Diversity Faculty Fellows Program

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This program is sponsored by the Vice Chancellor of Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) to provide a select number of faculty members from various ranks with opportunities to infuse diversity and inclusion into existing pedagogy and curriculum, create models to improve classroom dynamics in support of inclusive excellence, create scholarly knowledge that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, or identify strategies to enhance institutional practices. 

Program Overview

The Vice Chancellor’s Diversity Faculty Fellows (DFF) Program will support the goals and objectives outlined in the Imagine 2030 Strategic Plan. SIU faculty who are interested in developing or redesigning courses for major or core curriculum, curricular practices to support inclusive classroom environments, research and teaching projects, pedagogy and research toolkits, scholar-practitioner collaborations, and/or building collaborations to enhance diversity and inclusion.

Program outcomes will serve to achieve two goals:

  1. Facilitate increasing diverse faculty on campus by supporting research and scholarly activities.
  2. Serve to assist in the retention of diverse faculty on campus.

Diversity Faculty Fellow Expectations

  • Provide monthly updates for work being performed during AY 2023-2024.
  • Serve on the Diversity Taskforce during AY 2023-2024.
  • Implement the newly-developed diversity initiatives in the spring of 2024.
  • Attend various university conferences and/or retreats when available.
  • Participate in networking gatherings or events for the university (i.e., special "Takeover" events involving specific populations, and/or recruiting events).
  • Act as a resource for the Vice Chancellor Office of Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Areas of Focus

  1. Develop Curricular Practices to Support Inclusive and Diverse Classroom Environments
    • Examples include developing assignments, syllabi, and other techniques in the classroom that guide students toward understanding and valuing difference and inclusion.
  2.  Develop and/or Redesign Courses for Major or Core Curriculum
    • Examples include developing departmental courses that add to students' understanding of the experiences of others. These courses might be added as part of a major in the core curriculum.
  3. Support Scholarly Engagement
    • Examples include working with a research team to create an innovative research center on ADEI from any discipline.
  4. Develop Scholar-Practitioner Collaborations
    • Examples include parternering with other faculty (of any rank) or staff on diversity and inclusion research; faculty and on-campus practitioners partnering to develop and evaluate programs serving diverse populations.
  5. Identify Areas of Potential Collaboration to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion
    • Examples include assisting with collaborations and initiatives across departments and across campus, such as grant writing, or proposing and organizing conferences or speakers.