Dear Southern California Regional Collaborative Community,
I hope you are all well and taking care of yourselves during these difficult times. With the news of the horrific murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many other innocent Black people, and the recent increases in Coronavirus cases, we are aware that our communities are likely feeling warn out and emotionally drained. We send our love and support to you as you navigate your way through this unprecedented time.
With the call to action that has awoken many educators across the country to the need for inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist pedagogy, we at Aspire and the Southern California Regional Collaborative appreciate the utmost importance of our work towards diversity and equity in STEM. We aim to continue and expand our work to help fight towards social justice and are grateful for those within the Regional Collaborative who are working with this to further these goals.
While many of you are likely exhausted, we have compiled some excellent resources, events, and opportunities that I don't want you to miss. I encourage you to please look through this issue carefully to find the ones that fit your needs.
Wishing you all the best and warmest wishes of support,
Katie Dixie, Program Coordinator
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Featured Opportunity:
Apprenticing Students into Mathematical and STEM Thinking:
Learning Communities for Community College and California State University Instructors
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Are you a full- or part-time California Community College or California State University science, technology, engineering or mathematics instructor? Do you want a professional learning experience that will allow you to go deeper into the nuts and bolts of remote instruction? One where you explore ways to design and support active and equitable learning?
If your answer is yes to all of the above, you are invited to join a 10-month long professional learning course.
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Math Instructors Learning Community
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STEM Instructors Learning Community
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Academics for Black Survival and Wellness
Academics for Black Survival and Wellness was organized by a group of Black counseling psychologists and their colleagues who practice Black allyship. Guided by a Black feminist frame, they hope to foster accountability and growth for non-Black people and enhance healing and wellness for Black people.
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Teaching Online in Fall 2020: A Free Mini Course
Tuesdays and Thursdays, July 21st - August 6th
This short course will walk instructors through the process of designing an online course that is effective, equitable and inclusive. It will focus on designing content and choosing pedagogy for both synchronous and asynchronous formats, and will engage participants through both types of sessions. The course will address the basics of online and inclusive pedagogy. Over the three weeks, participants will design their own online course materials.
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A Guide to Academic Advising for STEM Faculty
Aspire's A Guide to Academic Advising for STEM Faculty provides an overview of advising, core competencies to address the academic needs of students, and tools to help faculty be effective advisors for a diverse population of students. The tools and resources include an advising checklist for new faculty, faculty advising framework, exercises to help identify social identity, and more.
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Featured Recordings from the 2020 Aspire Summit:
Advancing Equity in STEM in a Time of Disruption
A facilitated conversation with Dr. Robert Jones and Dr. Shirley Malcolm
A Charge for Moving Forward with Systemic Change in Turbulent Times
A facilitated conversation with Dr. Ann Austin and Dr. Leslie Gonzales
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Featured Podcast Episode:
California's Community Colleges and lessons Learned in the Last Recession
California has seen 3 million new unemployment claims filed in recent months, and the state proposed a $740 million budget cut to its community college system. But California's two year colleges are drawing from lessons learned during the last recession to cope with mounting challenges amid the pandemic.
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Join the California Community College Success Network (3CSN)
for their ongoing workshop series.
For more information visit their
website
.
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Becoming an Anti-Racist Educator
This excellent resource, created by Wheaton College in Massachusetts, is a action-oriented guide that does not claim to be exhaustive. It is meant to engage all educators in the college campus in becoming anti-racist. It will direct you to resources produced by communities of educators across the US.
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Webinar Recording:
Responding to Racial Bias and Microagressions in the Online Environment
The transition to online instruction and student services in response to COVID-19 presents a substantial challenge for most post-secondary institutions. Among the most pervasive challenges are issues with racial bias and racial microaggressions that serve to impede the student experience.
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Featured Article:
Over 5000 Scientists Stop Work in Protest Again Systemic Racism in STEM
Thousands of scientists pledged to halt research on Wednesday as part of a protest over systemic racism against black academics and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professionals.
More than 5,000 academics from institutions across the globe signed an online pledge to strike posted by Particles for Justice.
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Webinar Recording:
White People Talking to White People About Racism
The
USC Race and Equity Center hosted a panel about the importance of white people to talk about race. Moderated by Professor John Pascarella, USC Race and Equity Center Chief Academic Officer. Kathy Obear, Ted Mitchell, Ali Michael, Greg Schulz, and Stephen Sachs were panelists.
