ITY DIV ERS The Office of Diversity and Inclusion ANNUAL REPORT 2022
k View the 2020 Annual Report here Reigniting Inclusive Excellence 4 Reigniting Our Strategic Directions 6 Reigniting Education and Inclusion 9 Racial Equity Summit 10 Realizing Our Strategic Vision 14 Renewing Our Sense of Community 16 In Gratitude 18 Listening to Learn / Learning to Grow 19 THIS REPORT COVERS THE LAST TWO ACADEMIC YEARS OF (2020-2022)ENGAGEMENT
This report is a reflection of the promise we have made as a division and as an institution to hold ourselves accountable for a thriving future and an invitation to keep hope alive!
From the Desk of Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Natasha Martin
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In the last report, I left you with a question from The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’s 2020 essay, What is Owed: “So we are left with a choice. Will this moment only feel different? Or will it actually be different?” I’m humbled to report that in the moments of escalating racial tension and political and civil unrest, Seattle University is taking some important steps to actually be different.
And yet, as Seattle University pushes forward to fulfill our commitment to make this moment different, there is undoubtedly so much in our city, our state, our country and the world about which to be discouraged. From the January 6 insurrection, racial violence and xenophobia and mass shootings to the immigration crisis, threats to civil rights, global climate change and war— among other horrific events and circumstances—it is far too easy to drift into complacency or despair, particularly given these polarizing times. I affirm that it is difficult to sustain hope in our current context. But when I happen upon a colleague, student or alum who shares with me their efforts, their allyship for solidarity, their unflappable resolve, I am reminded of lawyer, professor and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson’s exhortation that “Hope is the enemy of injustice.” And, I am reinvigorated to stay the course. We cannot effect change without each other and I am honored to be on this path with you at this university committed to aligning our stated values with intentional action to be different.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion has expanded over the past two academic years and with the inauguration of Seattle University’s first lay president, Eduardo Peñalver, we are reigniting inclusive excellence. Reigniting Our Strategic Directions “Goal 4: Promote Inclusive Excellence” has become the umbrella for the advancement of diversity, equity and inclusion, including the five pillars of LIFT SU. This work is driven by colleagues from across campus in collaboration with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Provost Fellows. I do not take for granted these dedicated colleagues and so many others in our community who are steadfast in their efforts to live out SU’s mission and vision so that we all can reap the benefits of an institution empowered by the strength of our differences.
Along with the announcement of the LIFT SU Inclusive Excellence Action Plan for Racial Equity and Anti-Racism and amid this global health pandemic, we have reimagined and renewed our sense of community and purpose. The inaugural Racial Equity Summit, the definitive program for our office, was an invitation to make meaning of our past and current context and build resilience for the work ahead. During a consequential time, the summit allowed us to experience connection despite isolation, critically engage on the hard truths of systemic racism and share ideas for creating a more flourishing Seattle University for all. This reimagining animates our mission as a Jesuit and Catholic university and fortifies our dedication to inclusive academic excellence, preparing our students to navigate the complexity and uncertainty of the world with the tools to create a more just one. Now we are mobilizing thought leadership across campus in service of strategic directions to realize our goals of educating the next generation of leaders.
What has been notable over the last two years since the last annual report?
Read more about the VP for Diversity and Inclusion here
“The nature of the times and what we have endured collectively and individually. Supporting our campus community as we traveled the rocky road of a global pandemic, while witnessing racial reckoning in our country and around the world, continues to inform my leadership. Highlights include celebrating our graduates from our pandemic classes, hosting the first Racial Equity Summit and welcoming our new President.”
Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
What do you wish more people understood about inclusive excellence work at SU?
What are you looking forward to in this next leg of the journey in SU’s aim for inclusive academic excellence?
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Office of Diversity and Inclusion Building Capacity for Broader Impact
“That at the core, this is change management work—it's a marathon and not a sprint. We only can move at the speed of trust. Inclusive excellence is everyone’s work. The work is led by me but must be owned by others in a coordinated and cohesive fashion. LIFT SU is not merely an initiative, but racial equity and antiracism change management. We are ushering in a paradigm shift and there is room for everyone at the table.”
