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Image Description: The Wisdom of the Universe is an acrylic painting. The painting gives the illusion as if it is intricately embroidered beadwork in the tradition of the Metis people. This work features plants and animals that are listed in Canada as threatened, endangered, or extinct, like the dwarf lake iris, the Karner blue butterfly, and the cerulean warbler. Artwork by Christi Belcourt.
Dear Community,
This is your Fall 2024 in-review. This is more than a summary—it’s what happens when creativity, courage, and collaboration guide our work. Everything happens by people. Everything we do, we’ll do together. Here's just some of what we did... And now, rest, recalibrate, then return.
Be well and be powerful,
Angela Kariotis, Director, Susan E. Whyman Center for Transformative Learning, Academic Affairs
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The Engaged Pedagogy Faculty Working Group | |
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The Beta Cohort of the Engaged Pedagogy Faculty Working Group at Brookdale Community College is an effort supported by the Office of the Provost and Office of the President. This weekly intensive is focused on implementing tools in the classroom across the curriculum and all content areas. The Working Group exists to operationalize observable strategies for a responsive and engaged classroom.
What we did:
- Challenging dominant culture and integrating a multicultural framework for learning and processing
- Setting the scene for generative conflict and diversity of thought and ideas
- Rubric for 36 tools for responsive classroom practices that benefit all students
- Co-operative learning strategies
- Glossary of terms
- The pedagogy of play
- Classroom culture and facilitating friendships
- Mentorship with the Alpha cohort
- Reading work by Dr. Bettina Love, bell hooks and Dr. Shawn Ginwright
- Supported by institutional funding
- Digital learning platform (Padlet) with resources texts, videos, articles
We will continue our fellowship into the spring semester with:
- Poverty-Informed Practices for the classroom
- Case studies
- Continuing the skills lab to practice new tools and get feedback
- Develop interdisciplinary projects together
- Prepare for Scholar's Day
Below are photos from our week 12 with the inaugural Alpha cohort, now mentors, in attendance for support. The beta cohort practiced new strategies in our skills lab. Connect with Faculty Fellow Christine Greco Covington about joining us next season.
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Elisa Elorza | Art & Design | | |
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Georgia Cassidy | Nursing | | |
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Sara Burrill | Psychology | | |
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Along with focusing on practical techniques, we asked questions like, how do we engage all students even if they didn't do the pre-work? How might we help students cultivate friendships with classmates for student retention? How might we consider disability? How might we celebrate failure and honor mistakes to encourage risk, effort, and creativity? | |
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Fight Poverty Not the Poor
Poverty-Informed Practice in Higher Education
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The Center for Transformative Learning was proud to collaborate with Civility Week by introducing this framework of poverty-informed practice as an umbrella constellating multiple efforts at Brookdale. This is about challenging poverty and creating solidarity. Many of us are in working class struggle. This is in the interest of students AND the people who work here. 64% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Financial disaster is a $400 emergency away. A poverty-informed practice in higher education is a framework for student success, retention and graduation. This is about all of us.
Our Civility Week Keynote was Dr. Chad Dull. We had 100+ people join us. Gratitude to Civility Week co-chairs Ave Latte and Sara Burrill for their leadership and collaboration.
One student shared during Dull's session: I lost my financial aid and failed 2 classes out of 4 bc I missed my final or points deduction for late turn in….. it was not intentional, we were homeless, no phones, no internet, no gas to even keep heat on in the car with the kids…it was a final…that failed me after the whole semester…
Here are 5 ACTIONS you can take toward a poverty-informed framework & learn more.
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Listen as a team in department meetings. Consider the questions below as a start.
Understanding and Awareness:
- How does poverty manifest in our student population and how does this impact retention?
Current Practices:
- Are there any existing gaps in our support systems?
Empathy and Support:
- Can we normalize asking for help with a campaign?
Systemic Changes:
- How can we ensure that our policies and procedures are inclusive for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background?
Collaboration and Community:
- What partnerships can we form with external organizations?
- Do we know all the helpers?
Future Initiatives:
- How can we measure poverty-informed practices?
Personal Reflection:
- What personal actions can we take in our institution?
| | | The Cost of Poverty Experience was a Civility Week anchor event. It provided a shared, immersive experience magnifying the daily challenges of living in poverty. The event was produced by the Wellness Center's Anita Voogt, Gina Giannattasio and Summer Deaver. For Brookdale and other college audiences, I crafted our own original, participatory and interactive debrief to inspire action. When you get the chance to participate in COPE again, take it. | |
For the spring Brookdale Reading Circle, we'll read Chad Dull's book. Join us.
