Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson, director of Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory, was featured on In Black America, a weekly radio show, KUT, based out of Austin, Texas.

In Black America began broadcasting interviews with national and international leaders in 1970, with a focus on issues affecting Black Americans. Since 1980, it has been hosted by John L. Hanson Jr., and the show has featured interviews with luminaries including Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King, and Arthur Ashe.

Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson was featured on the December 22, 2013, episode of the program, in which he discussed his research on diversity in higher education administration, and the recruitment and retention of minority students in STEM disciplines. Dr. Jackson also previewed his upcoming National Study of Intercollegiate Athletics (NSIA), which will investigate hiring practices in intercollegiate athletics.

Listen to the show now.

Wei LAB Director Dr. Jerlando F.L. Jackson spoke at the University of Texas at Austin on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, as part of the university’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) Fall Lecture Series.

Dr. Jackson, the Vilas Distinguished Professor in Higher Education at UW-Madison, also serves as the coordinator for the Higher, Postsecondary, and Continuing Education Program and as a faculty affiliate for Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education. His talk at UT-Austin was entitled “Ethnic and Racial Administrative Diversity: Understanding Work Life Realities and Experiences in Higher Education.”

Dr. Jackson specializes in issues of workforce diversity and workplace discrimination in higher education. His research also explores interventions intended to increase participation of underrepresented groups in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

For more information on his lecture at UT-Austin, click here.

The Wei LAB partnered with Clemson University, and other higher education institutions to launch the Institute for African-American Mentoring in Computing Sciences (iAAMCS). The institute, funded by a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, aims to broaden participation of African Americans in computing sciences.

iAAMCS will emphasize mentoring as the primary strategy and will serve as a national resource, focusing on increasing the number of African American doctoral graduates entering the workforce with a research focus, retaining African American students, faculty, and researchers in computing, and developing future leaders with computing expertise. The institute will be under the direction of Juan Gilbert, Presidential Endowed Professor and chairman of the Human-Centered Computing Division at Clemson, and Shaundra Daily, assistant professor in the School of Computing at Clemson (as of 2022, she is now at Duke University).

“Computing enables almost every sector of our economy and is among the fastest-growing areas of projected job growth,” Daily said. “The institute will not only mentor future leaders with established computing expertise, but also encourage underrepresented groups to explore the field of computing.”

For more information, visit the Clemson University website or contact us.

The 26th Annual National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) was held May 28 – June 1, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Wei LAB Director Dr. Jerlando Jackson and Assistant Director Dr. LaVar Charleston were both in attendance. NCORE is a national community of campus leaders and activists working to build inclusive campuses. Dr. Jackson presented the morning of May 29th a workshop titled, “ Building a Dynamic Diversity Division & Campus-Wide Infrastructure: Featuring the University of Wisconsin-Madison Office of the Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer (VPCDO) and the Division of Diversity, Equity, & Educational Achievement (DDEEA).” The session highlighted UW-Madison and its diversity programs, while providing an overview of the best practices and challenges and encouraging participants to examine their own developmental journey with higher education and diversity.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Damon A. Williams, Ph.D. received the 2013 Inclusive Excellence Award for Leadership by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE).

The award, known as one of the most prestigious national diversity leadership awards, recognizes leaders who work to promote and advance the understanding of diversity and inclusion in higher education and who have greatly contributed to research, administration, practice, advocacy, and policy.

Vice Provost Williams was honored at the NADOHE National Convention on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 in Washington, D.C. due to his leadership and advancement of diversity on the institutional, state, national, and global levels. Most notable are his efforts to advance STEM initiatives through strategic partnership building, his promotion of influential research on chief diversity officers, and his initiative to strengthen the relation between diversity and academic achievement.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by my peers and is truly a reflection of the diligence and institutional commitment of my colleagues at UW-Madison, and elsewhere, who remain focused on creating campus communities that are inclusive and excellent for all,” Dr. Williams said. “I am humbled to have this recognition and motivated to do even more, particularly as we move forward with our newest campus-wide diversity strategic plan at UW-Madison.”

Vice Provost Williams is a continuing catalyst in the development of the Wei LAB and is a significant partner in the implementation of the Wei LAB’s Beyond the Game Initiative, a program that confronts the challenge of student-athletes who face the end of their eligibility to play without identifying viable careers beside professional sports.