Reigniting Inclusive Excellence
Advancing our collective work of making Seattle University inclusively excellent for all requires not only clarity of vision, but also a commitment to building capacity and infrastructure for broader scale impact. In partnership with the President and Provost, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is growing as a division and unit on campus. As we move forward in the spirit of reigniting inclusive excellence, we are enhancing efforts in several ways, including the realignment of institutional offices under the leadership of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion along with some new additions. The office is planning for the addition of the Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and the University Ombudsperson who will serve our faculty and staff. These efforts, among others, will continue to strengthen the capacity to harmonize SU’s inclusive excellence work across campus and better align institutional values and practice.
Q & A
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Appointed in September 2017, Natasha Martin, JD is the inaugural Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Seattle University. While continuing to teach in the School of Law, she served as Associate Vice President for Institutional Inclusion for the 2016-2017 academic year, as well as co-chair of the university-wide President’s Task Force on Diversity and Inclusive Excellence, 2014-2016. Recently, she completed the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Program, deemed a premier higher education leadership development program, as part of the 2021-2022 cohort. Vice President Martin leads the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in her work with stakeholders throughout our campus community.
“Beginning to move the needle on some of the key initiatives of Reigniting Our Strategic Directions and LIFT SU. Partnering with the campus community to more deeply align our institutional values and institutional practices. I look forward to Racial Equity Summit 2.0.”
k Read more about our team members here ODI Annual Report 2022 / 5
Senior Executive Coordinator
Paige Powers joined the office as a Senior Executive Coordinator in July 2022. Powers brings her deep background in diversity and human resources to this role. She is already contributing immensely through her close work with Vice President Martin and myriad campus stakeholders.
Patricia Wismer Professor for Gender and Diversity Studies
Project Manager
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion Team Members
Amber Larkin has been a member of the team since 2020. Larkin leads multiple projects for the office, including planning the 2023 Racial Equity Summit and Red Talk Series. She is also in charge of reimagining the office's website design to enhance our ability to share resources and affirm our campus community.
Professor Dean Spade was appointed Wismer Professor for Gender and Diversity in July 2021. Spade is a Professor of Law and internationally known author and activist. His latest book, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next), was published in 2020.
Special Assistant to the Vice President
Jill Moffitt, PhD has served as Interim Assistant Vice President for the Office of Institutional Equity since September 2021. Dr. Moffitt oversees and coordinates the university's response to bias-related complaints, partners with key campus partners to ensure university policies and practices are fair, equitable and aligned with our mission and vision and assists in educating our campus community on equity issues.
Office of Institutional Equity (OIE)
Thanks to Marquinta Obomanu, our dedicated Executive Coordinator (Nov. 2020—July 2022). Obomanu was pivotal to progress and success during her time with us and will be dearly missed.
In our continued effort to develop and infuse high-impact DEI practices across our institution, Professor Brooke D. Coleman was appointed as Special Assistant to the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion in 2022. She will serve in this role through the 2022-23 academic year and co-leads the work of Reigniting Inclusive Excellence with Vice President Natasha Martin.
Joined in this effort are Goal 4’s Provost Fellows, announced in June 2022, Dr. Hidy Basta, Director, Writing Center and Associate Clinical Professor and Dr. Rashmi Chordiya, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs. The Provost Fellows program aims to center and embed faculty leadership and scholarly expertise throughout the planning and implementation of Reigniting Our Strategic Directions. Dr. Basta and Dr. Chordiya will assist in research and projects for all of Goal 4 but are starting their work with LIFT SU Goals 1 and 3, respectively.
Provost Fellows: Hidy Basta and Rashmi Chordiya
PROVOST FELLOWS
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Develop a Multi-Year Plan for the Implementation of LIFT SU Goals
we provide, we will strengthen our institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) structures to ensure progress with impact. Through LIFT SU Goals 1-5 and the Supplier Diversification Program, ODI is well-positioned to serve the Seattle University community. Finally, none of this work would be possible without our colleagues across campus who serve as working group co-chairs and members lending their thought leadership to these endeavors.
Co-Chairs: Natasha Martin and Brooke D. Coleman
Brooke D. Coleman, JD Special Assistant/School of Law professor
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
Reigniting Our Strategic Directions is a five-year plan that will impact every division in the institution. To integrate inclusive excellence and LIFT SU initiatives into a unified shared equity agenda within existing strategic and academic plans and systematically embedding DEI university-wide will take a collaborative and coordinated effort to be delivered year-over-year improvements for each dimension of LIFT SU.
