Student Affairs Professional Development and Staff Recognition Calendar

Are Our Students Depressed or Lonely?  The Role of Loneliness in Mental Health and How We Can Address it 

Thursday, August 20

9:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Loneliness has been increasing nationally and in college students and plays a pivotal role in college students’ mental health. Data from a survey conducted in spring 2019 indicates that Illinois State University students are reporting more loneliness than they did five years ago. Loneliness is a significant factor in both depression and anxiety, but fortunately, you don’t have to be a trained clinician to address college students’ loneliness. All of us can work together to enhance students’ connection. In this session, you will learn more about the relationship between loneliness, anxiety, and depression, how to differentiate between loneliness, social isolation, and introversion, and how to recognize different types of loneliness. Participants will also brainstorm how their department and the Division can increase students’ connection.

This session will help you to:

• understand the relationship between loneliness, anxiety, and depression.
• differentiate between loneliness, social isolation, and introversion.
• brainstorm how their department can increase students’ connection.

Presenters: Dr. Allyson Hawkins, Student Counseling Services, Dr. Jillian Cooper, Student Counseling Services, Jamie Laurson, Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, & Jim Almeda, Health Promotion and Wellness

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support, Teamwork, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Programming During COVID: Lessons & Guidance from Welcome Week

Friday, August 28

10:30 – Noon

During this panel discussion, attendees will learn how the Welcome Week staff altered their goals and plans to produce an extended week-long Welcome Week with mostly virtual programs. Staff will share challenges and lessons learned focusing on tips and guidance to provide virtual programming this fall. Additionally, learn how to imbed assessment in virtual programs and services to capture data quickly and learn how to improve for the next go around. Your questions and concerns will be tackled.

This session will help you to:

• know how to post & host virtual events in Redbird Life.
• compare currently available technology options available for delivery of online programs or services.
• identify how the key questions you have about the program or service are best evaluated or assessed.

Presenters/Panel: Dr. Erin Thomas, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Terri Haerr, Dean of Students, Michelle Whited, Dean of Students, Amy Miller, Dean of Students, Amanda Cox, Dean of Students, & Kate Piper, Dean of Students

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, Global Perspective & Worldviews, & Digital Fluency & Assessment

New Staff Orientation

Monday, August 31

Noon – 4:30 p.m.

The Division of Student Affairs offers a half-day new staff orientation program several times a year to welcome new employees and provide important information to help them be successful in their new roles.

The orientation program includes:

• Networking with other new staff members and Student Affairs leaders
• Information on the 13 diverse departments that comprise the Division and the students we serve
• An introduction to cultural competency in Student Affairs
• The history of Student Affairs at Illinois State University
• Introduction to needed technology
• An opportunity to learn about the values and mission of the Division

Kicking Off with The STARs

Tuesday, September 1

1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

We will begin this academic year with a virtual event, “Kicking Off with the STARs.” Vice President Johnson will kick things off for us by sharing what’s new within the Division. Then he will transition us into our STAR Awards ceremony where we will celebrate “Staff That Are Remarkable” within the Division of Student Affairs. Each spring, the Division gathers to recognize staff that have made significant contributions to their departments, the Division, and the University during the year. Nominations are sought early in the semester within nine different categories, and the selection committee carefully evaluates nominations to determine the award recipients.

Reimagining Higher Education: How Radical Imagination Can Lead to Structural Change

Wednesday, September 9

8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed some of the hideous inequities that permeate the current order of things in the U.S. and throughout the world. The fear of and disregard for Black people in the United States that we have witnessed in recent weeks is not new, but is also being exposed again. These injustices are not isolated, they are not coincidental. They are part of a system of inequity that has operated in this country since the first Europeans arrived, and that has operated on a global scale long before that. This workshop will lay the groundwork on how the system of inequity works and the interrelationships of the local with the global. But we will not leave you there. Because we are seeing some cracks in the system, this is also a time of possibilities, and we will start exploring. How can we unleash our imaginations and our ability to play, to create the world we want to live in? How can we think beyond what is, to what if? What can we learn from people around the world who are doing just that—who, in small and large ways, are beginning to transition from naming what is wrong to creating what is right? *Pre-recorded session

Presenter: Dr. Amer F. Ahmed, Dickinson College & Dr. Shakti Butler, President-Founder of World Trust

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Recovery is Spoken Here: Recovery Ally Training

Tuesday, September 15

1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

College students are in the highest risk category of any age group for developing a substance use disorder. Yet, college campuses are known as recovery-hostile environments.Learn about how to provide support for students who need help, as well as those who are already in recovery; help build a recovery-friendly campus by recognizing how language and policies perpetuate stigma--blocking recovery. Be an ally to our students and recognize how you can help them when it comes to substance use disorders and recovery.

