April 6, 2021
Contact: Linda Fox  |   | More about Linda

COMPETITION OPEN FOR TWO FACS FACULTY NOMINATIONS TO UGA INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY AWARD

The Dawn D. Bennett Alexander Inclusive Community Award, a new recognition for faculty funded by President Morehead’s Task Force on Race, Ethnicity, and Community, is now open for nominations.

The award is presented to a faculty member who has made a considerable contribution to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within and beyond the classroom at the University of Georgia. The award will be presented at the Embracing Diversity event in the Fall. The awardee will receive a $1,000 cash award. 

Each Dean, Director, or Vice President of a school, college, or other unit may nominate up to two faculty members per year for the Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander Inclusive Community Award. The Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander award is open to all UGA faculty.

All components of the nomination dossier must be submitted by May 31, 2021 in order for faculty member to be considered for the award. To determine the two college nominations, we request a complete nomination packet (items 1, 3, 4 & 5 below) be sent to Sheri Worthy via Janet Fowler facsassocdeans@uga.edu by Monday, May 17. 

A complete nomination includes a dossier of the following items:

  1. Letter of Nomination from Department Head or Director (for internal selection process)
  2. Letter of Nomination from Dean (for external submission process of two FACS finalists’ nominations)
  3. CV of Nominee
  4. 1-3 page narrative written by the nominee that outlines their contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion within and beyond the classroom at UGA. This should also include examples of their commitment to DEI work while fulfilling the institution’s tripartite mission of teaching, research and service.
  5. Additional artifacts such as relevant publications, presentations, syllabi showcasing innovative curriculum, and examples of institutional engagement.

At the university level, committee composed of three faculty members, one staff member from the Office of Institutional Diversity, and one student will review all submissions materials. Only one person will be selected each year to receive the award.

REFLECTIVE STRUCTURED DIALOGUE – TWO FACS EMPLOYEES JOIN COHORTS

President Morehead established the Presidential Taskforce on Race, Ethnicity and Community in 2020 to develop initiatives and actions that foster a more welcoming and supportive campus community. One of the recommendations of the taskforce is implementation of pilot Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) training during 2021. RSD builds the capacity of communities and organizations to engage, live and thrive despite their differences.

Two representatives from FACS will attend the training outlined below. Congratulations to Jermaine Durham, Assistant Professor and Extension Housing Specialist, FHCE, and Melissa Garber, Assistant Director, SSAC.

At the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, we have faculty who are RSD experts as the RSD approach is used throughout the institute’s programming with community leadership organizations. To that end, Fanning offers a 14-hour RSD training course with content that provides individual participants with the following learnings:

·         Reflect on why organizations & communities must develop the capacity to have difficult conversations on polarizing issues;

·         Learn the basic theory and practice of RSD;

·         Experience the RSD process;

·         Learn how RSD leads to the creation of an environment where participants can have difficult conversations;

·         Enhance understanding of conflict, polarization and change;

·         Enhance active listening, empathy and reflection skills; and

·         Explore how one might use RSD or aspects of RSD in communities and organizations.

Supported by the Office of the President, the Fanning Institute will offer pilot RSD training during 2021. The trainings will be offered virtually to two (2) different cohorts, each comprised of faculty-staff from UGA’s various schools, colleges, and units. This pilot training is geared for faculty-staff who would benefit from the direct, daily application of dialogue skills within their respective units.

Participants must commit to completing 14 hours of training over 2 days in addition to completing homework assignments and participating in an extensive 6-month evaluation-assessment process designed to understand how learnings from the trainings are being applied and practiced across campus. The training dates for the first cohort are April 19-20, and the dates for the second cohort are May 3-4.

SCHEDULE (Dean’s travel and purpose during the next two weeks):

  • Remote work contact: 706-224-6086 (cell)
  • The next Dean’s Update will be week of April 19, or earlier.

Sincerely,

Linda Kirk Fox

Dean

The College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia embraces a commitment to diversity by modeling for the state and nation a community of individuals and programs which seek to reduce prejudice, disparities, and discrimination and build a supportive environment for all.

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