Natasha Martin, JD VP for Diversity and Inclusion
Hidy Basta, PhD Director, Writing Center/ Associate Clinical Professor Rashmi Chordiya, PhD Assistant Professor, Public Affairs/Institute of Public Service
Goal 4: Promote Inclusive Excellence
DIRECTIONSOURREIGNITINGSTRATEGICVicePresidentNatashaMartinservesastheexecutivesponsorforGoal4:PromoteInclusiveExcellence.Underherleadership,SpecialAssistantBrookeColeman,JD,servesasbothaco-chairfortheorganizationaldevelopmentforOfficeofDiversityandInclusion(ODI)andoperationalleaderforthevariousdimensionsofODI’sworkunderthisgoal.Becausediversity,equityandinclusionareintegraltoourJesuitandCatholiccharacter,ourvaluesandtotheexcellenteducation
The LIFT SU Goal 1 working group is co-chaired by Michelle Minjoe Kim-Beasley and Dr. Julie Homchick Crowe. To create an ecosystem where our BIPOC students thrive, this group will develop a full understanding of the recruitment and retention efforts across campus, as well as how we partner with communities to build relationships. In addition, this working group will develop recommendations and proposals, which may include a high-impact practices guide for retention efforts.
Co-Chairs: David Lance and Natasha Martin
Goal 3 of the LIFT SU strategic initiative, led by Dr. Colette Taylor and Dr. Frank Shih, relates to the recruitment and retention of BIPOC faculty and staff. The initial working group will deliver a structured formation protocol for all faculty searches including planning, search execution and recruitment, along with assessment tools and an implementation plan. Building on the work of this group, an additional working group focused on the recruitment and retention of BIPOC staff will be constituted in 2023.
Co-Chairs: Shane P. Martin, Brooke Coleman and Natasha Martin
Julie Homchick Crowe, PhD AssistantCommunicationProfessor
LIFT SU Goal 5: Build Capacity and Invest in Infrastructure
Michelle Minjoe Kim-Beasley Director, Office of Multicultural Affairs
LIFT SU Goal 2: Bias Prevention and Campus Care
Chaired by Natasha Martin and David Lance, the LIFT SU Goal 2 working group's first major deliverable—the development of the Campus Climate Incident Response & Reporting Protocol—was achieved. Adopted in July 2022, this protocol will centralize and coordinate our approach to campus climate incidents and mature our ability to track incidents and determine how to best prevent them. Looking ahead, this working group will continue to take a holistic approach to further initiatives that will enable our community to better respond, prevent and educate for productive engagement across campus.
Co-Chairs: Frank Shih and Colette Taylor
ODI Annual Report 2022 / 7
LIFT SU Goal 1: Recruitment and Retention of BIPOC Students
LIFT SU Goal 4: Narrative Through Art and Symbols
David Lance, JD Associate Provost Shane P. Martin, PhD Provost
Co-Chairs: Michelle Minjoe Kim-Beasley and Julie Homchick Crowe
Goal 4 of the LIFT SU strategic initiative aims to disrupt the dominant image of Seattle University culturally, visually and traditionally. Community informed and led, under this goal we will guide improvements to campus spaces through the addition of art and symbols. These visuals will represent a fuller narrative of inclusion. A working group will convene to move this goal forward in the fall 2022.
To lead the university-wide strategic direction to promote inclusive excellence across all divisions, we have begun to take steps to realize an infrastructure that reinforces the capacity of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to lead the university-wide strategic direction to embed and infuse inclusive excellence across all operations and programs.
LIFT SU Goal 3: Recruitment and Retention of BIPOC Faculty and Staff
Frank Shih, PhD President, Academic Assembly Professor, Mechanical Engineering Colette Taylor, EdD Leadership and Professional DepartmentStudiesChair
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(l-r): Joe Cater, Assistant Vice President and Controller; Supplier Diversification Program Co-Chair Amelia Mackworth, Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center; Randy Massengale, SU RAMP-up; and Kent Koth, Executive Director Fr. Stephen Sundborg, S.J. Center for Community Engagement. Not pictured: Supplier Diversification Program Co-Chairs O. David Jackson, EdD, Albers School of Business Assistant Dean, Diversity Equity and Inclusion and Tony Goodwillie, Director,
President Peñalver offered thoughts on our approach to realizing our strategic initiatives:
REALIZING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
Our new Supplier Diversification Program builds on the university’s community relationships and commitment to social justice to connect everything from our smallest to our largest purchases on campus with new, diverse businesses.