This session will help you to:

• learn about the Collegiate Recovery Community (Sober Redbirds).
• use recovery friendly language.
• summarize ways to be a recovery ally on campus.
• demonstrate a warm handoff (how to refer to helpers).
• recognize students in need of recovery.

Presenter: Jamie Laurson, Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support, Teamwork, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Cultivating the Disruptive Power of Love and Healing: Educating for Wholeness, Justice, and Liberation

Wednesday, September 23

2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

During an extraordinary time of a world-wide pandemic, we are caught in a transformational middle space that Gloria Anzaldúa calls nepantla. As we experience a realm shift, we have a unique opportunity to shape a new educational vision that centers our humanity and our commitment to justice and equity. Participants will learn how to identify and transform false master narratives that work against equity and student success, employ validation theory to build caring and affirming relationships with students, and work with student assets. A holistic teaching and learning model, Sentipensante (sensing/thinking) Pedagogy, that addresses the rhythmic connection between intellectual development and aspects of our humanity, will be presented along with examples of culturally-validating deep learning experiences. *Pre-recorded session

Presenter: Dr. Laura Rendón, Author of Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice and Liberation

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

The Online Campus Experience: Creating Access and Equity Education in a Virtual World

Monday, September 28

10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

The coronavirus pandemic has plunged colleges and universities into a precarious virtual world. The uncertainty of Fall openings as well as the high cost of tuition - already out of reach for most families - suggests that on-campus enrollment may be disrupted even further in the coming academic year. This new normal not only highlights the differences between on-campus learning vs. online education; it also magnifies the digital divide as wealthier students have more access to the latest laptops, better bandwidths, and more stable wifi connections. Less resourced students must also contend with challenges in their home environments along with the realities of communities impacted by poverty and racism. How can we ensure access and inclusion as we navigate new waters? How can we make sure that teaching and pedagogy are equitable for Black, Indigenous, and POC students? What are the opportunities that virtual learning can provide? How will we utilize this new learning environment as a foundation for addressing and navigating through harm both in the online and offline classroom? This robust round-table discussion will shed light on these inequities and explore concrete ways campuses can create a virtual education for students that is truly accessible and equitable, and rooted in social justice principles. *Pre-recorded session

Moderator: Dr. Amer F. Ahmed, Dickenson College

Panel: Melissa Denizard, Pro-Black activist, organizer, and documentarian

Victor Lewis, Racial justice educator

Megan Red Shirt-Shaw, founder of Natives In America

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, Global Perspective & Worldviews, & Digital Fluency & Assessment

Fitness and Nutrition for The Average Individual

Thursday, October 1 and Monday, October 26

10:00 – Noon

In today’s fast pace and ever-changing world, it’s often easy to neglect physical health and appropriate nutrition. We often ask ourselves, am I eating enough or the right kids of foods when I exercise? This session will help educate attendees on strategies to integrate healthy eating and physical activity into their everyday hectic lifestyles. We hope to provide a broad scope of the complex world of nutrition and exercise. Our goal is to leave you with applicable strategies for you to create lasting changes and live a healthier life.

This session will help you to:

• learn the benefits of physical activity for your current and long-term health.
• incorporate manageable and meaningful activity into your daily life.
• distinguish between the roles of Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fat during exercise.
• calculate calorie needs based on weight, age and activity level.

Presenters: Madison Brown, Campus Recreation & Jill Lynch, Student Health Services

Knowledge Areas: Personal & Career Development

Kognito: Some Conversations Can Save Lives

Wednesday, October 7

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Students’ mental health needs have a daily presence on our campus. At times students may or may not come to you seeking support. Do you know how to recognize signs of distress? How confident are you in engaging with students in distress and helping them connect to services? In this session, we will Kognito, an interactive platform available through Student Counseling Services, to learn how to identify, engage in conversation, and help students in connecting with the support they need.