His new book, “Strategic Diversity Leadership: Activating Change and Transformation in Higher Education,” provides a comprehensive treatment of the diversity change journey in the academy.  With a foreword by USC Professor and 2013 American Educational Research Association (AERA) President William Tierney, and endorsements from the CEO’s of the American Council on Education (ACE), the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU), and others. The book covers topics like diversity planning and implementation, building dynamic diversity scorecards, financing diversity efforts in the new economy, and building impacting diversity infrastructures. The publication of his book also contributed to NADOHE’s decision to acknowledge his work as a 2013 leadership award recipient.

Wei LAB has been preparing a national longitudinal study of hiring practices and work environments for administrators in college athletic departments. The National Study of Intercollegiate Athletics (NSIA) will focus on athletic departments’ job-search and hiring processes for senior-level administrators and general employees, workplace climate, and career ambitions and trajectories of employees. Participating institutions include members of NCAA Division I conferences, as well as Division II and III universities, minority-serving institutions, and two-year colleges.

The NSIA is designed as an in-depth examination of hiring practices, rather than a snapshot of current situations. Participating institutions will have access to the results, allowing them to compare their own departments to others across the country. The NSIA will also assist with long-term diversity planning for athletic departments, by providing them a comprehensive overview of existing hiring practices and perceptions of workplace climate.

To give the project a deeper perspective of current hiring challenges, the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) has partnered with Wei LAB on the NSIA to provide data that would allow better long-term comparisons and planning and for participating institutions. The MOAA advocates for increased employment opportunities for minorities and promotes practices that support diversity and inclusion in athletics administration.

Related stories:
UW-Madison School of Education: “Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Lab confronts challenges in college sports“
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) website: “MOAA Contributing to the National Study of Intercollegiate Athletics”.

Photo: Greene and Wei LAB Director Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson

Wei LAB Visiting Scholar Dr. Ruth L. Greene called for a more equal partnership between school staff and parents in the education of African American students, and urged U.S. schools to work harder to engage African American families in a lecture on Friday, December 13, 2013 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Education.

Dr. Greene, the O’Herron Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C., and an Adjunct Professor in the Urban Education Collaborative at UNC-Charlotte, spoke on the topic of “African American Parental Engagement in Low-Income Schools.”

Photo: Wei LAB Visiting Scholar Dr. Ruth L. Greene, O’Herron Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Johnson C. Smith University , urged U.S. schools to work harder to engage African American families in a lecture on Friday, Dec. 13, 2013, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Education.

In her lecture, Dr. Greene called for U.S. schools with high populations of African American families to reassess their efforts at familial interaction, citing what she called “unacceptable” high school and college graduation rates for African American students and billions of dollars of damage done to the U.S. economy as a result.

“What these schools are doing now is not good enough, and we have to do something,” she said.

She also mentioned numerous research studies that have shown that parental engagement in schools is strongly linked to improvements in the academic achievement of their children. She said over recent decades, the communications gap between schools and Black parents has widened.

“Schools need to start to believe that all families have the capacity to support their children’s learning,” Greene said. “Educators must believe that all parents are concerned about their children’s education and want their children to have a better life.”

The responsibility for building partnerships between U.S. schools and African American children and their families rests with school leaders and staff, Greene said. “There are many reasons for this,” she said. “A big one is, a lot of (Black) parents did not have good experiences when they were in school, and when the school calls them, they ask, ‘Why is the enemy calling?”

Photo: Greene and her husband and fellow Wei LAB Visiting Scholar Dr. William H. Greene made a joint presentation, “Dual vs. Dueling Careers: Lessons Learned from Two Distinguished Careers,” also on Friday, Dec. 13. The luncheon presentation was moderated by Wei LAB Assistant Director Dr. LaVar J. Charleston, and his wife Dr. Sherri Ann Charleston, J.D., Ph.D., of the Wisconsin State Government Accountability Board.

Working with the Johnson C. Smith University Smith Institute for Applied Research and UNC-Charlotte’s Urban Education Collaborative, Greene said she has helped create a program that may represent a model for change. The goal is to work with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District to create specific plans of intervention for the district focusing on improving relationships with parents and the community. Green said the district has thrived by embracing greater acceptance of the community’s culture and climate, and by confronting potentially thorny issues of communication head-on – a strategy she recommended more school districts implement.

“A lot of times people don’t want to talk about race, culture, discrimination, or stereotypes, but we need to be concerned about the climate in our schools, and if we don’t talk about it, nothing will change,” she said.

In addition to her talk on parental engagement, Greene and her husband and fellow Wei LAB Visiting Scholar Dr. William H. Greene made a joint presentation, “Dual vs. Dueling Careers: Lessons Learned from Two Distinguished Careers,” to a group of emerging scholar and practitioner couples from UW-Madison and the surrounding Madison community. William H. Greene was a founding Director of the Navy Race Relations School, and served as Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Gaston College, President of Livingstone College, and most recently, Director of Development and Assistant to the Vice Provost for Minority Affairs at The Ohio State University.

