Professional Development

• Barbara Wolvoord will be coming to campus this week as part of the Faculty Development Series. The focus will be on program and campus-wide assessment.
• Jamey Ventura (Co-Director of Athletics) and I submitted an application for the NCAA diversity education program. Last Thursday, we received news that Wells College has been selected as an institution to receive diversity training for staff and student-athletes. This will take place on February 29th.

Administration

• I will be attending the annual AAC&U meeting in January. I will participate in a pre-conference workshop on Personal and Social Responsibility. As part of the AAC&U gathering, I will be meeting with group, The Democracy Imperative (http://www.unh.edu/academic-affairs/democracy/), of which I am a member. I am also on the group’s Strategic Partnership and Alliances Committee. 
• I have been meeting with the Staff Diversity Committee and officers of Staff Forum (Rhonda Dellinger, John Crowley, and Jen Zalewski). These meetings have included conversations on making the Staff Diversity Committee part of Staff Forum, and people’s interest in developing a campus-wide communication plan. There were two reasons identified for integrating the diversity committee with Staff Forum: (1)  much of the work of the diversity committee overlaps with the work of Staff Forum, and (2) being a part of Staff Forum will broaden the membership and exposure of the committee to staff. (Please see attached regarding the campus-wide communication plan.)
• The Faculty Diversity Committee met last Wednesday to discuss the process of becoming a standing faculty committee. I briefed everyone on my meeting with the Committee on Committees. The Committee on Committees suggested that the Faculty Diversity Committee write a proposal which is submitted to the Committee on Committees for feedback. Necessary changes will be made to the proposal which will then be presented by at a Faculty Meeting for discussion. A final vote on the proposal will occur at the next Faculty Meeting following the discussion. With feedback from the Faculty Diversity Committee, I will be writing this proposal during January.
• The National Association on Diversity Officers in Higher Education formed in 2006. They will be holding their second annual meeting in San Diego this February.

• I am continuing to teach the Wlls 101 course and advise first-year students.
• Joel McCarthy, Trina Nocerino and I have taught two Wlls 111 sessions on identity.
• I continue to be involved with the Ten Year Academic Planning Committee on finding ways to identify current courses and integrate diversity, inclusion, and interculturalism into the curriculum.
• I spoke as guest lecturer on culture and conflict for Deb Gagnon’s Culture and Cognition course.
• John Wells, Trina Nocerino, Joel McCarthy, and Anne Lundquist are working to develop both academic and social support structures for international students. For example, we have identified homestay opportunities during the winter break. We will be meeting with a broader range of people this month.
• I, along with one Wells student, Kristen Tuxbury ’11, attended a meeting at the Q Center in Syracuse. The Center is creating a regional collaborative on improving the experiences of LGBTQ students in colleges. We will attend their next meeting in February which will focus on housing policies for LGBTQ students.

• Joel McCarthy, Anne Lundquist and I have developed an initial draft of a campus climate survey. We will provide a draft of the survey to Senior Staff for their review. The campus climate survey will be taken by students, faculty, and staff. 
• I have been working with Tina Post (Development Writer), William Ganis (Assistant Professor of Art History), Michael Groth (Professor of History), Dan Hill (Cayuga), Ernie Olson (Professor of Anthropology), and Ann Rollo (Vice President of Communications) on a plaque and brochure that explains the cultural inaccuracies depicted in the mural outside the AER. These have been completed and will be made available this month. 

• I have been meeting with all candidates for current faculty searches in Sociology, Computer Science, and Education/Spanish. I will be providing feedback to the search committees.
• I am working with Diane Hutchinson (Vice President and Treasurer), Rich Kloster (Bookstore Manager), Joel McCarthy, and the Student Diversity Committee in increasing the availability of multicultural products in the bookstore. Due to the limited number of feedback received via e-mail, Pershemia Reynolds is working with student groups in completing the form and making the form available at the dining hall. 
• The Admissions and Financial Aid Committee has agreed to find ways in supporting the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students and women at Wells. The committee will be looking at adapting the idea of an “Equity Scorecard” to academic and non-academic programs. This will help support the work of current program assessment and Middle States accreditation.
• I am continuing to work with Ann Rollo (Vice President of Communications), Pam Sheridan (Director of Alumnae Affairs), Anne Lundquist (Dean of Students) on creating a students of color/alumnae of color mentorship program. The alumnae I have contacted are very interested in helping develop the program. Pam will send out an e-mail and letters to all alumnae of color (that we can identify) to see if they are interested in being part of a working group. We anticipate this group meeting in NYC at the end of February/March.