In collaboration with the Divisions of Academic Support & Learning Technologies (ASLT) and Student Equity and Support Programs (SESP), the Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning (CTTL) is excited to announce that Skyline College will be sending 9 delegates to the 2018 National Conference on Race & Ethnicity (NCORE) in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the end of May.
NCORE is the leading, most comprehensive national forum on issues of race and ethnicity in American higher education. “The conference focuses on the complex task of creating and sustaining comprehensive institutional change designed to improve racial and ethnic relations on campus and to expand opportunities for educational access and success by culturally diverse, traditionally underrepresented populations. NCORE is designed to provide a significant forum for discussion, critical dialogue, and exchange of information as institutions search for effective strategies to enhance access, social development, education, positive communication and cross-cultural understanding in culturally diverse settings” (https://ncore.ou.edu/en/about/).
This year’s delegates include five faculty and four classified staff. Conference delegates were to selected by the Advisory Committee on Employee Development (ACED) to represent Skyline College as a team engaged in professional learning activities intended not only to transform and inform their own personal and professional practices, but also to encourage transformative dialogue and to engage in equity-based practices at Skyline College.
This year’s faculty delegates include Rika Fabian (Sociology), Nathan Jones (English), Pia
Walawalkar (Librarian), Tammy Calderon (Cosmetology), and Mustafa Popal (History). Classified staff delegates are Jeremy Evangelista (PSC, Financial Aid), Karen Dimalanta (Division Assistant, ASLT), Golda Margate (Executive Assistant, VPSS), and Mitchell Xiong (Staff Assistant, Library).
NCORE 2018 will engage our delegates on nearly every social justice topic affecting higher education and the world today with more than 300 sessions and keynote speakers such as Dr. Joy DuGruy, Simone Sanders, Denise Juneau, Dr. Michael Benitez, Jr. and D’Lo. Additionally, while at the conference, each faculty and staff delegate will participate in a full-day, pre-conference institute on a topic each has selected:
- “Navigating Triggering Events: Critical Competencies for Facilitating Difficult Dialogues” (Calderon)
- “Internationalization, Globalization, Multiculturalism, and White Supremacy: Examining Both Our Intentions and the Impacts of Our Programming” (Walawalkar)
- “The Complexity of Student-Centered Work, Race, and Inclusion in the American Academy” (Margate)
- “Intersectional Interventions: Supporting Queer & Trans Students of Color” (Evangelista)
- “Fundamentals of Social Justice Education” (Jones)
- “Not in My School! How White Supremacy, White Privilege, and Other Forms of Oppression Undermine Best Intentions” (Popal)
- “Asian and Asian American Students, Faculty, and Staff Rising to the Challenge: Being Seen, Heard, and a Presence in Higher Education” (Dimalanta, Xiong, and Fabian)
In the 2018-2019 academic year, delegates will lead a number of CTTL Power of NCORE Series workshops and activities; facilitate ongoing discussions on NCORE-related issues specifically relevant to Skyline College; and apply NCORE concepts to campus and/or District-wide equity-related activities. We look forward to what Pia, Mustafa, Karen, Mitchell, Golda, Nathan, Jeremy, Tammy, and Rika will have to share with the Skyline College community upon their return. Let’s wish our 2018 Delegates well as they prepare for their NCORE experiences.
Article and photo by Nina L. Floro
