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Meet your NOSS 2021 Equity, Inclusion, & Access Network Panelists!

Purpose

This panel was requested by members of the NOSS EAI network in recognition that many individuals engaged in equity and inclusion work on their campuses operate as individual instructors. Recognizing the role of administrators in fostering meaningful and sustained institutional change, the network established a panel of higher education administrators from a variety of institutional contexts to share their experiences in establishing systems to foster a community of institutional inclusion, which we view as encompassing students, staff, and faculty. 

Activist Administrator Panel

The following remarks were prepared for the 2021 NOSS Equity, Access, and Inclusion Network-Sponsored Panel on creating inclusive institutions.

Dr. Katrina Arnold 

Senior Director of Developmental Education and Academic Support

Pitt Community College

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Dr. Katrina Ramsey Arnold serves as the Senior Director of Developmental Education and Academic Support at Pitt Community College in Winterville, NC. She holds three degrees from East Carolina University: a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Master of Arts in Adult Education, and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership – Higher Education Administration. Dr. Arnold’s research interests include community college leadership, Black women leaders and their experiences as administrators at community colleges, and supporting racially minoritized students at community colleges.  Dr. Arnold also co-leads the Achieving the Dream transformation at Pitt Community College which focuses on student success, equity, and closing opportunity gaps.

1. What events led to your institution’s interest in equity, access, and inclusion?

My institution began to focus more on equity, access, and inclusion after reviewing and better understanding our student success data. We learned that racially minoritized students, especially Black students, were not completing course credits at the same rate as White students. We also became an Achieving the Dream Institution and began to engage in courageous conversations regarding diversity, equity, access, and inclusion.

2. What lessons have you learned? Are there things that you would have done differently? 

I’ve learned several lessons during my time co-chairing our campus-wide student success and equity transformation, but I will highlight two. (1) This work is not easy! Everyone will not understand why this work is important and they will not have the same sense of urgency as you. (2) Data informed decision-making is key. Qualitative data is just as important as quantitative data. The student voice is extremely critical in the decision-making process.

One thing I would do differently is encourage our institution to do a pre-assessment before engaging in DEI work to better understand what our strengths and weaknesses are.

3. What advice do you have about helping faculty accurately evaluate their level of EAI understanding, and what advice do you have for pushing faculty from a shallow to a deep understanding of EAI and anti-racism?

I think educating oneself by engaging in courageous conversations, reading EAI and DEI literature, and assessing one’s own privilege is key to the evaluation process. Moving from a shallow to a deep understanding of EAI and anti-racism requires an understanding of the history and roots of racism, and an understanding of how governmental and educational policies created the foundation for systemic inequality and inequities. It also requires one to take real action and commit to being an anti-racist.

4. What actionable items or policy changes has your institution engaged in order to support equity, access, and inclusion?

We are still early in our process, but we have identified action items and strategies that focus on equity and student success. We are also working on becoming more intentional in looking at our policies through an equity lens.

5. What things have surprised you about this work?

Honestly, nothing has surprised me about this work. I understand how much of a challenge it can be, but I also know how important and necessary it is.

Dr. Georgia Lorenz

President 

Seminole State College

My own undergraduate experience led to my personal interest in higher education access, inclusion, and equity. I completed my bachelor’s degree at Stanford University during the time that the university moved from the required year long frosh course being focused on the Western canon to an array of courses under the umbrella “Culture, Ideas, and Values” or “CIV.” Both curricular and extracurricular learning provided a focus on what we then called multiculturalism. This engendered a lot of debate both inside and outside higher education. As a student I gained so much from my experiences. In my junior and senior years, I worked as a Resident Advisor. This was a powerful and life changing experience for me, cementing my interest in a career in higher education with a focus on ensuring equity in education. 

I pursued my Master’s degree in Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University while continuing to work in Student Affairs. Eventually I pursued my Ph.D. at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. As a graduate student I worked in the Center for Urban Education, and I became the Associate Director for the research center upon graduation. I worked with Estela Bensimon on the Equity Scorecard project for several years. Through this work I had the opportunity to work with teams of faculty and administrators at colleges and universities across the Los Angeles area and eventually the country, focusing on equity in educational outcomes for all of their students. We examined institutional data to identify equity gaps, and then we worked with each team to develop plans to promote understanding across campus and directly address the gaps. It was during this work that I fell in love with the community college—open access to a high-quality education. In my mind there was no doubt that community colleges would be the place where education could live up to its promise and create social mobility and equity for those students who were traditionally underserved. I wanted to be a part of that. I also felt that the biggest difference in equity in educational outcomes would be made in the classroom. So, I began searching for job opportunities in the California Community Colleges in Academic Affairs. I hoped that I would be able to be a part of systemic change that would close the disparities in outcomes experienced by our African American and Latino/a students. I now serve as president of Seminole State College of Florida. My goal in this role is to continue to create systemic change within my own college as well as in higher education, in general. 