The Greenes have been married 42 years. They raised two children even as they often lived apart while pursuing degrees and working in academic positions across the country.

“It’s about making constant adjustments, doing what it takes to make it work. I can’t say we’ve always agreed, but we decided we were going to stay together, and that involves change, growth, and commitment,” William H. Greene said of the couple’s relationship.

Universities are becoming more attuned to two-career faculty couples and are making more accommodations for academic families, but the path remains difficult, William H. Greene said. To combat the difficulties, he endorsed a well-tested method for maintaining a successful relationship while both parties pursue careers.

“Life is a lot easier when you marry a smart woman,” he said.

The luncheon presentation was moderated by Wei LAB Assistant Director Dr. LaVar J. Charleston, and his wife Dr. Sherri Ann Charleston, J.D., Ph.D., of the Wisconsin State Government Accountability Board. LaVar J. Charleston said he gleaned several tips from the Greenes to assist him along the difficult path of simultaneously maintaining an academic career and a strong relationship with his partner.

“Their presentation shed light on many issues that we as young professionals tend to wrestle with regularly. Hearing about how they’ve relocated because of career opportunities and successfully navigated dual careers while having young children was very helpful,” he said. “Their insight was invaluable.”

William H. Greene, who recently retired as the Director of Development and Assistant to the Vice Provost for Minority Affairs at The Ohio State University, also presented on “Fundraising to Support University-Based Diversity Issues,” on the evening of Dec. 13, at the conclusion of the Greenes’ visit to Madison.

Photo: Mauriell Amechi was congratulated for his presentation at UW-Madison’s  Educational Graduate Research Scholars (Ed-GRS) Fall Research Showcase by Ruttanatip (Dang) Chonwerawong, assistant dean of UW-Madison’s School of Education and Ed-GRS coordinator.

Wei LAB Research Associate and Ph.D. student in UW-Madison’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, Mauriell Amechi, presented at two separate symposia in Madison, WI, and St. Louis, MO.

Amechi’s work centers on the experiences and educational pathways of first-generation, low-income, and racial minority students, with a special emphasis on foster care youth and their college transitions.

On November 13, 2013 Amechi presented at the Educational Graduate Research Scholars (Ed-GRS) Fall Research Showcase at UW-Madison. His presentation was entitled, “Forgotten About and Left Behind: A Qualitative Examination of Single-Parent College Students.”

Two days later, on November 15, 2013 Amechi attended the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s (ASHE) annual conference in St. Louis, and shared the same presentation. At the ASHE conference, Amechi served as chair of a roundtable entitled “Facilitating Success at the Community College Level,” featuring scholars from Columbia University, the University of Texas at Austin, the State University System of Florida, the University of Southern California, and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

A native of Chicago, Amechi earned a master’s degree from The Ohio State University in higher education and student affairs, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The Wei LAB co-hosted the second annual International Colloquium on Black Males in Education, a research gathering set to explore the global dynamics of Black males in the educational pipeline.

This year’s colloquium was co-hosted by the University of the Virgin Islands and took place on the island of St. Thomas from October 23-26, 2013. The colloquium’s theme was “The Status of Black Males in Education and Society: Beyond the Continental Divide.”

Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson, Wei LAB’s director, said the colloquium brings together leading scholars and thinkers, high-impact practitioners, and students from around the globe.

“It will offer a diverse array of programs that serve to elicit intellectual thought, discussion, and ideas that can be implemented to serve and improve the experiences of Black males throughout the world,” Jackson said.

Attendees of this year’s colloquium were invited to participate in several cultural immersion activities designed to shed light on the Black male experience in the Virgin Islands. Participants had the opportunity to tour historical and cultural artifacts that inform and expose the rich traditions of Blacks – and Black males in particular – on St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John islands.

The inaugural International Colloquium on Black Males in Education took place from Nov. 8-10, 2012 at the University of Leeds in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.  That colloquium focused on “Global Research on the Black Male Educational Pipeline: International Perspectives to Inform Local Solutions.”

For more information about the colloquium, visit the Colloquium website.

Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson was named keynote speaker at the Building the Anti-Racist University conference, taking place from Friday, Oct. 18 to Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013 at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.

Organized by the Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies, an interdisciplinary research organization based inside the University of Leeds, the conference seeks to encourage and contribute toward efforts to eliminate racial discrimination and promote racial equality in British universities.