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WORKING TOWARDS EQUITY IN STEM EDUCATION
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Become a Leader in Institutional Change by Joining the Next Aspire IChange Cohort
The Institutional Change Initiative (IChange) seeks to cultivate institutions where STEM faculty from underrepresented groups (URGs) are widely recruited, hired, and retained, and all STEM faculty employ inclusive teaching, advising, and research mentoring practices.
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Accelerating Systemic Change in STEM Higher Education:
Resources on Equity and Inclusion for STEM and Higher Education
These recent articles and resources are meant to serve as a starting point for learning about equity, inclusion, diversity, and justice - with a particular focus on addressing systemic anti-Black racism - within STEM and higher education. This list of resources is long, but not by any means exhaustive.
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Webinar from the SEA Change Institute
Talking about Leaving STEM Revisited: Entering an Uneven Playing Field
Analysts discuss the consequences for college transition and survival in the early stages of STEM majors that arise from disadvantages of social class, race, ethnicity and gender. Most significantly, these include; under-preparation in the K-12 system, problems arising from choice of majors or career pathways, and the need to work while in college.
Future webinars in this series:
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Featured Article:
The Invisible Minority in STEM: Being a Transgender Scientist and Trainee
With Pride Month quickly coming to an end, movements like "All Black Lives Matter" highlight the importance of intersectionality and the so called "invisible minority in STEM" which includes transgender scientists and other members of the LGBTQIA+ communities.
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In the News: Equity in Higher Education
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Toolkit for Actionable Decision Making in Times of Disruption
These tools and resources were designed by Achieving the Dream (ATD) to support colleges to document what they are learning from the transition to remote instruction and supports so that they can continue to improve.
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Call for Manuscripts from the Journal of Microbiology & Education Research:
Teaching in a Time of Crisis: Special Issue on Pedagogy in COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the approaches that educators use for teaching students and engaging them in the learning process. Thus, the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education (JMBE) announces a Call for Manuscripts for a special issue focused on “Teaching in a Time of Crisis.” They invite manuscripts that offer perspectives, reviews, tools and curricular supports, and research findings collected during the COVID-19 crisis that provide insights into teaching during this period.
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How I'm Spending My Pandemic Summer Vacation: A Self-Guided Syllabus
Sarah Rose Cavanagh, a professor at Assumption University, has created a syllabus to guide herself and other faculty members in preparing for more remote teaching this fall, amid Covid-19.
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In the News: COVID-19 in Higher Education and Remote Teaching
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July 20-24th. Spots are limited.
SI Friday Happy Hours
Join colleagues across the country for stimulating conversation each week on topics such as:
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Free Virtual Conference:
Preparing for the Challenge of Teaching this Fall
July 13-14th
Join faculty colleagues, thought and practice leaders from universities and colleges worldwide to discover their perspective on pedagogy, blended learning and how to deliver engaging and effective experiences for students. REMOTE will help you design and deliver a better back to school this fall and beyond.
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July 13th-16th
The STEM Leadership Alliance, associated with
NSF INCLUDES, is committed to bridging the gap between education and industry through STEM experiences for educators and students. The Alliance will foster STEM integration in education that prepares students to compete in a changing global economy.
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July 27-29th
As school districts and colleges adapt to an education system that transitioned to remote instruction almost overnight, many of our most vulnerable students are missing out on instruction and the crucial supports that come with being a part of a school community. The remote Peer Learning Conference will feature on-going discussion forums for those crucial, impromptu ‘between session’ chats.
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Free Webinars:
Scientific Teaching in Practice (STiP) Webinars
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June 30th, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
July 3rd,
12:00 - 2:00 pm
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Upcoming Events:
NISOD Online Convenings
Since the coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed the way all of us now function, NISOD has announced a restructured 2020 annual conference as a series of online convenings. These events will feature purposefully selected presentations originally planned for the annual onsite conference.
- Online Administrator Series - July 15th, 2020
*There is a registration cost associated with each session.
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To support instructors needing to make a quick transition to utilizing an online environment, the ACUE is offering resources and recommendations that can be immediately used by instructors, to benefit faculty and their students.
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Equity in 2020 Requires More Than a Diversity Statement
College campuses are — and historically have been — a space where world-changing social mobilization and protest take place. But as academic programs moved online in response to Covid-19, this critical space for assembly and activism has vanished. Campus closures also now coincide with widespread protests against devastating and institutionalized anti-Black violence.
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How to Advocate for Yourself as an Early-Career Scholar
Author Manya Whitaker writes "As I lament having to teach for the sixth out of seven summers, I’ve been reflecting on public perception of academic life. Most of us are just run-of-the-mill people who were fortunate enough to realize our dreams of earning a Ph.D. And to be honest, very few of us had any idea of what being an academic would really entail. When we begin our professional journeys — on the tenure track or not — we are often shocked by the amount, pacing, and variety of work required of us. And, while we did sign up for a demanding career, we still must learn when to say no and how best to advocate for ourselves."