1. What events led to your institution’s interest in equity, access, and inclusion?

Seminole State has a long history of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The college has always sought to use high quality, affordable education as a lever of change and social mobility for our students, their families, and our community.  But we know there is much more work to do. As a minority- and Hispanic serving institution, we must ensure that these outcomes consistently reflect that for all students. 

It was clear to me as an applicant for the presidency that many of our employees feel a deep, personal commitment to equity and inclusion. Our employees each feel a role and responsibility in their own daily work to fulfill that mission. And there were events, both locally and nationally, which predated my arrival that strengthened that commitment.

I know there are a multitude of factors that sustain and strengthen the institution’s interest. We see the disparities in education outcomes in our own data, and we hold ourselves accountable to changing those. Our education and community and business partners do the same. For example, the Florida Chamber of Commerce has statewide scorecards which one can view by county. The Chamber is now partnering with the Florida College System on a zip code project to address educational attainment. The Orlando Economic Partnership has developed a “prosperity scorecard.” More than 150 local business leaders have signed off on a DEI pledge developed by the Partnership. The Heart of Central Florida United Way shares data across the region which reflects the “ALICE” population (asset limited, income constrained, and employed). We have historically African American communities and service groups in our area who promote postsecondary attainment and partner with the College.

Ultimately it is the opportunity to work with our brilliant students every day, providing the tools and resources and learning environment to help them reach their full potential. It is no longer theoretical when you witness the success and achievement of our students. 

2. What lessons have you learned? Are there things that you would have done differently? 

One important lesson I have learned was from a small group of my colleagues at Santa Monica College. I tend to be singularly focused on achieving equity in educational outcomes for our students. In a meeting about our equity plan, one of my colleagues told me that it is really challenging to work so hard at achieving equity for students when you don’t feel like you are experiencing equity as an employee. The others in the room agreed. Each of them identified as non-White. They shared incidents that they had experienced at work. To classify these experiences as micro-aggressions seems inadequate. How can I expect them to do their best work for students under those conditions? As a result, I try to work on both in parallel, creating an equitable work environment in which every employee feels valued and enabled to do his/her best work while also working to create the best learning environment for our students to achieve success. 

3. What advice do you have about helping faculty accurately evaluate their level of EAI understanding, and what advice do you have for pushing faculty from a shallow to a deep understanding of EAI and anti-racism?

I would advise faculty to engage in self-reflection and inquiry of their own outcomes and practices. I would also encourage them to develop communities of practice with trusted colleagues from different backgrounds and disciplines. Look at your own outcome data. Are African American and Latino/a students succeeding at the same rates as everyone else in your classes? Are there differences by gender? At what point in the semester or on which topics/assignments do you see some students struggle? If you teach a course for which there are many sections, do you have colleagues who could observe you, share tips on teaching particular concepts, collaborate on new strategies, etc.? The faculty role can be somewhat isolated. You work with your students every day in the classroom, but there are not always frequent opportunities to work with colleagues on developing our own practices and just talking about teaching, EAI, and anti-racism. None of us will achieve a deep understanding of these issues and our role without creating time and space to engage in discussion and sustained learning.

4. What actionable items or policy changes has your institution engaged in in order to support equity, access, and inclusion?

Seminole State College believes that changing the culture of an organization and embracing diversity, equity and inclusion must be intentional and adopted at every level, from leadership to the front-line staff. Our new strategic plan, “Flight Plan 2025,” embodies this belief and includes strategic goals and actions that directly impact students, employees, partners, and our community to create an environment which is not just welcoming and accessible but engenders success for all. Our strategic plan has goals and actions focused both on students and on our employees.

Like so many other organizations, Seminole State refocused our engagement around issues of social justice following the national incidents of racial injustice in 2020. As President, I have addressed these issues with employees and students and pledged to take sustained action to demonstrate that commitment. Gathering employee and student representatives and College leadership, Seminole State formed a Joint Action Committee on Race and Social Justice in the immediate aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. This has since evolved into a newly formed Equity Committee to lead strategic plan advances in this area. Some of the recent actions that we have taken include: 

• Mandatory training for all employees on unconscious bias awareness and prevention.

• Assessment of the ways in which employee recruitment, hiring, and retention strategies can be improved and retooled to build a strong team of faculty and staff who more closely resemble Seminole State’s population to be served. 

