As 2017 comes to a close, the Wei LAB has been reflecting on the many opportunities we have had to continue our work on researching and disseminating topics of equity and inclusion in higher education–through research projects, publications, events, and media content. We take this time to share with you Wei Lab’s 2017 highlights:
Wei LAB Launches New Website
Over the past few months, our communications team was busy working on a website redesign in order to better serve our purpose of promoting equitable and inclusive environments in higher education, and sharing our research with the public. We launched our new and improved website this winter, which we hope our followers will find engaging and continue to revisit as we will be making frequent updates to our site.
The new website features multimedia content, as well as our blog, news features, and updated publications list. Through the new website, we hope to share more openly with our followers what the Wei LAB stands for, and how we are achieving our mission, as well as sustain a deeper connection with our local, national, and international communities.
Hilliard Sizemore 10th Anniversary
In 2017, the Wei LAB served as co-sponsor and organizer of the 10th Annual Asa G. Hilliard III and Barbara A. Sizemore Research Course on African Americans and Education. The course was offered during the 2017 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in San Antonio, Texas.
Participants, mainly early career scholars and advanced graduate students, learned the fundamentals of developing a research career focused on African American populations in education. They also had the chance to work directly with researchers on questions and methods to guide their research studies. Wei LAB Director and Chief Research Scientist Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson and Belk Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chair Chance Lewis of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte served as directors of the course.
To learn more about the program, click here.
Book Release: Advancing Equity & Diversity in Student Affairs
Drs. Jerlando F. L Jackson, LaVar J. Charleston (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater), and Cornelius Gilbert (University of St. Thomas), served as editors for the new book, Advancing Equity and Diversity in Student Affairs: A Festschrift in Honor of Melvin C. Terrell.
The book highlights how student affairs have changed in response to student diversity on higher education campuses. It also honors the career and life of Dr. Melvin C. Terrell, a key figure and advocate for equity in the student affairs profession.
The book opens with a discussion on the history of student affairs, including a focus on African American contributions to the field and the role of diversity from a historical perspective. The book then transitions to current issues that impact students, such as the benefits of extracurricular activities, leadership involvement, and study-abroad opportunities for racially and ethnically marginalized students.
Other topics covered in the book include a discussion on programs and initiatives on college campuses that address diversity within student affairs, as well as professional and personal development opportunities beyond the university.
Advancing Equity and Diversity in Student Affairs can be ordered online here.
Black Student-Athlete Summit
Wei LAB Director and Chief Research Scientist Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson and Wei LAB Assistant Director and Senior Research Associate Dr. LaVar J. Charleston presented their project: “Beyond the Game: A Passport for Collegiate and Career Success” at the Black Student-Athlete Summit on January 6, 2017.Their presentation examined the Beyond the Game™ (BTG) developed by the Wei LAB. BTG directly confronts the challenge of student-athletes expiring their eligibility to play without identifying viable career alternatives to professional sports. In turn, the program utilizes comprehensive career counseling and support services to expose athletes in general, and Black male student-athletes in particular to post-graduation options. Upon the expiration of grant and institutional funded, BTG was spun-out into a university start-up company – Beyond the Game Solutions, LLC.
This year marked the third annual Black Student-Athlete Summit. Hosted by the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin, the annual summit brings together scholars, athletic directors, coaches, academic advisors, and professional and student-athletes to discuss critical issues surrounding Black student-athletes.
More information on the Black Student-Athlete Summit can be found here.
International Colloquium on Black Males in Education
The Wei LAB and the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male at The Ohio State University co-sponsored the 6th Annual International Colloquium on Black Males in Education (ICBME), which was held in Toronto, Canada on October 4-6, 2017. Toronto, named as the world’s most diverse city in a recent BBC study, provided a unique opportunity to explore issues related to equity and inclusion for Black men, not just in the city, but around the world.
The theme for #ICBME17 was The Black Male Mosaic: Unpacking Divergent Experiences in Global Education. The Colloquium was an inspiring gathering of professionals and citizens who discussed issues of equity and inclusion facing Black males. This was also the first Colloquium where select events were livestreamed on Facebook, which received positive responses from our followers.
View our blog post with highlights and pictures from #ICBME17 here.
Wei LAB Assists with GeoDES Workshop on Race, Equity, Identity, and Professional Development
The Wei LAB traveled to Boulder, Colorado in November 2017 for a workshop related to the Geoscience Diversity Experiential Simulations (GeoDES) Project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The three-day workshop, held November 13-15, 2017, helped participants think critically about race, gender and sexual identity, as well as develop leadership techniques and skills. The workshop included bystander intervention training through the use of virtual reality technology.
Wei LAB Director Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson serves as Co-Principal Investigator for the GeoDES Project, which is focused on increasing diversity in geoscience, as well as aiding in the retention and promotion of geoscientists through training and bystander intervention programs and the use of virtual reality simulations.
To learn more about GeoDES, visit their website here.
2017 included many great opportunities for the Wei LAB to further our mission in conducting and disseminating research on how to best promote equitable and inclusive learning and work environments in higher education. The Wei LAB looks forward to 2018 and advancing our mission with other events, publications, and research projects. We thank you for following and supporting us through this year, and appreciate your continued support throughout 2018!
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