Welcome to VOICES, a monthly newsletter from the Office of Diversity & Inclusion. Our office works closely with academic and administrative departments to further our efforts to create an affirming and respectful climate for all members of our community. We are a stronger community when we can actively listen and learn from those around us who may have different religious and political views, cultural perspectives, or philosophical thoughts. You are invited to view our website at http://www.wm.edu/diversity for additional information on the programs and services offered by the office. We look forward to working together to advance a culture of inclusive excellence at William & Mary. If you have upcoming programs or events you would like to share, please send it to wmdiversity@wm.edu by the 15th of each month.

- Chon Glover

Diversity & Inclusion at William & Mary

Diversity & Inclusion: Annual Welcome Back Reception

The annual Welcome Back Reception was held on September 13, 2023 and was a great success.

Every year, the Office of Diversity & Inclusion hosts the Welcome Back Reception to create a space for networking for new faculty and professional staff members.

Thank you to all who were able to come out!

IGNITE - Future Faculty Development Program

The 5th Annual IGNITE Program brought 11 scholars to campus October 2 – 4, 2023. The scholars represent higher education, marine science, history, STEM, and law! The participants had professional development workshops on life values, grant writing, negotiating faculty offers, preparing for the job search, advancing your scholarship profile in the library, and wellness all by faculty and William & Mary leaders. The Keynote was given by

Dr. Kelebogile Zvobgo. They also had a panel that discussed Mentoring & Publishing and scholars presented on their research.

The scholars said the event was "Excellent and life changing," "This was an absolutely beautiful experience and wonderful program," and "It was such a rejuvenating, uplifting experience after so many years of specialization in an increasingly narrow field. I highly recommend this model of future faculty preparation."

Thanks to all William & Mary community members who assisted with this year’s program.

IDEA GRANTS



It’s time to apply! IDEA Grants: IDEA is an acronym for Innovative Diversity Efforts Awards. Grants will be funded based on project need. At least three projects are selected per year. Faculty, staff, students, and organizations across campus are eligible to apply for the grants. Grant awards will depend upon the scope and breadth of the project but will typically range from $500–$1,500.

Application deadline is Friday, October 20, 2023 at 5:00 pm: 2023-2024 IDEA Grant Application

8th Annual Diversity & Inclusion Symposium

The 8th Annual Diversity & Inclusion Symposium took place on September 22nd where faculty and staff from a range of departments came together to develop their professional skills and better their understanding of diversity and inclusion.

The keynote speaker Dr. Terrell Strayhorn captivated the audience with his interactive presentation, Building Bridges through Belonging. Our second keynote speaker Christine Sloan Stoddard gave a riveting presentation on her creative and journalistic work and its positioning within her Latinx heritage. Throughout the day attendees were able to select from six different breakout sessions focused on topics spanning from Neurodiversity at William & Mary and Accessibility in a Digital World to Cultural Norms in Higher Education.

This year's Symposium garnered great reviews from attendees all around! The Office of Diversity & Inclusion is overjoyed and beyond grateful to all who attended and would like to give a special thanks to our presenters and volunteers!

Accepting Nominations for Diversity Champions!

Do you know someone who has led creative and innovation programming in diversity and inclusion on campus? The Office of Diversity & Inclusion welcomes campus community members to nominate faculty, staff, students or alums to be recognized for an inclusive excellence-related program or project that furthers our commitment to inclusive excellence at W&M. Please complete the nomination form here.

Arts & Sciences AFFURM Faculty Network

Arts & Sciences has established a 2-year pilot designed to support the transition and success of A&S faculty by addressing the unique needs of members of our diverse faculty communities, providing meaningful professional connections to faculty peers that foster positive retention and holistic career outcomes, and increasing a sense of belonging in A&S and W&M. The pilot, known as the AFFURM Faculty Network, recognizes the broad diversity of our faculty community to include those who hold various Affinities, Affiliations and those that are Underrepresented and/or Racially Minoritized (URM) and is open to all A&S full-time faculty and post-doctoral fellows who started in their current positions after Fall 2020.

Contact Wanjirũ Mbure, Associate Dean, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Arts & Sciences, for more information.

Arts & Sciences Open Inquiry Awards 

The Arts & Sciences Open Inquiry Awards (OIA) support faculty efforts to promote open inquiry of diverse experiences and perspectives in existing or new non-COLL courses. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and awards are capped at $300. Eligibility and application information can be found here.

Insights from Within (IfW): October 9, 2023, 11:30-1:30 PM Sadler Center

Insights from Within (IfW) focuses Arts & Sciences inclusion efforts on internal conversations that reflect the broad experiences of all Arts & Sciences stakeholders (i.e., students, staff, and faculty) with sessions led by members of our community and/or alumni. The 2023 theme is Innovative, affirming, and effective mentoring. This year's event features a working lunch followed by concurrent sessions where participants will explore graduate and undergraduate student mentoring, mentoring in STEM and mentoring among A&S staff.

The focus on this year’s School of Education Day was Organizational Justice, which focuses on creating inclusive spaces to promote belonging through procedural, distributive, relational, and informational justice. In addition to presenting SOE-specific data on inclusion and a breakout session dedicated to a deep dive in organizational justice as it relates to education, each employee was given a copy of Shawn Ginwright’s The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves to support efforts to bring belonging to the forefront of our annual goal setting.

Center for Student Diversity

Cesar Chavez Exhibition Grand Opening

On September 22, 2023, the Center for Student Diversity held the grand opening of a limited time photography exhibition documenting the contributions of civil rights giant Cesar Chavez. Check out this exhibition located in Sadler Center, The Slice (2nd floor). Learn more about the Exhibition's Grand Opening here!

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). NDEAM recognizes the important roles and contributions individuals with disabilities make in the American workforce. If you would like more information about NDEAM, please visit this website

If you are an employee who needs a disability-related accommodation, please contact the Office of Human Resources.

Submitted by: Carla Costello, Compliance and Equity

LGBTQ+ History Month

LGBTQ+ History Month is a month-long celebration of the history of the diverse and beautiful lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community and the importance of civil rights movements in progressing gay rights. The observance was created by Rodney Wilson, a history teacher at a Missouri high school, in 1994. The following year, LGBTQ+ History Month was added to the list of commemorative months in a resolution forwarded by the General Assembly of the National Education Association. October was chosen as the month of observance as National Coming Out Day already existed as a holiday on October 11. Also, the anniversary of the first march for gay rights in Washington took place on October 14, 1979.

Information from National Today

Reves & International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)

The Reeves Center also hosted three lawyers from Egypt for five days as part of the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The three attorneys are active in human rights and media freedom work. The program theme was Promoting Gender Equality in the Egyptian Justice System, and their visit to Williamsburg included meetings with representatives of the National Center for State Courts, Department of Justice, Williamsburg Police Department, local media, Center for Legal & Court Technology at the Law School, and W&M law and government professors.

The Reves Center Welcomes Diverse Visitors from Around

the World

This summer, for the ninth year, the Reves Center hosted 25 Mandela Washington Fellows for two and a half weeks of leadership training, public policy seminars, mentorship and collaboration with local faculty, civic and business leaders and community members. It's part of a six-week Leadership Program of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, that Reves manages with the Presidential Precinct.

Do you have news or an event that you would like us to share?

Send your information to wmdiversity@wm.edu

by the 15th of each month.