• Frequent convenings are held. These are created and led by groups across the college—student government and clubs, academic departments, the Joint Action Committee, and many more. Some focus on “A Time to Heal” which offer opportunities for communication, discussion, and support around national events and challenges. Others focus on learning and understanding more about racism, the lived experiences of our students and colleagues, and scholarly research. 

• Multiple cohorts engaged in the “Black Minds Matter” online course created by Dr. J. Luke Wood and his team at San Diego State University. 

• Executive leadership engaged in the “21 Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge” offered by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. 

When focusing on equity in educational outcomes, we know that the student’s experience in the classroom is critical. Seminole State’s Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning offers year-round professional development opportunities for faculty including workshops on syllabi review, equitable pedagogical practice, and more. The Center researches and shares national resources with faculty members and then creates forums for discussion amongst colleagues for application of lessons learned.

5. What things have surprised you about this work?

When I think back to my time as an R.A. at Stanford and all of the equity and inclusion work I have been a part of since then, I really thought we would be in a different, better place by now. I am surprised that we seem to be having the same conversations no

Glynis Mullins 

Coordinator/Instructor Dev. Math

Developmental Education & Academic Support 

Pitt Community College

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When thinking about what led me to access and inclusion in higher education, multiple things come to mind – teaching developmental math for over 20 plus years. I see first hand the influx of students that due to a one high stakes placement test, deemed not college ready due to mistakes in the past, or because of policies in place, the student does not access the same opportunities as another student.  My interest in access and inclusion is guided and fueled by my passion for serving ALL students to achieve academic success without stumbling over barriers they did not create or, more importantly, don’t understand.  I know the power of education, so I will always advocate for change in policies, processes, and pedagogical approaches to empower students to advocate themselves through their educational journey.  Knowledge is Power! 

1. What events led to your institution’s interest in equity, access, and inclusion?

Pitt Community College is in the 3rd year of Achieving the Dream institutional transformation. I look at this ATD opportunity to transform our institution into a student-centered campus fostering student success.  Transformation requires taking a hard look at yourself to identify the possible changes that could take place in order to become a better self.  We have to recognize the beginning phase of such a transformation is to assess our cultural acceptance of the opportunity for change.  Are we okay with what might be revealed through this process?  Are we willing to accept the findings if we are not promoting equity, access, and inclusion in our classrooms, offices, or our meetings across campus?   

2. What lessons have you learned? Are there things that you would have done differently? 

The lessons learned are to make a conscious effort to take time to check your own biases at the door.  Being an advocate in silos will not work, so try not to work in isolation.  Being a great instructor for your students is not good enough; I must be willing to share what might be working and what is not.  Building strong relationships across disciplines, departments, and divisions is so very important.  Be open to change no matter how passionate you are.  

Things I would have done differently. Learn more about equity, access, and inclusion earlier in my career. My passion drives me to make decisions based on what I believe is suitable for the students I serve but having more knowledge to confirm my actions, I think, would make my work more intentional.  

3. What advice do you have about helping faculty accurately evaluate their level of EAI understanding, and what advice do you have for pushing faculty from a shallow to a deep understanding of EAI and anti-racism?

My advice would be to engage in Professional Development opportunities to learn more about EAI.  My responsibility is to engage in conversation that might seem challenging to hope that the conversation might spark an interest in learning more about EAI.  My advice on pushing faculty from a shallow to a deep understanding of EAI and anti-racism is not to be afraid to have conversations. It is essential to have a seat at the table.  Fear to talk about this topic is what is causing more harm than good. And finally, recognize that we can’t carry the world’s weight upon our shoulders, so if you realize no change will occur in conversation, then it is okay to move on.

4. What actionable items or policy changes has your institution engaged in in order to support equity, access, and inclusion?

Through our ATD efforts, we are launching an equity campaign to assess the culture of equity as an institution.  We are also working on identifying the barriers students face by evaluating our advising policies and processes, especially for students earning zero credits in the first semester and first year.  Using the student voice through focus groups and surveys, we hope to improve and identify an advising model to include a more streamlined process. This streamlined process would provide consistent information, academic support for all, and career exploration to connect their educational journey to their career goals or interests.  

5. What things have surprised you about this work?

Nothing surprises me about this work!  This type of work is much needed but is also ever-changing and full of surprises.  I believe this work begins with conversations or sitting at the table to engage in difficult conversations. I  will continue to empower myself and learn as much as I can about EAI.  This work can be challenging, draining, and frustrating, but we must continue the work.  We must do so.