There are many times in our professional or personal lives when the answer to a variety of questions/queries is “it depends”. This isn’t really surprising or uncommon. Frequently the answer/response falls somewhere along a continuum rather in a binary category. … Continue reading → Continue reading
Increasing diversity in graduate admissions has become regular conversation among graduate deans and graduate school personnel. The Council of Graduate Schools has include sessions on diversity and inclusion at its Annual Meetings and summer workshops for many years and recently … Continue reading → Continue reading
Recently, I’ve been thinking about the terms diversity and inclusion – how they are used, what they mean and how they are connected. My reflections have evolved over the years and rather than write a long narrative with historical perspective, … Continue reading → Continue reading
The 2018 Annual Conference of the European University Association was held in Zurich, Switzerland April 5-6, 2018 using the theme of “engaged and responsible universities shaping Europe”. Topics included social responsibility, lifelong learning, sustainable Europe, social inclusiveness and diversity, open … Continue reading → Continue reading
In January 2018, the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech hosted a live performance of The Mountaintop as part of the 2018 current tour for the Los Angeles Theatre Works (LATW). It was a powerful performance with a very important message … Continue reading → Continue reading
Although there are so many things to comment about word choice and the unintended messages in higher education (e.g., demographics, inclusion, micro-aggression and more), I will focus my musings on concept of negation (‘non-‘) in our word choice especially the … Continue reading → Continue reading
*Adapted from keynote presentation for the VCU Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute luncheon, October 13, 2017 in Richmond, VA. In April 2002, I received an anonymous email – a very threatening and untraceable anonymous email sent from a remailer in … Continue reading → Continue reading
Fifty years ago, Robert F. Kennedy introduced the phrase that “one may live in interesting times”. He stated that “like it or not, we live in interesting times. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also the … Continue reading → Continue reading
Sometimes there are individuals who by the nature of being oneself and moving forward make history and influence change. One such individual is Edward A. Bouchet, PhD (1852-1918). Higher education in the United States prior to the early 1800s was … Continue reading → Continue reading
Shortly after his arrival at VT, President Timothy Sands established an initiative entitled Beyond Boundaries and challenged the university to envision the future for Virginia Tech informed by four concepts: VT-shaped discovery, communities of discovery, nexus of discovery, and continuous … Continue reading → Continue reading