Campus Benefits from Projects Funded Through Diversity Grants

Meredith’s Diversity Council provided faculty, staff, and students with the opportunity to apply for grants to fund projects that help celebrate the diversity of the campus and contribute to a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of the Meredith community.

In the 2016-17 academic year, six proposals received funding:

• Seeing Me: Ensuring Our Students See Themselves in Their Surroundings This project enhanced the artwork in the Cate Student Center, one of the students’ primary gathering places. Building on the pride that Meredith students feel in the College’s history as a women’s college, the project included selecting and installing images of diverse women, along with a powerful quote from each woman depicted, for the Diversity Conference Room. In addition, an update of the images on the Traditions conference room walls was made to ensure that the photographs accurately represent Meredith’s diverse student body. This project was implemented by Vanessa Harris, Director of Visual Communications, and Gaye Hill, Marketing Content Strategist, of the Department of Marketing this summer.
• Move Beyond Civility: How to Facilitate Difficult Dialogues in the Classroom The diversity grant funded participation by faculty and staff in a webinar held during the fall semester. The webinar was designed to assist participants with navigating difficult conversations inside and out of the classroom. During the webinar, facilitation strategies, training activities, and resources were given as tools that could foster the capacity to maintain classrooms/environments that support student learning and success. Submitted to the Diversity Council by Dean of the School of Natural and Mathematical Sciences Liz Wolfinger.
• Choreographic project for Dance Faculty Concert: Clay Taliaferro, a nationally known choreographer and retired professor of dance at Duke University, created choreography for dance faculty members Sarah Adams Bean, Alyson Colwell-Waber, and Carol Kyles Finley. The dance took place in Jones Auditorium during the Meredith College Dance Faculty Concert. In addition, Taliaferro joined Colwell-Waber for a public conversation about Age & Dance Performance.
• The purchase of padfolios for Academic and Career Planning’s Angels Suited for Success program. Students who completed required events under the auspices of Angels Suited for Success, including a session on the experiences of diverse women in the workplace, were the recipients of these padfolios. This was directed by Katie Peterssen, Assistant Director, Career Development.
• Race Equity Institute (REI) Training Sponsorship Funding was provided to support Assistant Professor of Education Cindy-Morton Rose’s attendance at the REI training sponsored by Organizing Against Racism to continue her work with Assistant Professor of Social Work Joy Learman, Assistant Dean Tomecca Sloane, and Chaplain Donna Battle to provide opportunities for workshops and training pertaining to civil communication.
• International Civil Rights Center and Museum Trip Funds supported a trip to Greensboro, N.C., to visit the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. Assistant Director of International Programs Leila Ghannad, Print and Copy Center Manager Kevin Walker, and Meredith students, including members of the Black Students Union and the Meredith International Association, took part in this opportunity.