The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion will host its first-ever Faculty of Color Symposium from 8:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 6 via Zoom.
The symposium will recognize the perspectives and unique experiences of faculty of color, observe their scholarly contributions and successes, and determine paths forward in fostering a campus community that celebrates diversity, inclusion, and equity in teaching, research, and outreach.
Event organizers include Gwendolyn M. Combs, director for faculty diversity and inclusion and associate professor of management; Francisco Munoz-Arriola, associate professor of biological systems engineering; Jeannette Eileen Jones; associate professor of history and ethnic studies; Cynthia Willis-Esqueda, associate professor of psychology and ethnic studies; and Dai Shizuka, assistant professor of biological sciences.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the UNL community to formalize the shared experiences of our faculty of color, offer support and begin to determine ways to move forward,” Combs said.
The symposium will be split into two sessions. The first session will feature a panel presentation by three faculty experts whose scholarship and experiences focus on fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education.
Panelists include:
Anna Shavers
Shavers is the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Cline Williams Professor of Citizenship Law and associate dean for diversity and inclusion.
Since joining the College of Law faculty in 1989, Shavers has brought a host of civil-rights focused classes to the college. Her course subjects include immigration law, refugee and asylum law, human trafficking, international gender issues and the intersection of gender, race and class.
Shavers was presented with the 2020 Chancellor’s Fulfilling the Dream Award in January 2020. The annual award celebrates an individual who has contributed to the university or Lincoln community by promoting the goals and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Most recently, Shavers was selected as one of five faculty that will help guide Nebraska’s Journey for Anti-Racism and Racial Equity.
Robert Warrior
Warrior serves as Hall Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Kansas. He is the author, co-author or editor six books, including “Tribal Secrets: Recovering American Indian Intellectual Traditions” and “Like a Hurricane: The Indian Movement from Alcatraz to Wounded Knee.” He is also past president of the American Studies Association and was the founding president of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association.
Before moving to the University of Kansas in 2016, Warrior taught at Stanford, Cornell, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Illinois. He served as director of Native American Studies at Oklahoma and American Indian Studies at Illinois.
Ruth Zambrana
Zambrana is Distinguished University Professor and interim chair in the Department of Women’s Studies, director of the Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity and adjunct professor of family medicine at the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s School of Medicine.
Her scholarship applies a critical intersectional lens to structural inequality and racial, Hispanic ethnicity, and gender inequities in population health and higher education trajectories. Zambrana has published widely on health inequity in her major research concentrations, women’s health, maternal and child health, socioeconomic health disparities and life course impacts on health and mental well-being of traditionally and historically underrepresented minorities.
Zambrana is also the author of “Toxic Ivory Tower: The Consequences of Work Stress on the Health of Underrepresented Minority Faculty,” published in 2018.
The second session of the symposium will be a discussion on the academic experiences, challenges and opportunities faculty of color may face as members of the Husker community and will involve small and large group ideation processes towards solutions building.
Closed captioning will be provided during the event. Those interested in attending should register by Nov. 2.