This session will help you to:

• learn about Kognito and how to access the simulation.
• develop understanding of impact of mental health concerns on academic performance, retention, and safety.
• identify signs of emotional distress.
• learn how to connect Redbirds in distress to appropriate services.

Presenter: Dr. Glorivette Albino, Student Counseling Services

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support, Teamwork, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Taking Control of Your Workday: Support Staff Edition

Thursday, October 15

Noon – 3:00 p.m.

Support staff are vital to the successful operation of each Student Affairs department. This special lunch and learn is designed specifically for support staff to network, share expertise, and discuss the best practices with one another to enhance professional development.

Moderators: Angell Howard, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs & Jena Self, Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality

Knowledge Areas: Personal & Career Development, Productivity & Problem Solving, and Digital Fluency & Assessment

New Staff Orientation

Tuesday, October 27

Noon – 4:30 p.m.

The Division of Student Affairs offers a half-day new staff orientation program several times a year to welcome new employees and provide important information to help them be successful in their new roles.

The orientation program includes:

• Networking with other new staff members and Student Affairs leaders
• Information on the 13 diverse departments that comprise the Division and the students we serve
• An introduction to cultural competency in Student Affairs
• The history of Student Affairs at Illinois State University
• Introduction to needed technology
• An opportunity to learn about the values and mission of the Division

Culturally Responsive Campus Community: Equity with a Mirror

Thursday, October 29- 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Friday, October 30- 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Zoom

CRCC stands for Culturally Responsive Campus Community. The CRCC conference works to actively recognize and rectify inequitable experiences and create a more just campus for all. To honor the founding purpose of the CRCC at Illinois State University, the 2020 conference will return to focus of anti-racism. Find out more about CRCC, and the history of the event at Illinois State.

Disrupting Whiteness: From White Immunity to Radical Empathy

Friday, November 13

8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Over the past decades, scholars and activists have often used the frame of white privilege to illustrate the advantages enjoyed by white people beyond those commonly experienced by Black people and other people of color in the same social, political, and economic spheres. Yet how many times are white privilege conversations derailed by the question, “How are poor white people ‘privileged’?” In this session, participants will be introduced to the concept white immunity, a type of social inoculation white people experience as a result of being white in a systemically-racist society. White immunity insulates whites from the racially disparate treatment people of color regularly receive. Presenters will explore how white immunity serves as an alternative concept to white privilege and why it is especially relevant in this time of widespread pandemic, police misconduct, and social unrest. They’ll offer an overview on the development of white immunity and look at its applications both within college learning/living environments as well as society at large. Collectively, we will grapple with the question, "Why would white people want to give up their white immunity?" Ultimately, the instructors will call for (and explore mechanisms for creating) radical empathy as they work with participants on developing anti-racist social practice. *Pre-recorded session

Presenter: Dr. Nolan L. Cabrera, University of Arizona & Tim Wise, Anti-racist writer and educator

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Stereotypes, Myths, and Misconceptions: What You Believe Matters!

Thursday, December 3

9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

It can be challenging to relate to or understand the prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping that many experience on a regular basis. It is even harder to acknowledge our own biases that may contribute unconsciously. This session will probe the cultural biases that influence our behaviors and attitudes toward students, colleagues, and ourselves. We will work collectively toward increasing our cultural competencies and mindfulness of others' experiences and perspectives. You will have opportunities to engage in candid conversations exploring the effects that stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions leave behind, and brainstorm ways to continue to increase your awareness, skills, and knowledge.

This session will help you to:

• interact more effectively with people of different cultures.
• describe the stereotypes and myths that exist about different cultural groups and how they affect our behavior.
• provide appropriate responses and support to students and colleagues using increased self-awareness.

Presenter: Angell Howard, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Gamsky Awards

Tuesday, December 8

10:30 a.m. – Noon

Join the Division as we celebrate this year’s Dr. Neal R. Gamsky Quality of Student Life Award recipient. Dr. Gamsky, Vice President for Student Affairs Emeritus, created an endowment to encourage professional staff to make significant personal contributions to the students at Illinois State University. The recipient of this award receives a recognition plaque, monetary award, and their name permanently displayed on a plaque in the Student Services Building.

