By Dr. Sau Hou Chang
(NEW ALBANY, Ind)–Eight members of IU Southeast’s faculty and staff completed the first Indiana University Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Leadership Certification program in June 2023. Among those who received certification included Donna Albrecht, Sumreen Asim, Faye Camahalan, Sau Hou Chang, Doyin Coker-Kolo, Cathy Johnson, Sridhar Ramachandran, and James Wilkerson.
The 10-week, five-unit program offers participants comprehensive, academically grounded training with expert-led classes that help participants become better leaders, managers, and allies in today’s workplace.
The program consists of two in-person and six online sessions which include keynotes and instruction by industry leaders, interactive case studies, and thought-provoking assignments that prepare participants to work, lead, and live in our diverse, multi-faceted world. The program begins with an orientation and concludes with the DEI Leadership Symposium and Certification Ceremony both taking place on the IU Bloomington campus.
Hear what the participants think of the program:
Dr. Sumreen Asim (Associate Professor, School of Education)
“The program broadened my perspectives with invigorating face-to-face activities through reflection, role-playing, and group conversations. The keynotes selected were great since they each brought unique lenses from different industries that were very applicable to me as a faculty member. I am more aware of my own identities, leadership styles, and where I start making a difference individually and collectively as part of a department. My personal growth over the program period has allowed me to better myself and grow the circle of people I interact with and whom I want to learn from. I have gained new partners across IU to make a collective difference; I also have a list of resources, books, and videos I can dive into to keep growing. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of this program and how it was built.”
Dr. Doyin Coker-Kolo (Professor, School of Education)
“The DEIJ work is a lifetime work. One must learn to adapt as our society evolves and new challenges to diversity and inclusion become known. The institute offered me new and appropriate languages to understand issues of oppression and microaggression and new ways to intervene. I learned how to use appropriate language at work in place of ableism language and I acquired new, accurate, and empowering vocabularies for social justice. For example, I became aware of the use of micro-interventions and micro-affirmations as interpersonal counterpoints to counteract, change, or stop microaggressions. I also learned about cultural humility which states that implicit bias affects all people including people from minoritized backgrounds and that we often focus more on our oppressed identities than we do the target ones which provide us with privileges. To be an effective leader, I need to continuously work on my DEIJ-related blind spots, identify my biases, and seek out opportunities to improve.”
A new cohort is currently open for registration with sessions running from September 8 to November 10, 2023. The program costs $2,500 including instruction, facilitators, national keynote experts, meals, and a certificate. For more information, contact James Wilkerson, director of staff diversity and equity, at jjwilker@iu.edu or Sau Hou Chang, academic affairs diversity coordinator, at sauchang@ius.edu.