Professor Jackson is a faculty member with the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, and is the director and founder of the Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (Wei LAB), which is housed within the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER). He studies equity and higher education, and will be speaking on that topic on opening day of the conference.

The conference brought together leading scholars from four continents to develop a transformative approach to ending racism at institutions of higher education. Key investigations set to take place at the conference include: the Black and minority ethnic presence and experience in higher education institutions; the development of curriculum interventions; the widening of participation in initiatives geared towards organizational change; and future directions for racial equality and diversity in a post-race era.

The conference’s other keynote speakers are Professor Velile Notshulwana, from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa, and Professor Heidi Safia Mirza, from the Institute of Education in the United Kingdom. The conference’s organizers are planning to seek publication for a selection of papers delivered at the event, either as a special issue in a refereed journal or an edited collection.

For more information on the conference, visit the University of Leeds’ Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies website.

The 43rd Annual Legislative Conference of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation included a panel featuring Wisconsin Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (Wei LAB) director and founder Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson.

The four-day conference occurred from Sept. 18-21, 2013, in Washington D.C. On Sept. 19, Jackson participated on a panel looking at “Breaking Barriers: Legislative Actions, White House Initiatives and School District Imperatives for Educating Black Males.”

In addition to his role with the Wei LAB, Jackson is with the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jackson is also a faculty affiliate with the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy, research and educational institute that aims to help improve the socioeconomic circumstances of African Americans and other underserved communities, according to its website. Founded in 1976 and based in Washington, D.C., CBCF envisions a world in which the black community is free of all disparities and able to contribute fully to advancing the common good. Its mission is to advance the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy and educating the public.

Each September, thousands of elected officials and industry leaders, media, emerging leaders, and everyday Americans attend the organization’s Annual Legislative Conference. The conference features participation by the Congressional Black Caucus and includes dozens of policy forums, general sessions, exhibits, a job fair, book signings and networking opportunities.

The Wei LAB co-sponsored a reception for the Research Focus on Black Education, a special interest group (RFBE-SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), on April 29th, 2013 at Yoshi’s San Francisco Restaurant and Jazz Lounge. The reception was part of the larger AERA annual conference. Wei LAB was one of the sponsors, among other AERA special interest groups and other universities.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) held its 2013 annual meeting April 27 – May 1, 2013 in San Francisco, California. Three Wei LAB staff members: Wei LAB Director Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson, Assistant Director Dr. LaVar Charleston, and Research Associate Barbara Escobar, attended the conference. The theme of this year’s meeting was, “Education and Poverty: Theory, Research, Policy, and Praxis.” Dr. Jackson and Dr. Charleston both presented papers and participated in discussions at the annual meeting. Dr. Jackson participated in “Academic and Professional Expectations for Graduate Students and Current and Prospective Postdoctoral Fellows: Establishing Foundations for Productive Careers—The Edgar G. Epps Table,” as part of the round-table discussion, “The 17th Annual Continuation of Conversations with Senior Scholars on Advancing Research and Professional Development Related to Black Education.” Dr. Charleston presented the symposium, “Adding Value to Higher Education: Galvanizing Experiences of Junior Faculty of Color,” which discussed how diverse junior faculty of color adds value to the institution of higher education. This was in collaboration with Dr. Raul Leon, Dr. Julie Park, Dr. Michelle Espino and Ms. Tiffany Brown. Dr. Charleston also presented “The Path to the Professoriate for African American Computing Scientists: Benefits of a Mentoring Program”. Barbara Escobar also participated in the Carlos J. Vallejo Fellowship for Latino/as in Education, an all-day program held April 27th designed for graduate students and newly minted doctoral degree holders who are pursuing a career in the professoriate. The participants had the opportunity to engage in a day-long seminar with leading Latino/a scholars in the field of education. Escobar was one of 30 participants, chosen out of 137 applicants. The program was sponsored by the Multicultural/Multiethnic Education (MME) special interest group of AERA.

Wei LAB and the Wisconsin Center for Education Research hosted Dr. Chance W. Lewis on February 21-23, 2013 as a visiting scholar. Dr. Lewis is the Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chair of Urban Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is also the Executive Director of the UNC-Charlotte’s Urban Education Collaborative, which is publishing a new generation of research on improving urban schools. Dr. Lewis gave multiple presentations on his own research and approach to education and challenges faced by individuals in the educational pipeline. These events were co-sponsored by ELPA, Ed-GRS, Chavez Elementary School, and 100 Black Men of Madison.