A group of thirteen faculty at St. Cloud Technical and Community College (SCTCC) have been selected and are ready to address existing inequities and improve access through continuous and regular practice at the College.
Faculty selected for the SCTCC Equity by Design Teach Academy (EBDTA) will work with facilitators to examine their own teaching practices using race-conscious inquiry tools. They will then use the findings to help all SCTCC faculty to become equity minded practitioner. Vice Presidents Debra Leigh and Betty Strehlow enthusiastically support this investment in faculty professional development and quality instruction.
“SCTCC is excited to start this necessary work with equitable practices in the classroom which include a hands-on approach, data analysis, analytical tools, sharpening interpersonal skills, language, and relationships. By realizing what effects our everyday racialized patterns have on minoritized students, faculty can make changes that help them succeed in the classroom and beyond,” said Debra Leigh, Vice President of Cultural Fluency, Equity, and Inclusion.
The 2021 SCTCC EBDTA cohort includes:
- Adam Smieja
- Katie Smieja
- Anne Tuoy-Giel
- Connie Logeman
- Kevin LaNave
- Faith Ericson
- Dawn Straley
- Christopher Chamberlain
- Caitlin Hickcox
- Ingrid Smiles
- Melissanne Frank
- Jennifer Evens
- Megan Rogholt
Facilitators H. Ray Keith and James Gray will work with the faculty to explore racialized patterns in their classes; reflect on the outcomes and impact; use data to change classroom practices; and prepare faculty to lead future EBDTA sessions.
"We draw upon beliefs that explain disproportionately low outcomes for students of color as, in some way, a natural occurrence. But we don't have an accounting of the students we tend to call on nor do we study the language we use to invite students to engage, or how we create relationships with them, all of which influences who engages and how they engage. This approach to equity minded, student centered, and race-conscious teaching and learning is transformative to the educational experience and outcomes of BIPOC students in higher education," said the facilitators.
The EBDTA will bring an equity lens to SCTCC’s academic practices to meet the needs of all learners and to reach the success they want and need, as outlined in the strategic plan’s first priority: “to create an inclusive and student-ready campus environment that fosters a sense of belonging and equitable outcomes for all.”
Caitlin Hickox is a tri-chair for the Strategic Planning Committee and a member of this cohort. “This training will be eye opening to unconscious biases and systemic racism that we perpetuate unknowingly in our classrooms. This first cohort of instructors will be able to share what they learned with other SCTCC faculty and we can work to spread antiracist practices throughout the college,” said Hickox. “Most importantly, investing in this training for faculty will impact students’ experiences by encouraging instructors to equitably teach students of color in their classroom.”
This training is supported by a grant from the Morgan Family Foundation, which funded 10 applicants. SCTCC supplemented funding so all who applied could participate in the training. The Morgan Family Foundation for Charitable Giving awards grants for charitable purposes, primarily in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and in St. Cloud, Minn.