Cultural Bridge-Building:

Tools to Strengthen Cross-Campus Identity
and Systems to Include All Students

A Planning Workshop (via Zoom)

Mondays, November 25 and December 9, 2024, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm Eastern

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2024

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(payment can be made with or without a PayPal account).
Fill out the form and submit, then select the number of attendees and click the Add to Cart button.

The Yes We Must Coalition is offering a workshop to college/university teams on Cultural Bridge-Building: Tools to Strengthen Cross-Campus Identity and Systems to Include All Students, a two-session workshop on Mondays, November 25 and December 9, 2024, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm Eastern. The workshop will be led by Joi Sampson, Interim Assistant Provost and DEIJ Officer at Mercy University (NY), a Yes We Must Coalition member school.

Gallup and Lumina Foundation’s State of Higher Education 2024 Report reveals that of approximately 14,000 survey respondents, “About one in six students at least occasionally feel disrespected, discriminated against or unsafe in their program. Unfortunately for some students, the absence of respect and belonging in their program can lead to outright disrespect, discrimination and, in some cases, feeling unsafe.” For schools that purposefully serve a diverse student body and seek to employ diverse faculty and staff — including gender, orientation, race, ethnicity, and, importantly, socioeconomic status — this statistic is disheartening. What is further disheartening are the snowball effects that follow including high attrition rates, the continued decline in enrollment among students of color, and ultimately the lack of social mobility for these students within our societies. How can schools employ the model of shared equity leadership and assist all campus community members in recognizing opportunities for strengthening qualities and practices that foster belonging? This workshop will provide strategies to develop faculty and staff awareness of personal and institutional implicit biases, leading to approaches to instructional practices and college/university policies and initiatives that create learning environments and college processes that are inclusive and equitable. It is intended for cross-campus teams of at least 2 people.

What Is Involved?

The workshop will consist of two 2-hour virtual gatherings in Zoom on Mondays, November 25 and December 9, 2024, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm ET. Campus teams will complete a pre-workshop exercise and a team assignment in between sessions. 

Who Should Attend?

Teams from all Yes We Must Coalition member schools and other colleges/universities who share our commitment to increasing the success of students from low-income backgrounds are invited. Campus teams will participate together in the workshop sessions and develop an action-oriented plan for their campus.
 
Teams must consist of at least 2 members. Suggested team members include Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging leaders, Human Resources leaders, Student Life, Academic Support, and Admissions staff, and faculty members; however, administrators, staff, and faculty in all capacities are welcome to participate as part of a campus team.

Campus Team Outcomes:

• Increase understanding of cross-campus functional areas to develop strategic partnerships and prepare campus systems to promote student, faculty, and staff belonging, address concerns and respond effectively.
• Expand awareness of positive personal and institutional attitudes, policies, and practices that foster an inclusive learning and working environment and draft a campus action plan that furthers shared equity leadership.
• Meet colleagues at Yes We Must Coalition member schools and others who share common goals and contexts for advancing equity and inclusion of all students, and stimulate collaborative work that creates changes in culture, policies, and practices.
• Leave with an invitation to participate in a post-meeting virtual Community of Practice to assist one another with plan implementation.

How to Register and Cost for Participating

Cost for a Campus Team of at least 2 and up to 4 members is $350 for Yes We Must Coalition institutional members; cost for a team from non-YWMC institutions is $500. For teams larger than 4, additional members may join at a cost of $75 per additional member. Team registration deadline is Monday, November 18. To register, one college/university representative should complete the online Registration Form below — providing names, titles/roles, and email contacts for team participants. Payment must be made by credit card at time of registration through the payment link at the bottom of the online form. Registrants will be sent links to the Zoom workshop sessions as well as the pre-workshop exercise to complete and return.

Workshop Leader

Joi Sampson, Ed.D., is a dedicated leader in enhancing student learning and fostering equity within higher education. She is Interim Assistant Provost and DEIJ Officer at Mercy University and has served students and universities in various student affairs and leadership roles. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from SUNY Purchase and a Master of Science in Counseling and Student Personnel from Kansas State University. In 2022, she earned a Doctor of Educational Leadership from Manhattanville College, and her dissertation focused on the experiences of Black professional women in predominantly white institutions, reflecting her commitment to addressing equity and representation in academia. Joi has worked to strengthen higher education through engagement in policy discussions and has contributed to initiatives like NASPA’s Student Affairs Day of Action. Through publications and presentations, she has explored the challenges faced by underrepresented students and the faculty and staff that serve them. Her career is characterized by a commitment to increasing student belonging and driving cultural change through education and advocacy.

For Questions

Contact Ann Landis, Program Manager at the Yes We Must Coalition, at Enable JavaScript to view protected content..

Campus Team Registration Form

Cost for a Campus Team of at least 2 and up to 4 members is $350 for Yes We Must Coalition institutional members (this includes the community college colleagues members included and registered as team members); cost for a team from non-YWMC institutions is $500. For teams larger than 4, additional members may join at a cost of $75 per additional member. Please look carefully for these categories when you select your payment option in the drop-down menu. Team registration deadline is Monday, November 18, 2024.

Please provide the following information for campus team participants.
(Payment must be made at time of registration through the payment link below the registration form. Please fill out and submit the form below first.)

Note: You must click the Registration Form Submit button above
BEFORE moving on to the payment process.
BE SURE TO SELECT THE MEMBER OR NON-MEMBER OPTION BELOW. Members pay less.

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