Amelia Marckworth Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center
REIGNITING OUR STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
Supplier Diversification Program
In alignment with the initiatives of LIFT SU, the Supplier Diversification Program connects Seattle University’s values and mission with our spending through focused efforts to expand relationships and purchasing with diverse businesses. With a $750k grant from the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, this program is implementing a business practice that prioritizes Seattle University’s commitment to diversity through the intentional use of businesses whose owners are typically marginalized and historically underutilized.
“Our commitment to inclusive excellence goes beyond this particular goal and pervades our thinking about every aspect of our strategic directions. Although Goal 4 sets out specific areas of focus and effort, our commitment to creating a university community that is diverse and inclusive reflects our deepest held values. Rooted in our Jesuit character, it is similarly foundational to how we understand ourselves as a university. This is a goal that we will always need to be working on. While we are committed to articulating clear and achievable metrics and to holding ourselves accountable for genuine progress over the life of this strategic planning effort, the work of creating an inclusive campus environment—one where students, faculty and staff from all backgrounds can develop a genuine sense of belonging—is (like all good strategic goals) work that is never fully complete. We are committed to doing that work and to creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.”
PresidentProcurement.EduardoPeñalver
This book encourages educational institutions to (re)member the length and breadth of Black heritage in recruiting and retaining Black women faculty, staff and students. These acts of (re)membering cannot be accidental—they must be intentional.
Distinguished Educator and Scholar & Dean, College of Education
Cynthia Dillard, PhD, and her new book, The Spirit of Our Work: Black Women Teachers (Re)Member.
Cynthia Dillard, PhD
Dr. Cynthia Dillard, Dean of the College of Education, is reigniting education at Seattle University with her unique perspective that the transformative power of education lies in embracing mind, body and spirit. Her leadership, research and service experiences across the globe offer not only deep expertise but also a strong model of community building and engagement. Dr. Dillard is a distinguished scholar-educator whose innovative ideas and captivating style embody the best of our Jesuit values and hold great promise in addressing today's most pressing educational challenges for greater equity and justice.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is excited to engage Dr. Dillard’s expertise and this important text in the institutional pursuit of recruiting and retaining BIPOC faculty, staff and students. We believe that the pathways described in the The Spirit of Our Work can inform our practice of cura personalis as individuals and practitioners of inclusive excellence work.
ODI Annual Report 2022 / 9
Reigniting Education and Inclusion
An award-winning author, Dr. Dillard has published numerous scholarly works including four books and various articles, book chapters and other writings. In her latest book, The Spirit of Our Work: Black Women Teachers (Re)Member, Dr. Dillard brings forward the spirituality of Black women educators and their students. Dean Dillard shares, “This book encourages educational institutions to (re) member the length and breadth of Black heritage in recruiting and retaining Black women faculty, staff and students. These acts of (re)membering cannot be accidental—they must be intentional, created specifically with Black women at the center, taking into account our intersectional identities and ways of being. The Spirit of Our Work argues that institutions must honor Black women teachers’ work and the ways that our spirituality—our politics, spiritual consciousness and creativity—animates our work and can serve as a critical framework for practices and policies that are more equitable, inclusive and just.”
Cynthia Dillard, PhD Dean, College of Education
I just wanted to say an enormous Thank You for today’s Racial Equity Summit. Without question, it was the best campus-wide event I have ever attended in my 15 years here at SU.
ACTIVATING FOR CHANGE: Affirmation, Allyship for Solidarity and Action
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted SU’s inaugural Racial Equity Summit, a LIFT SU initiative. A co-created campus convening, the summit offered a platform to affirm voices and experiences, renew solidarity and build collaborative capacity toward becoming a more diverse, equitable and inclusive university. The five-hour virtual summit was attended by more than 1,000 university members and marked another historic moment in the evolution of the institution’s inclusive excellence story.
The Racial Equity Summit allowed us to come together in community to reflect, renew and prepare for the work ahead to transform Seattle University to meet its strategic vision of becoming one of the most innovative and progressive Jesuit universities.
THE POWER OF PLACE: LAND, LABOR AND TAKINGS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Acknowledgements spoken at the Racial Equity Summit • Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest • Japanese Internment • Labor Acknowledgement for Enslaved People of African Descent • Anti-Immigration Sentiment and Migrant Farmworkers • Local Place Acknowledgement: Historic Central District/Yesler • The Impact of White Supremacy and Systemic Racism
in the U.S. context. As a professional learning community, our faculty and staff engaged our heads and hearts in discussions around allyship for solidarity, demographic data of our context, excerpts from various texts in “Reading Aloud for Truth and Justice” and demonstrating justice-oriented pedagogical practice. Provost Shane P. Martin facilitated a panel of university executives reflecting on leadership accountability for a more inclusive and thriving university for the good of all students.
