Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Diversity is important to us here at the VCU School of Education. We appreciate the unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives that each of our faculty, staff and students bring to the table, and recognize how much we all can learn from one another. That's why we are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone, and why we teach our students to do the same in their own classrooms.
Examples of our commitment to diversity include our recent "Race and Education, K-16 and Beyond: Past, Present and Future Possibilities" event, which encouraged discourse — both reflective and forward-thinking — among our students, faculty, staff and the community on the role race and ethnicity play in schools and in classrooms.
To continue these important conversations, we've also created "Understanding and Impacting Poverty," a series of special sessions where Dr. Daire, faculty, staff and students can discuss relevant issues of diversity and inequality and their impact on education and society.
Each fall we hold a “Race and Ethnicity Teach-In” kick-off event proceeding our week-long in-classroom initiative where our faculty explore issues of race, social justice and equity in the context of their courses' regular curriculum.
The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee's Mission
The mission of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is to raise awareness and facilitate discussion within the School of Education and wider community surrounding issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. The committee’s work encompasses many areas and issues related to diversity. The committee is comprised of faculty and staff from each department in the School of Education and at least one student. The associate dean for academic affairs and graduate studies serves as the ex-officio member.
Diversity at VCU
Diversity is far from just a School of Education initiative. In fact, it's one of the primary missions of VCU. In 2012, the university established its Division for Inclusive Excellence, an on-campus unit solely dedicated to maintaining a culturally-diverse environment at VCU.
Likewise, the university's Office of Multicultural Student Affairs organizes cultural programs, discussion groups, student organizations and more to help students from other cultures feel at home at VCU. Previous OMSA initiatives include a Hispanic Heritage Month and an LGBTQ discussion group.
Among the most diverse and vibrant campuses in the U.S., VCU received the first-ever Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
- Division for Inclusive Excellence
- Office of Multicultural Student Affairs
- Equity and Access Services
- VCU Student Accessibility and Educational Opportunity Office
- University Counseling Services
- VCU Graduate School diversity statement
- Accessibility resources for faculty, staff and students at VCU
- Rainbow Group Support services at VCU
- Jeffery Wilson (Chair), Department of Educational Leadership
- Quayle Agurs, Richmond Teacher Residency
- Thomas Beatty, Child Development Center
- Sean Carlin (Marketing Chair), Office of Research and Faculty Development
- Jewell Davis, Student Services Office
- Serra De Arment, Department of Counseling and Special Education
- Kenedy Edmonds, Office of Strategic Communications and Enrollment Management
- Jenna Lenhardt, Office of Strategic Communications and Enrollment Management
- David Naff, Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC)
- Hillary Parkhouse (Records Chair), Department of Teaching and Learning
- Diane Simon, Office of the Dean
- Ejana Bennett, Department of Teaching and Learning, Curriculum, Culture and Change doctoral student
- Melissa Cuba, Department of Teaching and Learning, Curriculum, Culture and Change doctoral student
- Portia Newman, Department of Educational Leadership, Educational Leadership, Policy and Justice doctoral student
- Emiola Oyefuga, Department of Educational Leadership, doctoral student
- Virginia Palencia, Department of Educational Leadership, Educational Leadership, Policy and Justice doctoral student
- Kristian Robinson, Department of Counseling and Special Education, Counselor Education doctoral student
The VCU iCubed initiative aims to eradicate silos by creating collaborations focused on the welfare of urban populations. As part of that, the Visiting Faculty Scholars Program provides a forum for diverse scholars to solve real challenges related to education, empowerment, health disparities and justice. The Visiting Scholars in the VCU School of Education are:
- Dr. Al Byers
- Dr. Dwayne Cormier
- Dr. Rachel Gomez
- Dr. Andrene Castro
- Dr. Danielle Apugo