Daily Brief

The Frederick Douglass Institute Presents at the PASSHE Summit

The Frederick Douglass Institute proudly represented Kutztown University at the 2024 PASSHE Summit: Uniting for Inclusive Student Success. Dr. Donato Fhunsu (FDI Faculty Scholar), Daniel Sleiman (FDI Debate Coach, EdD doctoral candidate), June Rogers (FDI Executive Committee, EdD doctoral candidate) and Aaliyah Nelson and Devin Looney (FDI Student Interns) attended the conference with FDI Faculty Director Dr. Amber Pabon and former executive director Dr. Joseph Croskey.

Along with FDI Directors across PASSHE, including Laura Kieslbach (East Stroudsburg), Carolyn Reed-Brown (Bloomsburg), Chris Awuyah (West Chester), and Franklyn Charles (Slippery Rock), Dr. Pabon facilitated the session More than 'Doing Diversity': Leading and Sustaining the Frederick Douglass Institute across PASSHE campuses. Panelists discussed critical themes related to honoring Douglass' historical legacy in Pennsylvania, culturally relevant and sustaining student enrichment, building inclusive learning communities and supporting the pipeline of diverse faculty through the FDI Fellows and Scholars programs.

During the Q&A, attendees in this packed session representing students, staff, faculty, administration, politics and industry offered insightful feedback on sustaining and expanding impact in these turbulent times of intense scrutiny of DEI efforts.

FDI is thankful for the generative discussion and looks forward to implementing strategies to strengthen our collaboration and collective mission, increase high-impact practices, and improve communication and reporting structures. The FDI Directors wish to also thank the office of Dr. Denise Pearson and our respective campus colleagues for their ongoing support of efforts and students.

Frederick Douglass Institute

Amber Pabon, Frederick Douglass Institute

Stephen Walker Awarded Keeper of the Flame Award

Stephen Walker received the Keeper of the Flame Award Monday, Oct. 28, at the recent PASSHE Summit on Inclusive Student Success. Walker is the Academic Coach in the Trio Student Support Services program. A small portion of his nomination read as follows: "He values creating relationships with others and forms rapports that impact our campus community in a positive way. Stephen is changing the students' lives with this mentorship relationship here at KU. He embodies what I believe to be essential for any campus: relationships, culture, and community." These awards are given annually to members of the PASSHE community – faculty, staff, students and community members – who are dedicated to building and maintaining an inclusive State System where everyone can thrive. Keepers of the Flame are truly special people who embody a commitment to promoting environments that cultivate a sense of belonging. They strive to improve the human, social and organizational conditions in and around the university, including those that address historical inequities. Keepers of the Flame are members of the university community who inspire others, engage in collaboration and enact positive change. Each of the 14 PASSHE campuses can select one person to receive this award. University Chief Diversity Officers will lead these nomination and selection processes. This is the third year for these awards. Past KU recipients include Dr. Barbara Taliafero and Dr. Daryl Johnson. Congratulations, Stephen.

Jerry Schearer, Diversity and Inclusion/Chief Diversity Officer

University Senate Meeting

The next University Senate meeting is 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, 103 Academic Forum. The agenda can be found on the University Senate website. Minutes and documentation are available in the November 2024 SharePoint folder. Please email any Senate representative changes to senate@kutztown.edu.

University Senate

Lisa Frye, University Senate President