I just wanted you to know how powerful and amazing it was. You gave us a day that was challenging, provoking and moving.
THE COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE OF THE INAUGURAL RACIAL EQUITY SUMMIT RESONATED WITH THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY. HERE'S A SAMPLING OF THE RESPONSES ON THE DAY AND THE EVENT.
RACIAL EQUITY SUMMIT
Our Jesuit mission and values animated the context, content and spirit of the summit—integrated through music, art in action, reflection and analysis of our SU context. The summit began with honoring the power of collective presence with land, labor and takings acknowledgments to represent various communities, their historical significance and impact due to systemic racism
I am now full of (clear-eyed) hope. You put together a very thoughtful program that was also quietly provocative and I appreciated this tremendously.experienceIt was incredibly meaningful, dynamic and engaged. SU! k Read the full acknowledgements here 10 / Office of Diversity & Inclusion
The summit was a call to action for the SU community.
AFFIRMATION, ALLYSHIP FOR SOLIDARITY & ACTION
TO AFFIRM means to acknowledge and celebrate the multiple stories, intersectional experiences and contributions among us.
ODI Annual Report 2022 / 11
The Allyship for Solidarity panel was moderated by Rachel E. Luft, Associate Professor of Sociology, and featured (clockwise from top right): Michelle Minjoe Kim-Beasley, Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, LaKesha Kimbrough, Senior Director, Fr. Stephen Sundborg, S.J. Center for Community Engagement, Colette Taylor, Leadership and Professional Studies Department Chair and Chris Van Liew, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. Professor Luft shared seven principles for allyship that can be found on our website.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
To be antiracist is a radical choice in the face of history, requiring a radical reorientation of our consciousness.
The summit featured a keynote conversation with Michelle Alexander, acclaimed civil rights scholar and author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.
A
ACTION means to engage responsibly in individual and collective work to support the flourishing of all, including efforts to end racial and economic injustice and other forms of marginalization.
Irina Voloshin, Director of Institutional Research, presented, “SU Community by the Numbers: Setting the Context” raising awareness of SU’s demographic context and opportunities for growth.
Ibram X. Kendi award-winning author How to be an Antiracist
TO ALLY means to deepen intercultural fluency, remain actively conscious of the dynamics of difference and systemic impacts and empower the ability to disrupt inequitable systems.
Rev. Victoria Carr-Ware’s leadership as Master of Ceremony grounded the summit as an engagement of mind, body and spirit.
12 / Office of Diversity & Inclusion 341 2 BUILDING INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY 1. Doctor of Nursing Practice Student Belen Mesele, ’22 2. SU Men’s Basketball teammates Darrion Trammell, Kyree Brown and Cameron Tyson 3. Mission Day panel (l-r): President Eduardo Peñalver, then-SGSU President Marrakech Maxwell, ’22, Graduate Student Council President Daniel Tamayo, Assistant Professor Paige Gardner, Angie Jenkins, Director, Learning Assistance Programs and John Topel, S.J. 4. SU Dance Team at the Homecoming Parade 5. Barrio Fiesta 2022 6. SU's 2022 Costco Scholars hanging out at Seattle's Pike Place Market 7. Quinton Morris, Associate Professor of Violin Performance, at the Presidential Inauguration 8. Class of 2022 Lavender Graduation 9. Campus Ministry’s annual Maguire Lecture for Faith and Justice with Rev. Harriett Walden of Mothers for Police Accountability 10. The Black Student Union (BSU), under the leadership of Adilia Watson, ’21, and Tatianah Summers, ’22, receive the LIFT SU Leadership Award at Racial Equity Summit 5
ODI Annual Report 2022 / 13 978 6 10
Affinity Group Sessions
LIFT SU Goal 3 aims to realize the strategic vision of hiring and retaining faculty and staff from a range of diverse backgrounds. To broaden the diversity of SU’s professoriate, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion partners with the Provost and other academic leaders to support innovative and inclusive curriculum development, cultivate spaces for growth and community and empower inclusive search processes. Through these efforts, we seek to advance inclusive academic excellence and elevate the intellectual vitality of our community.