Civility Week will also host another Living Room Conversation again. I introduced this framework at Brookdale on topics like Being First-Gen and Climate-Change. Here's our Conversation from the fall led by Ave Latte. We learned about student challenges which led to important policy revisions. We were joined by beloved students, EOF's Julia Krampah and Elizabeth Kruijssen. Dr. Susan Whyman, the Engaged Pedagogy faculty group, Wellness, Strategic Partnerships, the President's Office and more.
| We have to Maslow before we can Bloom | | |
In the Cut: Positive Masculinities | | |
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Men's health, belonging and restoration. We hosted monthly free haircuts from a mobile barber. We brought barbershop camaraderie to Brookdale. All were welcomed. Join us next semester for a fresh fade. In conjunction with the pop ups, Summer Deaver of the Wellness Center presented K.Y.D.S. (pictured below) to host community gatherings with students.
"The barbershop is a safe-haven and cultural institution where generations share stories, unpack struggles, and listen to life’s challenges." -ClipDart
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Inclusive Classrooms for Gender Non-Conforming Students with Jay Hayden
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Identified as one of the priorities of Academic Affairs, we thank faculty and staff for supporting this important work with their presence. Employees received annual diversity compliance credit for this event. One of the biggest takeaways or better practices for me: "When mistakes happen, because I will make mistakes, I will say "Thank you for correcting me" instead of "I'm sorry." | |
We hosted a workshop for Nancy Liu and her small but mighty department. She rallied her outstanding instructional assistant Michelle Paci and physics adjuncts including Sarbmeet Kanwal and Richard Oppenheim. Dr. Liu's respect, connection and consideration of the adjunct faculty is a tremendous model. About inclusion: Might we invite adjunct faculty to more general campus meetings or experiences and intentionally update them on strategic plans and visions? Our workshop was about observable strategies in the physics classroom in support of Dr. Liu's departmental plan. If we can support you, please contact faculty fellow Christine Greco. | |
Financial Resilience Money Workshop with Pocket's Change
| Are you a one marshmallow kid? In support of Civility Week challenging poverty, we presented a workshop on financial resilience.The Pocket's Change money workshop is not about a budget. It is a deeply insightful experience unraveling our emotions around money, our past traumas and money. So, if we're going to talk about money saving efforts, we must understand how difficult it is for people to save and why. Brookdale's own finance professor Phyllis Shaffer was in attendance! Gratitude to Ashley Zampogna-Krug and her students as they learn about the history of money in class. | |
Supporting Neurodivergent Students and Universal Design For Learning with Heather Clarke
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Access is for everyone. Everyone benefits. Here are resources and questions to consider that emerged from our time together:
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Brookdale's TLC can support UDL in classrooms: LINK
- Might UDL be one of the tactics toward our North Star 60x30 goal?
- Gen Alpha will never to know a life without artificial intelligence. How will we adapt?
- In efforts toward responsive classrooms, might we reference UDL practices?
- Can we integrate UDL across campus to support our neurodivergent colleagues?
- Can UDL be intentional for our adult learners?
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Invisible Disabilities Awareness Week | |
We listened to testimony by disability advocate Orrie Shulman of Caring with Compassion, Inc. Gratitude to Shayla Ward and her class in joining and contributing to this new awareness effort. Invisible disabilities include chronic health, neurological, autoimmune, sensory, developmental and other conditions. We took a quiz, debated, and brainstormed ideas from destigmatizing accommodations to encouraging alert forms. Please support our Accessibility Services. | |
Fall 2024 Reading Circle: Crucial Conversations | |
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In collaboration with Summer Deaver of the Wellness Center, and their generous support of providing books for participants, this semester's Reading Circle was on the book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High. We produced 3 workshops. We were joined by an intergenerational cohort of students, faculty and staff. We practiced, deliberated and asked questions like:
- How do you recognize when a conversation becomes unsafe, and what strategies from the book resonate most with you?
- How can you apply the concept of "mutual purpose" to make conversations feel safer in your work or personal life?
- What techniques have you used (or plan to use) to ensure follow-through and accountability after crucial conversations?
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Spring 2025 Reading Circle | |
We're preparing for Chad Dull's in-person presentation for Spring Convocation 2025.
Our Spring Reading Circle is Chad Dull's Poverty Informed Practice in Higher Education: 10 Actions to Try Now! A collaboration with the Wellness Center.