Just Mercy Reading Group

The Just Mercy Reading Group is part of the Center for Civic Engagement's series on Exploring Wicked Problems: Community Safety and Justice, and is supported by Fell Trust grant funds. This series includes multiple ways to participate, including:

• Campus and community book groups
• Just Mercy watch party and discussion
• Deliberative dialogue on Safety and Justice, to consider how systemic discrimination, based on race and class, affects the justice system. We will also discuss how equity and inclusion practices may be enhanced within our campus and community to reduce violence and ensure people's well-being from minoritized backgrounds.

There are two different campus reading groups.

• GROUP 1: Noon – 1:00 p.m., Jan 29, Feb 12, Feb 26, Mar 12, & Mar 26
• GROUP 2: 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., Feb 3, Feb 17, Mar 3, Mar 17, & Mar 31

*Books will be provided to those who need them.

Choir, Ally, Oblivious, Resisters, and the Defiant: Who is in the Room?

Thursday, February 11

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion work is never easy. We are forced to challenge systems and people simultaneously. As practitioners, we spend a lot of time studying the systems but not as much time truly understanding the people we are working with. This session will walk you through a framework designed by Drs. J. Luke Wood and Frank Harris III to help you understand the people in the room, what you can do to influence “some”, and when it is time to change your strategies.

This session will help you to:

• Understand the people in the room that are receiving diversity & inclusion training.
• Know what you can do to influence some.
• Identify when it is time to change your strategies.

Presenter: Angell Howard, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support, Teamwork, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, Leadership Competencies, Productivity & Problem Solving, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Just Mercy Watch Party and Discussion

Friday, February 19

Noon – 3:30 pm

The Just Mercy Watch Party & Discussion is part of the Center for Civic Engagement’s series on Exploring Wicked Problems: Community Safety and Justice and is supported by Fell Trust grant funds. Participants in the series, which includes campus and community book groups, a screening of the film Just Mercy, and a deliberative dialogue on Safety and Justice, will consider how systemic discrimination based on race and class affects the justice system and will also discuss how campus and community equity and inclusion practices may be enhanced to reduce violence and to ensure the well-being of people from minoritized backgrounds.

Knowledge Areas: Leadership Competencies, Productivity & Problem Solving, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Community Cultural Wealth: A Counter Story of Blackness

Tuesday, February 23

2:00 – 3:30 pm

This interactive session will draw on a community cultural wealth approach to expand how we create an environment of belonging for students and reduce anti-black ways of thinking and doing. Participants will have the opportunity to develop goals to disrupt anti-blackness in their area of influence.

This session will help you to:

• understand community cultural wealth and how to integrate this approach into their daily work practices.
• identify areas of shortcomings and develop strategies to combat anti-Blackness.

Presenter: Tamekia Bailey, Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies and Student Services

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support, Teamwork, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, Productivity & Problem Solving, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

The Truth About Microaggressions

Thursday, March 4

2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Microaggressions are brief, everyday exchanges that send hurtful and demeaning messages to the individuals being aggressed. Research has shown that consistently experiencing microaggressions can be psychologically and physically draining. No one should have to navigate this regularly. This session will help participants understand the different forms of microaggressions, what they look like, and how they manifest. We will determine the safest and most effective ways to address microaggressions and reflect on ways to check our own behaviors.

This session will help you to:

• understand the different forms of microaggressions and how they manifest
• determine the safest and most effective ways to address microaggressions
• learn different action steps to take to respond to these situations effectively

Presenter: Angell Howard, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs

Knowledge Areas: Leadership Competencies, Productivity & Problem Solving, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Special Guests Cole & Charisma: Intersectionality on Campus

Wednesday, March 10

10:30 a.m. – Noon

Using intersectionality as a guide to enhance a disabled student's experience on campus. The term intersectionality encompasses several topics, including accessibility, disability etiquette, inclusivity, and making proper accommodations. During this talk, we will help staff learn news ways in which they can make campus more accepting, accommodating, and inclusive by applying the concept of intersectionality.

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support and Global Perspective & Worldviews

*There will also be a student session with Cole & Charisma in the afternoon. Please share this event with your students to register on Redbird Life.