In fall 2021, the office launched a pilot initiative— LIFT SU Writes, which included quarterly writing retreats and weekly Write-on-Sites. Led and facilitated by Professor Angelique M. Davis and in partnership with the Center for Faculty Development, these writing sessions provided opportunities for BIPOC faculty to work on their scholarship and grow productive strategies while in community with colleagues. Since the fall of 2021, three writing retreats and 21 Write-on-Site sessions were convened.
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Pursuing inclusive academic excellence in the classroom with Associate Professor, Francisco Guerrero, Fine Arts.
Angelique M. Davis Professor, Political Science
LIFT SU Writes, a pilot initiative created a dedicated space for BIPOC faculty to work on scholarly endeavors and build community.
In the 2021 academic year, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted multiple Pursuing Inclusive Excellence in Hiring workshops with Dr. Mary James, Dean for Institutional Diversity and the A.A. Knowlton Professor of Physics at Reed College. The workshops feature approaches for holistic and transformative thinking in executing searches incorporating inclusive practices. These hiring workshops were curated and offered to campus stakeholders responsible for hiring tenure-track faculty, new college deans and university leadership.
Pursuing Inclusive Excellence in Hiring Workshops
In partnership with the Center for Faculty Development, the office co-sponsored 14 tenure-track faculty of color affinity group sessions over the past two academic years. These groups provide space for the collective exploration of the impact of race, power and privilege in the academic life of colleagues immersed in teaching, scholarship and service at pre-tenure stages of their career. This professional development opportunity aims to empower tenure-track faculty of color to build community, share experiences and pursue their academic life with more confidence and agency.
Realizing Our Strategic Vision Strengthening Inclusive Academic Excellence
LIFT SU Writes — Pilot Initiative
A pilot initiative on Anti-Racist Education was launched in the summer of 2021 in partnership with the Office of the Provost, the Office of Sponsored Projects and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. This initiative was designed to encourage innovation and strengthen anti-racism literacy as a key feature of our approach to Jesuit education. With a $30,000 investment from the Office of the Provost, 10 grants were awarded to faculty to pursue anti-racist educational practices in their teaching.
Fireside Chats
Associate Professor of Economics Erin Vernon presented, Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in End-of-Life Care, at Lightning Talks 2021.
Clinical Professor Estella C. Williams presented with Associated Professor Anne Farina, Creating a Workshop for MSW Students: Building Resilience Against the Impacts of Racialized Trauma on Learning.
Exploring Inclusive Pedagogy
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Wismer Professorship for Gender and Diversity Studies
The Wismer Professor is selected by a faculty committee and serves as an intellectual leader, modeling academic excellence through a scholarly agenda focused on intersectional feminism including gender, sexuality, race and class. Professor Dean Spade was appointed the 2021-2023 recipient of the Wismer Professorship for Gender and Diversity Studies. Professor Spade’s appointment bears significance as collaborative efforts take shape across campus to reignite inclusive excellence and renew our sense of community in the wake of the global pandemic.
Fireside Chats
ODI Annual Report 2022 / 15
Pilot Initiative on Anti-Racist Education: Curriculum Development Cohort
To deepen the impact of this program for our entire learning community, cohort members presented their learnings, anti-racist pedagogical practices and curricular impact with the campus community at virtual Lightning Talks. These Lightning Talks were co-hosted with the Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons and attended by 51 community members.
In December 2021, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion launched LIFT SU BIPOC Faculty Fireside Chats in partnership with the offices of the President and Provost. The fireside chats were created to hold space for self-identified BIPOC faculty to discuss their unique experiences, including opportunities to empower their academic lives.
Dean Spade's latest book, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next) was published in 2020.
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Building relationships to empower thriving
Recordings and slides from each talk are available on Seattle University’s ScholarWorks here (Feb. 2021) and here (Feb. 2022)
Learn more about our partnerships and fireside chats here
TOTAL GATHERINGS
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion continued its commitment to helping our faculty explore inclusive pedagogy. In partnership with the Center of Faculty Development, the office co-sponsored the Transparent Design in Learning and Teaching (TILT) initiative in higher education. The three-part series focused on two texts, Bell Hooks’ Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom and Edna Chun’s and Alvin Evan’s The Department Chair as Transformative Diversity Leader: Building Inclusive Learning Environments in Higher Education. In addition, the Center for Jesuit Education, Center for Faculty Development and Office for Diversity and Inclusion co-sponsor an annual Ignatian Pedagogy Series, exploring Ignatian pedagogical principles with a clear focus on inclusivity.
