are evolving; in abilities, in limitations, and in defining what “inclusive” means. Universal design holds the power to create a more inclusive campus for all, no matter physical, social, or religious attributes. Using our experience conducting assessments at university campuses, and our new innovative solutions for Universal Design (isUD) program developed and tested here at UB, attendees will learn about common campus design problems and learn how UB could use a new tool to design better, more inclusive spaces.​

Mary Ann Rogers, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion and Clinical Associate Professor, School of Management; and Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah, Faculty Director of Global Programs and Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Management

The School of Management envisions a world of transformational leaders who change society for the better. We shape School of Management students as up-and-coming citizens of the world, and help all who study here develop a global mindset. Our global programs initiative also offers a series of opportunities for students at our partner institutions abroad, empowering them to become more effective leaders in any team, organization or community. In addition, students and faculty may participate as volunteers or mentors, helping them to forge connections across continents and gain insights into other cultures. Other units may borrow ideas for setting up similar programs in their areas. 

Sam Magavern, Senior Policy Fellow, Partnership for the Public Good; and Kristin Ksiazek, Cornell ILR Buffalo CoLab and Partnership for the Public Good

Democratizing knowledge requires shifting notions that information flows in one direction from universities to communities. It means creating spaces for community voices to influence research topics and play a pivotal role in production paradigms, data, and information. The presenters will share tools, tips, challenges and opportunities for community-university collaboration. 

Camden Miller, Ph.D. Candidate, Urban and Regional Planning, School of Architecture and Planning; Daniel Hess, Chair and Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Architecture and Planning; and Alex Bitterman, Professor, Architecture and Design, Alfred State College

Over the past 75 years, gay neighborhoods have emerged as a component of large metropolitan cities. These neighborhoods vary significantly from surrounding urban space in terms of socio-economic attributes, but have been understudied. The composition, objectives, and importance of gay neighborhoods has evolved over time, fueled by technology, macroeconomic trends related to housing preference, economic shifts, and changes in retail consumption patterns. This panel explores these changes through the lens of the history, policy, emergence, and evolution of gay neighborhoods.​

Linda Pessar-Cowan, Director, Center for Medical Humanities, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Emerita, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Henry Louis Taylor Jr., Professor, Center for Urban and Regional Planning, School of Architecture and Planning; David Milling, Senior Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Pastor Kinzer M. Pointer, BSEd; and Pastor Dennis Lee Jr., AAS   

Health inequities and disparities exist between African Americans and White Americans. Health In the Neighborhood has been a first-year elective at Jacobs School that brings medical students into Buffalo’s underdeveloped Martin Luther King neighborhood. It connects students with community residents through field trips, meetings, and meals with host families at Hopewell Baptist Church. Working together, participants explore issues such as doctors’ unfamiliarity with patients’ lives and culture, implicit biases, perceived barriers to care, and possible remedies. Beginning in 2021, Health in the Neighborhood is offered as an alternative track for twenty students for the required Clinical Practice of Medicine. In addition to the Health in the Neighborhood curriculum, students are paired with primary care physicians who work in underdeveloped neighborhoods and who will mentor students' clinical skills.

Brendan Tom, Workforce Recruitment and Position Specialist, Human Resources

As we work to address issues of racial inequality, hiring practices need to be examined to reduce barriers and create a fair and equitable search.  As a university, it is important that we support our students who have continuously voiced a need for a more diverse faculty and staff.  This is especially relevant today, given the recent increased nationwide attention to issues of systemic racial inequality.  In this session, we will highlight the importance of diverse hiring and discuss methods used to promote a bias-free search process. Developing a faculty and staff reflective of the community we serve improves work performance and creates an inclusive environment. We will examine common barriers to diversity and identify practices that hiring managers and search committees can adopt to eliminate bias.

Richard A. Harris, Senior Counselor, Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program; and Betsy Rodriguez, Director, Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program

"Lived Experience" is fundamental to cultural competence and is based on the foundations of understanding each other’s expectations and attitudes, and subsequently building on the strength of each other’s knowledge. This interactive workshop is designed to help individuals recognize the influence of lived experience within relationship building and appreciating diversity.​

Eric Comins, Academic Advisor, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; and Chris Bragdon, Assistant Director for Residential Life, South Campus Residence Halls, Campus Living

The purpose of this session will be to impart simple tips/strategies for staff and faculty to make international students feel more at ease, valued and welcome. The presenters have three decades of experience (combined) helping international students. Some amusing (and uncomfortable) experiences will be shared to illustrate points. The Asian concept of "saving face" will be discussed and we will explain international students' behaviors. The overall goal is to internationalize the audience to make UB a smaller, more inclusive campus.​

Nathan J. Daun-Barnett, Associate Professor and Department Chair, Educational Leadership and Policy, Graduate School of Education, Director, NY GEAR UP – Buffalo, Director, FAFSA Completion Project

In this panel session, we discuss a dinner conversation series – now in its fourth year – intended to connect students of color - and others who struggle to find their place at UB - to faculty and staff who can serve as resources as they find their path through college. The session will consider how the dinners began, what students value from the experience, how the series has been sustained, and how others can participate.​

Lisa Butler, Associate Professor, School of Social Work and Co-Director Joining Forces-UB; Bonnie Vest, Research Associate Professor, Family Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and Co-Director Joining Forces-UB; Dan Ryan, Director, UB Veteran Services; and Chanel Powell, Law Student, Advisor, Student Veterans Association

UB has almost 500 military-affiliated students as well as numerous veteran and military family faculty and staff members. Through four presentations, panel members will discuss how veterans are a unique group with a distinct culture and why increasing military/veteran cultural competence among civilian faculty, staff, and students across UB should be a vital aim of inclusive excellence. Panelists will also describe the activities and programs of UB’s Veteran Services Office, UB’s Student Veterans Association, and Joining Forces-UB, along with veteran-related research conducted by UB researchers.​

Amy Reynolds, Committee Chair; Professor, Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology

Kevin Ahuna, Director, Intercultural and Diversity Center

Miranda Bosse, Graduate Student, Public Health Ambassador, School of Public Health and Health Professions

Chris Bragdon,  Assistant Director for Residential Life, Campus Living

Jessica Byerly Coram, Assistant Director, Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Mary Clare Fahey, Assistant Director for Residential Inclusion Initiatives, Campus Living

Rave Glynn, Graduate Student, School of Social Work 

Kelli Hennessy, Director, Organizational Development and Effectiveness

Vivian Jimenez, Director of Tutoring and Academic Support Services, Office of Student Success and Academic Support

Danielle Johnson, Senior Advisor/Coordinator, Daniel Acker Scholars Program

Terrence McCormack, Interim Associate University Librarian for Digital Strategies and Associate Librarian, Lockwood Library

Sharon Sanford, Associate Athletic Director for Recreation and Sport Management, Division of Athletics

Noelle M. St. Vil, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work

Jodi Valenti-Protas, Staff Assistant, Office of the Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence

Connor Walters, Vice President, Graduate Student Association

Christopher Wilson, Change Management Specialist, Organizational Development and Effectiveness