Four faculty members have received grants from DU’s Center for Multicultural Excellence (CME) to fund their efforts to increase diversity on campus.
Fernando Guzman, assistant provost for multicultural faculty, says the CME created the Curriculum Diversity Grant Fund to provide resources for the creation of programs and research that foster a welcoming campus community.
“Ultimately, the goal of the CME grant is to address inclusiveness in multiple domains beyond race and gender,” Guzman says. “This year’s grantees address different ways our campus diversity can be manifested.”
Guzman says the grants can be used for curriculum development, faculty development or pilot research projects. The four grantees for the 2009–2010 academic year are:
Arthur Jones, a clinical professor at the Women’s College, received $2,879 for a new pilot faculty development project called “Welcome Table.” It will entail three events utilizing “communal meals as the supporting environment for faculty dialogues centered on inclusive excellence.” The “Welcome Table” concept is based on the title of an old spiritual song created and sung by African-American slaves. The first “Welcome Table” will be held in winter 2010.
Campus Arboretum Director Martin Quigley, a professor in biological sciences, received $3,000 to develop a class to study and plant indigenous vegetation. The class allows students to learn about native plants and take part in creating a long-term benefit for the environment. The class, called Native and Latin American Ethnobotany, will promote a broader understanding of environmental sustainability for a new audience of DU undergraduates. The class will begin in fall 2010.
Bernadette Calafell, associate professor of human communication studies, received $1,000 to increase course-related content and materials for a Critical Sexuality Studies seminar and potentially offer speakers to discuss gay and/or transgendered men who identify with the label “queer” as an activist term. She also is proposing a campus-wide lecture on “queering masculinity.” The seminar will be offered in winter 2010.
Elizabeth Suter, assistant professor of human communication studies, received $3,000 to develop an undergraduate course focusing on the communication dynamics of blended nontraditional families. The grant allows her to develop the course curriculum and provide classroom materials and supplies. It will be offered in fall 2010.