Cultivating community engagement during a global pandemic and social turmoil required us to embrace a sense of possibility during great uncertainty. We sought ways to connect, nurture resilience and move forward with the work of promoting inclusive academic excellence. This renewed sense of purpose anchored in and animated by our Jesuit and Catholic mission and values inspired education and outreach. Virtual containers for dialogue and reflection, creative outreach to affirm our various communities and resources for ongoing self-study and reflection provided a pathway to care for our community and to remain focused on our ongoing commitment to LIFT SU.
After announcing LIFT SU in October 2020, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted a cross-functional stakeholder gathering in December comprised of faculty, staff, students and representatives of campus governing bodies and Provost Shane P. Martin. “LIFT Off” served as the kickoff toward coordinating an intentional process for operationalizing LIFT SU’s goals and engaging university-wide conversation and collaboration.
As a university dedicated to empowering leaders for a just and humane world, untying the knots of racism means equipping our students with the intellectual resources necessary to understand structures of injustice and to effect lasting and positive change.
Renewing Our Sense of Community and Purpose
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion prioritized acknowledging our community and the moments that continue to impact our perspective through the following communications:
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion invited faculty and staff to the Educating for Justice Dialogue Series to reflect upon the 2020 election during a profound moment in the nation’s history and, importantly, moving forward together in educating the next generation of leaders for a more just and humane world. The post-election reflection was an opportunity to come together as faculty and staff to reflect upon our role as an institution during a global health pandemic, economic crisis and social movement for racial justice.
COLLABORATION FOR RACIAL EQUITY AND ANTIRACISM “LIFT Off” Stakeholder Convening:
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The Office of Diversity and Inclusion expanded its efforts to build a thriving virtual community during the pandemic by launching its Honoring Our Heritage Months initiative. This initiative honors the socio-political history of diverse communities throughout the year. Designed to be affirming of and informative for each Heritage Month, we offer a range of educational resources, including materials on the origin of the respective Heritage Months, socio-political history of the respective community and, in partnership with Marketing Communications, Zoom backgrounds In spring 2022, the office furthered this endeavor by publishing reflections of faculty and staff members for AAPI Heritage Month and Pride Month, plus a reflection on the 50th anniversary of Title IX and President Peñalver’s reflection on Juneteenth.
EDUCATING FOR JUSTICE POST-ELECTION REFLECTION November 4, 2020
HERITAGE MONTHS
President Eduardo Peñalver Reflection 2022 Juneteenth
k Check out more content around Heritage Months here ODI Annual Report 2022 / 17
Black History Month 2021 here Honoring Black History in 2022 here
Honoring Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month 2021 here
Indigenous Peoples Day 2021 here Honoring Native American Alaska Native Month 2021 here
Celebrating Pride 2021 here Honoring LGBTQ+ Pride Month 2022 here
AAPI Heritage Month 2021 here Honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2022 here
Women's History Month 2021 here Honoring International Women’s Day 2022 here
Stephen Sundborg, S.J., Former President
Nicole Piasecki, Trustees Chair Emerita David Powers, PhD, Dean of Arts and Sciences
Academic Affairs
Reigniting Strategic Directions Goal 4 Working Groups
Racial Equity Summit Partners Running Panelist in order of appearance: Rev. Dr. Victoria Carr-Ware
SU AlvinADVANCESturdivant, EdD, Vice Provost for Student Development
Adilia
Career Engagement Office
Irina
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International Student Center
Obed Kabanda, EdD
President for Strategic Initiatives
Holly Ferraro, PhD Jasmine Mahmoud, PhD Natalie Cisneros, PhD David Green, PhD Sonora Jha, PhD Charlotte Garden, JD
ArturoTatianahWatsonSummersAraujo,S.J.
Academic Assembly, under the leadership of Frank Shih, PhD
Center for Faculty Development Center for Jesuit Education
Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons Marketing Communications
Seattle University Board of Trustees, and Val Gorder, Chair, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Deborah Ahrens, JD Ayman Hamid Paulo Santos Alves
Student Academic Engagement
Provost’s Deans Council
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion could not engage with the university as deeply and intentionally as we have without the help of our institutional partners. Many of these partners have been great collaborators in our efforts to co-create a culture of engagement around inclusive excellence.