- Zoom
- Fridays at 10am
- February 21
- March 28
- April 18
| Visit the Bankier Library for a copy. Thank you to adjunct librarian Theresa Agostinelli for securing books. | | |
Culture Share and Immigrant Stories | |
The CVA Gallery hosted our Culture Share in partnership with Ashley Zampogna-Krug, UnDocually and Red Bank Regional High School to celebrate immigrant journeys and stories as part of a Belonging@Brookdale campaign. A culture share is an interactive event where we are prompted to share stories and artifacts that represent our home, family, culture, journey and people we love. The current show, curated by CVA director Elisa Elorza, provided the perfect space. Nepantla: Maps for Uncharted Futures explores the idea that maps tell stories and convey subjective ideas about the world. We thank Lucyna Wadych-Ketley, Gina Zeigler, and the students for being with us. This is one of several Culture Shares presented at Brookdale. Please join us for the next one. You can still participate in another way. Click the button below to submit your photo, video, or written account about your immigrant journey. All are invited to participate. We thank College Relations' Laura Oncea for their collaborative support. Visit Brookdale social media pages to see and hear immigration stories from employees and students. | |
Work Culture with Leadership Brookdale | |
I was lucky to have been invited to present to Leadership Brookdale about organizational culture. We participated in an interactive workshop. Yes, we got up on our feet and talked to each other! We reviewed dominant culture and then reflected on an alternative framework for learning and processing. There are more sustainable ways toward excellence that are in deeper alignment with our stated values. Gratitude to Nursing's Tricia D'Aloia Gandolfo for her connection and willingness. This interdisciplinary cohort is dedicated to their own personal development, each other's and Brookdale's. Invite me to host a workshop with your group. | |
ITIN Clinic with Dreamers+ and Undocually | |
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Here we see Ana Pazmino, CCOG Pathway Mentor, facilitating a workshop helping students get their ITIN or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. ITIN can help many students including those who might not have a SS#:
- get paid as a gig worker, consultant, or freelancer
- open a bank account
- get a driver's license
- build your credit score history
- be a path to pay taxes
- anyone can apply and it's free
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Thank you to CCOG Director Jorge Terreros for supporting this effort! | |
The Transformative Learning Student Fellows | |
Movement Generation is a 20-hour professional development experience I produce with and for student fellows. This year we returned with The Alternatives to Violence Project, a communication workshop focused on building self-esteem, empathy, and cooperative problem-solving, empowering participants to handle conflicts constructively. Fellows teach back the work to their peers in CSSC classes, to Brookdale's Reading Circle, and hopefully, Spring Civility Week. This project is a collaboration with CSSC and Sabrina Mathues. Congratulate BSSI students Joi, Hayden, and Jessica on a job well-done. Encourage students to apply and join. | |
Fellows lead students through a series of embodied exercises. | |
Students are prompted to think, reflect with each other and respond on conflict. | |
Introducing Transformative Learning Faculty Fellows | | |
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As a Faculty Fellow with the Center for Transformative Learning, Christy DeVito (Education) advocates for ethical and innovative integration of AI in education. She serves as Chair of the “Bot Squad,” an AI faculty working group that offers professional development opportunities, resources, and guidance to support fellow instructors as they adapt to the rapidly evolving field of education. Christy’s initiatives emphasize responsible, equitable, and innovative use of generative AI to enhance teaching and learning at Brookdale Community College. | | |
As a Faculty Fellow with the Center for Transformative Learning, Elisa Elorza has imagined ways to make the CVA Gallery accessible and relevant for all majors and institutes.
Visit the CVA Gallery online in January to view the 360 virtual reality archive of the Fall 2024 exhibit, Nepantla: Maps for Uncharted Futures. This resource will provide professors and students with equitable, ongoing access to art from Brookdale’s CVA Gallery. Alongside the VR experience, the gallery will offer lesson plans designed to help instructors integrate the exhibit’s themes into a wide range of courses, supporting their efforts to meet course outcomes.
You will also be able to access the recorded Youtube livestream interview with the exhibit’s artist, A. V. Rankin. This standing-room only event took place on Dec. 12, 2024, at the CVA Gallery, where curator Elisa Elorza asked Rankin questions fielded from as far as East Asia and as close at Brookdale.
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What are the Faculty Fellows?
The Fellows of the Center for Transformative Learning are distinguished faculty members selected for their expertise and innovative approaches in key areas aligned with the institution's priorities. They serve as leaders, mentors, and catalysts for change within the college community.
Main points of the Faculty Fellows are:
- Interdisciplinarity
- Create positive institutional, systemic, and cultural shifts at the college
- Areas of focus are Academic Affairs and Brookdale priorities
What do the Fellows do?
Fellows spearhead projects in critical areas. The point is to reify and embed their efforts in the institution. Their work is not singular.
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In September the Center was officially designated by the Board of Trustees. Let me introduce you to two important people. I'm standing beside next year's Transformative Learning Community Fellow Adriana Medina Gomez, Community Engagement Director for Red Bank and Brookdale alum. Community Fellows will work with a designated Faculty and Student Fellow to support Latine students as we move toward Hispanic Serving Institution designation. Beside both of us is the incomparable Dr. Susie Whyman, a published historian, a community advocate and the visionary for which the Center is named. She is also the Center's Scholar in Residence. Though we are so new, what we do know and what we do have are collaborators, projects, community, impact, ideas, and will. We also have love and joy. The current moment requires nothing less. We cannot be sustained without it. Join us. | | | | |
