Reflecting Our Jesuit Values & Faculty Contributions to Our DEIJ Mission
Dear Colleagues,
We want to begin our greetings to you here by acknowledging the dangerous and dismaying situation in our country right now. Our hearts are with Minnesota, with immigrants, racially-profiled residents and neighbors, and all persecuted people. We recognize that many of our faculty, staff, and students are feeling the effects of this turmoil. At a Jesuit institution, we are privileged to be in a position to dedicate ourselves to the pursuit of justice in our community and our world, and we were so inspired by the several hundred students, faculty, and staff who joined together to demonstrate on Friday in the spirit of that mission. In Faculty Development, we are working to develop resources and training programs to support you in this work, which we plan to announce later this month.
In the meantime, we encourage you to attend a local Rapid Responder Network training (bit.ly/rrnfeb2) to learn more about how to support vulnerable students and community members and to check out this resource on Activist Wellbeing, which has some excellent tips and tools to sustain you. We also encourage you to join the upcoming conversation on Leading with Our Jesuit Values in Challenging Times, hosted by Mission and Ministry. We hope you find support and solidarity in our SCU community as well as your communities beyond the university.
In that spirit, we’d like to lift up a moment of joy within our community. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Margaret Hunter, Professor in the Department of Sociology and Strategic Advisor to the Dean for Faculty DEI Initiatives, was presented with the Sisterhood is Powerful Award by the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies at a recent Women and Nonbinary Faculty of Color Network Event. Since 1991 this award has recognized a member of the faculty or staff who has made important contributions to the status of women at SCU. During the presentation of the award colleagues expressed their deep gratitude to Dr. Hunter for her wide ranging impact as a mentor, leader, advocate, and friend who personifies the spirit of sisterhood through her distinct enactment of compassion and care which has been a transformative gift to SCU.
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It is colleagues like Maggie, and each of you, who make this institution so special. We are honored to serve you. See below for opportunities to connect, get support, and find inspiration through events sponsored by Faculty Development and other groups across campus.
Photo (left to right): CiAuna Heard, Margaret Hunter, and Sharmila Lodhia |
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Academic Technology Presents: Creating Accessible Documents
9:30am - 11:00am
Learning Commons 203
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CAFE: Supporting Students Experiencing Grief & Bereavement
11:45am - 12:45pm
The Aloysius Varsi Hall, Room 222
Nearly 40% of college students experience the loss of a loved one within a two‑year period. Research shows that grief profoundly affects these students—disrupting academic performance, social connections, and even retention. This Café will focus on how we, as a campus community, can best support students during such a difficult and vulnerable time. We will present an overview of how grief and bereavement affects college students, data on how loss affects SCU students, hear a student perspective, and provide a list of campus resources. |
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First Fridays Shut Up & Write
9:00am - 12:00pm
The Aloysius Varsi Hall, Room 222
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Finding Hope in Difficult Times with Dave Feldman and Diane Dreher
4:00pm - 5:30pm
St Clare Room (Library / Learning Commons)
Dave Feldman (Counseling Psychology) and Diane Dreher (SCU Emerita) will talk about the science of hope and how we can cultivate hopefulness in challenging contexts. |
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Student AI Listening Session -- Tell Your Students!
12:00 - 1:00pm
Sobrato Hall, Classroom 024C
This “listening session” for students, led by SCU faculty and staff members of the AAC&U Institute on AI, Curriculum, and Pedagogy, will provide students the opportunity to reflect, discuss, and provide feedback and input on how best to support you and your learning in the context of AI. We want to hear your experiences and perspectives! |
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Shut Up & Make it Accessible
10:00am - 12:00pm
The Aloysius Varsi Hall, Room 222
Join us for this special Shut Up & ... series focused on working in community to make your course materials accessible. Throughout this 2-hour session we will have support available to aid with this process in case you run into any issues with pesky documents, pdfs, or other media. |
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Faculty Workshop on Student Advising for Belonging
2:00pm - 3:30pm
The Aloysius Varsi Hall, Room 222
From faculty advising to college belonging: workshop for faculty advisors to learn strategies for supporting student academic planning. This advising workshop, facilitated by Diana Morlang (Drahmann Faculty Advisor and Teaching Professor, Political Science), will explore how faculty advising supports students’ college belonging at SCU. |
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Digital Humanities Presents: Digital Storytelling Workshop
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Nobili Dining Hall
The Digital Humanities Initiative is very excited to announce a workshop titled Brave Space-Making: The Poetics and Politics of Digital and Arts-Based Storytelling by academic and Emmy award winning filmmaker Dr. Lynn Harter of Ohio University. |
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Academic Technology Presents: Creating Accessible Documents
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Zoom
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Pathways to Inner Peace: A Conversation with Diane Dreher
4:00pm - 5:30pm
Parlors B&C (Benson Memorial Center)
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CAFE: Hacking the Publication Process
11:45am - 12:45pm
The Aloysius Varsi Hall, Room 222
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