Rev. Edward Donaldson, DMin Zhane Condly Ruth Zekariase
Michelle Minjoe Kim-Beasley
Michael Ross
In Gratitude
AVP Search Committee Members
ChrisColetteLaKeshaRachelVoloshinLuft,PhDKimbroughTaylor,EdDVanLiew,Vice
Craig Birklid, former executive director of Public Safety and InstituteIndigenousHumanTransportationResourcesPeople’sInstituteforCatholicThought and Culture
Sr. Leadership Executive Coordinators
Dale Watanabe Tayz Hernandez-Campero Kent JoelleKothPretty, EdD
Alvin Sturdivant, EdD, Vice Provost for Student Development
Campus Ministry Campus Public Safety
Office of Institutional Research Office of Institutional Equity Office of Multicultural Affairs Office of the President, Eduardo Peñalver Office of the Provost Office of Strategic Initiatives
Sarah Watstein, Dean of Lemieux Library Eduardo Peñalver, President
It is with a heart of gratitude that we thank you all for being in community during the darker and more uncertain moments of the global pandemic we still face and the racial reckoning that continues to reverberate. Whether virtual, hybrid or in-person our office looks forward to the promise of another academic year of collaboration in the spirit of our Jesuit values.
Shane P. Martin, Provost Michelle Alexander, Keynote Guest
Professor Brooke Coleman’s co-edited text shines light on a central pressure point in the struggle to eradicate structural inequality and oppression through the courts. (NYU Press, 2022)
Professor Hye-Kyung Kang’s co-authored text discusses how racism can be dealt with in clinical, communal and organizational contexts. (3rd edition, Publishing,Springer2021)
Summer Reading List here
Professor Gabriella Gutierrez y Muhs is a contributing editor to this anthology, featuring more than 700 poems by Chicanx/Latinx poets from across the United States. (Polibea Press, 2020-22)
In alignment with the Common Text Program, the annual Inclusive Excellence Summer Reading List, curated by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, reflects the spirit of our ongoing efforts to deepen our understanding across difference for greater solidarity and productive engagement. In partnership with Dean Sarah Watstein and the Lemieux Library, we share these offerings to allow readers to immerse themselves in stories and exploration, gain more knowledge and inspire action for change.
ODI Annual Report 2022 / 19
INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE SUMMER READING LIST
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Read about additional notable works by others in our campus community here
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The Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture (ICTC) hosted a range of impactful programs under the leadership of Professor Jeanette Rodriguez, PhD, including Planting Seeds of Hope: A Laudato Si’ Summit and the Sixth Annual Immigration Summit: Catholics Engaging in Immigrant Justice. In addition to the ICTC, the events were sponsored by the Archdiocese of Seattle Immigrant and Refugee Ministry, St. James Cathedral Immigrant Assistance, the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center. Watch these programs here
Professor Sonora Jha discussed her 2021 book at Town Hall in conversation with Ijeoma Oluo, bestselling author of So You Want to Talk about Race. (SU Common Text, 2019)
Professor Earenfight’sTheresahistorical exploration of the life of Catherine of Aragon through the lens of gender revealing a far more complex and intelligent person. (Penn State University Press, 2021)
Brooke Pinkham, Staff Director for the Center for Indian Law & Policy introducing motivational speaker Kasey Nicholson at the Indigenous Peoples Institute's 2nd Annual Honoring Indigenous Voices. The program also featured yetaxwelwet (Anna Hansen), whose life’s work consists of helping communities understand the profound impact of historical trauma and ongoing colonization on a Nation’s health and wellness. Watch the signature event here
Listening to Learn and Learning to Grow
INSTITUTE FOR CATHOLIC THOUGHT AND CULTURE
RED TALKS ARE BACK! November 15, 2022 featuring Professor Dean Spade Wismer Professor for Gender and Diversity Studies (2021-2023)
www.seattleu.edu/diversity/
FALL: ‘Creating a Just and Equitable America’ with LaTosha Brown, founder, Black Voters Matter Fund Collaboration with the United Way, King Cty / October 5, 2022
WINTER: OMA’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration / January 17, 2023
SPRING: Robin DiAngelo, PhD ’91, author Nice Racism / March 9, 2023
RACIAL EQUITY SUMMIT 2.0 April 13, 2023
ROAD TO THE RACIAL EQUITY SUMMIT