Recovery is Spoken Here: Recovery Ally Training

Wednesday, March 17

1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

College students are in the highest risk category of any age group for developing a substance use disorder. Yet, college campuses are known as recovery-hostile environments.Learn about how to provide support for students who need help, as well as those who are already in recovery; help build a recovery-friendly campus by recognizing how language and policies perpetuate stigma--blocking recovery. Be an ally to our students and recognize how you can help them when it comes to substance use disorders and recovery.

This session will help you to:

• learn about the Collegiate Recovery Community (Sober Redbirds)
• use recovery friendly language
• summarize ways to be a recovery ally on campus
• demonstrate a warm handoff (how to refer to helpers)
• recognize students in need of recovery

Presenter: Jamie Laurson, Student Conduct and Community Responsibilities

Knowledge Areas: Student Advising & Support, Teamwork, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Culturally Responsive Campus Community (CRCC): Equity with a Mirror

Friday, March 19

9:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Zoom

Save the date! More information to come.

QPR: Ask a Question, Save a Life

Wednesday, March 31

10:00 a.m. – Noon

Just as people trained in CPR help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone for help. As members of the ISU community you are often the first individuals to notice signs and symptoms of suicide in a colleague, student, resident, coworker, friend, or loved one. This uniquely positions you as the first line of defense to assist someone in getting help and therefore, saving a life. Participants will receive electronic access to helpful materials and receive a certificate from the QPR Institute upon completion.

This training will help you to:

• Learn how to recognize the warning signs of suicide
• Learn how to offer hope
• Learn how to refer someone to help

Presenters: TBD

Knowledge Areas:Student Advising & Support

Deliberative Dialogue: How Should Higher Education Help Us Create the Society We Want?

Monday, April 5

2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Deliberative Dialogues are guided conversations on a political or controversial topic. This model of conversation removes polarizing positions and one-sided lectures by simply asking participants to investigate specific solutions to an issue through the help of an issue guide and facilitator. By participating in a Deliberative Dialogue, participants can learn skills to express their own perspectives while also listening to the perspectives of others (important civic skills). Participants can also learn how to have conversations on difficult and complex topics.

DIALOGUE TOPIC: The diverse system of US higher education—including public and private universities, smaller four-year independent colleges, two-year community colleges, for-profit schools, and others—already serves a number of important social purposes. But this guide focuses on the future. It takes up this fundamental question: How should higher education help us create the society we want? It offers three options to consider, each with benefits as well as drawbacks. While it's certainly possible for higher education to pursue multiple goals, it's also true that colleges and universities can't do everything. To be effective, they need to focus their energies and set priorities. As we envision higher education in the future, there are options and trade-offs, and it's important to think and talk about them with our fellow citizens. By doing so, we can begin to make tough choices about what higher education can and should be expected to do.

This session will help you to:

• describe the role deliberative dialogue can play in today’s political climate.
• express appreciation and empathy of another’s perspective on the issue.
• analyze the issue from multiple perspectives.
• evaluate skills needed to participate in deliberation.

Presenter: Harriett Steinbach, Center for Civic Engagement

Knowledge Areas: Leadership Competences and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Deliberative Dialogue: Free Speech & The Inclusive Campus: How Do We Foster the Campus Community We Want?

Thursday, April 8

9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Deliberative Dialogues are guided conversations on a political or controversial topic. This model of conversation removes polarizing positions and one-sided lectures by simply asking participants to investigate specific solutions to an issue through the help of an issue guide and facilitator. By participating in a Deliberative Dialogue, participants can learn skills to express their own perspectives while also listening to the perspectives of others (important civic skills). Participants can also learn how to have conversations on difficult and complex topics.

DIALOGUE TOPIC: The United States is becoming increasingly diverse and more polarized as we struggle to address complex public problems such as immigration, health care, economic inequality, and America’s role in the world (Pew Research Center, 2017). As public trust in our political system waivers, U.S. college campuses are grappling with issues of inclusion, diversity, and freedom of speech (Rainie, Keeter, & Perrin, 2019). Conversations about free speech on campus are often framed in opposition to diversity and inclusion and have spawned controversies, protests, and even violence. In 2017, a much-cited survey of more than 3,000 college students conducted by Gallup and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation presented diversity and inclusion as directly opposite free speech, asking students which issues they felt were more important; 53% chose inclusion and 46% chose free speech. In today’s contentious and divided political environment, what should colleges and universities do to meet the roles and responsibilities of higher education to foster the campus community we want?