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Well-Positioned to Serve Students
Of all of the dire predictions making headlines regarding COVID-19, one that does not appear to make the news is this: community colleges were and are well-positioned to address student needs during and after this pandemic.
Community college administrators, faculty and staff have built their organizations on the servant leadership of student success, complete with flexibility, accessibility, provision of wraparound services, and scaling up or scaling back resources, depending on the situation faced. One of the characteristics of the community college — it’s commuter population — has become its strength.
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Sorry Not Sorry: Online Teaching is Here to Stay
If there’s one big takeaway from the Covid-19 crisis for higher education, it’s that teaching well online is increasingly, and vitally, important. Maybe you’re thinking: Well, once this global health threat recedes — with testing, tracing, and vaccines — online learning will diminish in prevalence and I can go back to teaching entirely in person.
Not likely. The virtual train has left the station. And it’s to your advantage to be on it.
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Community colleges: A better alternative than a gap year
COVID-19 has disrupted many of our lives, especially high school seniors who were excited to graduate and begin a new chapter at a university in the fall.
Much of the four-year experience is about exploring an extensive campus, living in the dorms, attending large lectures, enjoying big events and eating with hundreds of students in the cafeteria. But in the midst of a pandemic, this type of environment may cause more anxiety than excitement for incoming freshman.
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Coming Out in Class: Challenges and Benefits of Active Learning in a Biology Classroom for LGBTQIA Students
As we transition our undergraduate biology classrooms from traditional lectures to active learning, the dynamics among students become more important. These dynamics can be influenced by student social identities. One social identity that has been unexamined in the context of undergraduate biology is the spectrum of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) identities
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REGIONAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES
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Looking for jobs at local Community Colleges?
This web site provides a number of services for individuals seeking employment as a faculty, support staff or manager at a California Community College.
The California Community Colleges is the largest higher education system in the nation. It is comprised of 72 districts, 112 colleges and enrolls more than 2.6 million students. Community colleges provide basic skills education, workforce training and courses that prepare students for transfer to four-year universities. The colleges also offer opportunities for personal enrichment and lifelong learning.
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Visiting Assistant Professor of Animal Physiology
Pomona College
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Associate Director of Assessment & Evaluation
Stanford University
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Lecturer of Molecular and Software Engineering
University of California, Berkeley
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Academic Coordinator
Biological Sciences Student Programs
UC San Diego
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Lecturer of Mathematics
University of California, Berkeley
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English as a Second Language Instructor
San Jose/Evergreen College
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Adjunct and Part-Time Positions (many disciplines)
North Orange County Community College District
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Associate Vice President, Administrative Services
Los Angeles Community College District
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Senior Consultant, Center of Teaching & Learning
UC Berkeley
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Adjunct and Part-Time Positions (many disciplines)
Los Angeles Community College District
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Associate Director for Educational Analytics and Assessment, Center for Educational Effectiveness
UC Davis
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Educator of Equity and Accessibility
San Jose State University
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Adjunct and Part-Time Positions (many disciplines)
Ventura County Community College District
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Adjunct and Part-Time Positions (many disciplines)
Coast Colleges
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To have your openings posted in our newsletter, please send job announcements to
[email protected]
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CONNECT WITH THE CALIFORNIA REGIONAL COLLABORATIVE
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If your organization is a regional partner please send all inquires and announcements to
[email protected].
If you wish to be added to the California Regional Collaborative mailing list for future newsletters and special announcements, please send your request to
[email protected]
.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO
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The California Regional Collaborative
is a regional network of 2- and 4- year institutions, working together towards improving overall outcomes in STEM higher education, and in particular for students and faculty from underrepresented groups.
We work with graduate students and other potential “future faculty” from groups that are underrepresented in academia to address the need to increase diversity in our regional colleges to better reflect the diversity of our students. These trainees will support teaching efforts, education research initiatives, and curriculum development needs in collaboration with their 2- year internship site. In addition, regional programming such as webinars, symposiums, conferences, panels, and other events supports both current faculty along with future faculty. This will be coupled with an assessment plan to understand regional needs and assess the impact of our work.
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The
California Regional Collaborative
is part of a network of collaboratives, national organizations, and initiatives participating in the NSF INCLUDES Aspire Alliance
Subscribe to the Aspire Alliance newsletter here:
Subscribe
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