This session will help you to:

• describe the role deliberative dialogue can play in today’s political climate.
• express appreciation and empathy of another’s perspective on the issue.
• analyze the issue from multiple perspectives.
• evaluate skills needed to participate in deliberation.

Presenter: Harriett Steinbach, Center for Civic Engagement

Knowledge Areas: Leadership Competences and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Cultural Career Network Series: Equal Identities

Thursday, April 8

5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Zoom

Connect virtually with Redbird alum Isaac Hollis ’20, former Black Student Union President and member of the LGBTQ+ community. Learn about his career journey and the challenges he faced at Illinois State as a Black, Queer man, and what he achieved already in his career and where he is now. He’ll also share how he overcame adversity and found success in the workplace and while continuing his education. Discover how to identify inclusive organizations – those that value diversity, and how involvement activities define who we are then and now. Feel free to participate in the question and answer session of the program.

*This event is sponsored by Career Services.

The Power of Empathy and its Connection to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Friday, April 16

12:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Recent surveys suggest that divides among Americans are more significant than ever. People are more hostile and less trusting of one another, making it very hard to empathize and show compassion to others. A study found that today's average American is less empathic than 75% of Americans 30 years ago. This means that today's leaders and the leaders of tomorrow are struggling to connect with and understand others from different social, cultural, or economic backgrounds. This interactive session will explore empathy through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens. Participants will learn, practice, and be challenged to apply empathy skills into their professional and personal lives.

This session will help you to:

• understand empathy and the role it plays in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• assess who and how we restrict ourselves from connecting to others experiences.
• learn what is needed to improve your ability to empathize.

Presenter: Angell Howard, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs

Knowledge Areas: Teamwork, Mentorship & Interpersonal Skills, Personal & Career Development, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Let’s Talk Lovecraft Country

Monday, April 19

1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

Lovecraft Country follows Atticus Freeman as he meets up with his friend Letitia and his uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback. This series is very thought provoking and explores American history in a creative way while imbedding beautiful moments of Black history. This time will be for those who have watched the series and would like to unpack the many overt and covert messages throughout.

Moderator: Angell Howard, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs

Knowledge Areas: Global Perspective & Worldviews

Kick Some Glass and Shatter Your Limitations: Women in Leadership Panel

Monday, April 26

10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Join this panel of leaders as they answer questions and share their personal and professional journeys. We will explore work-life balance, professional growth, building networks, and challenges they may have experienced along the way. Most importantly, we will ask what skills, talents, and abilities they found most beneficial throughout their journeys, as well as how they gained the skills they did not already possess. This session is meant to inspire and empower participants to engage in purposeful career development.

Moderator: TBD

Knowledge Areas: Personal & Career Development, Leadership Competencies, and Global Perspective & Worldviews

Negotiation: Working to Narrow the Wage Gap for Women

Thursday, April 29

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Women make around 20 percent less than men for the same jobs and with the same qualifications. One of the many factors contributing to this gap is that women are not socialized to negotiate. This presentation seeks to give women tools to help them learn the basics of negotiation. Throughout the workshop, participants will glean tips on how to prepare and practice for negotiation with steps from the American Association of University Women and the sharing of personal experiences.

Presenter: Rachel Hatch, Media Relations

Knowledge Areas: Personal & Career Development and Leadership Competencies

You Can Do Graduate School

Tuesday, May 11

1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Earning a graduate degree takes hard work and dedication. Working full-time and taking classes can seem very intimidating making it easy to push it to the side year after year. The truth is, it is not easy, but it can be done and done successfully. Hear from a panel of Student Affairs staff who are currently pursuing their graduate degrees and learn what it takes to pursue your dreams while maintaining your career.

Moderator: TBD

Knowledge Areas: Personal & Career Development

Student Affairs Conference

Reimagining the Way We Work: Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership

Friday, May 21

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location: TBD

Save the date! More information to come.

Check back for Summer 2021 session information.

Check back for Summer 2021 session information.