ARIE

An Interview with the 2022 recipient of the Margaret C. Howell Outstanding Achievement Award

Natalie Bui — Wed, 04 May 2022 15:20:07 +0000

An Interview with the 2022 recipient of the Margaret C. Howell Outstanding Achievement Award Natalie Bui Wed, 05/04/2022 - 11:20

Congratulations to Jessica Kallista, adjunct faculty for the School of Art!

Read her interview below to learn about her fantastic contributions to ARIE and DEI initiatives around Mason. The $2,000 award is sponsored by the Office for DEI. Recipients reflect the hard work of our Mason community members committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Learn about the award's nomination criteria.

What is your affiliation with Mason and how long have you been a Patriot?

At heart, I have been and always will be an incredibly community-minded person, and Mason is no exception. I’ve been affiliated with Mason since I arrived in 1997 as an MFA Poetry student, and each year that relationship seems to change and grow. I received my MFA from Mason in 2002. Since 2014, when I founded Olly Olly, an alternative art space in Historic Fairfax, I’ve worked with a number of Mason students, faculty, and alumni—providing a space for them to launch exhibitions, hold poetry readings, and engage in creative community. In addition to being a member of Mason’s School of Art faculty—teaching Critical Theory and Aesthetics—I also served as Gallery Director of Mason’s Buchanan Partners Art Gallery at Hylton Performing Arts Center from 2017-2019. I’m currently curator and co-moderator of CVPA’s Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group, and I serve on CVPA’s DEIA Senior Advisory Council. In addition, I am a Mason-parent, as two of my children are currently working towards their undergraduate degrees here at Mason. I’ve seen Mason grow from a much smaller University to the now 50-year-old institution we see before us today, and I can see its potential to bring diversity, equity, inclusion, and access to every member of this community.

Describe your role in the ARIE Taskforce’s Research Committee and why you were interested in joining the Taskforce.

As an artist and a faculty member in the School of Art, I wasn’t sure what to think of being asked to join the ARIE Taskforce’s Research Committee. But Rebekah K. Hersch, one of the chairs of the committee, was a great help in orienting me towards the larger definition of research—one that is inclusive of creative activity and work—and the goals of the committee. I think that this committee’s work is one important ingredient in our larger efforts in the DEIA space. The work is one more way to infuse the Mason community’s culture with a foundational understanding of, belief in, and work towards an equity-minded experience for every member of the Mason community.

Describe any other ARIE/DEI related initiatives you’re involved in.

I hope to bring a DEIA lens into every space I enter. The critically foundational bell hooks, who we so sadly lost last year, wrote about how the body of a professor is part of the curriculum. My body is part of the curriculum in all classes I teach and in all syllabi I create. As a Black, Queer, Autistic woman, I hope that my very existence in these spaces signals possibility to students who might not otherwise see a Black, Queer, Autistic woman as a professor, a gallerist, a curator, an artist, or policy maker. I also participate in numerous more explicitly DEIA-related activities such as the ARIE Taskforce’s Research Committee, CVPA’s DEIA Senior Advisory Council, and of course CVPA’s Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group (which has been active with 7 week programs for the past 6 semesters). All of these activities are important to our overarching efforts, and I’m especially excited about our upcoming Summer program of the Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group, during which we will focus entirely on Black Joy. This summer’s program runs from June 24 to August 5. We meet via zoom on Fridays from 1:00-2:30. All are welcome. https://cvpa.gmu.edu/events/arts-context/kritikos-anti-racist-reading-group

How has your work within the ARIE/DEI space impacted your career and/or education goals? What impact do you hope ARIE/DEI will have on the institution?

This is a great question, and my experience is that the deeper I dive into this work the more energized I feel about working for change, the more excited I am with the kinship I have found with others at Mason who are dedicated to this work, and the more clearly I can imagine the equitable future we are working to build. I can see a Mason community in which DEIA is successfully and perpetually infused within everything from the faculty to the student body to the curriculum to the ways we name, shape, resource, and support all aspects of education. And it is a beautiful future!

What advice would you give someone who wants to get involved with ARIE/DEI work?

I think CVPA’s Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group is an amazing example. We bring people with a variety of roles within and outside of Mason together (students, faculty, staff, alumni, community members). Together we listen and respond to one another by utilizing critical thinking in community. We dive deep and question everything together. The structure of our group dismantles hierarchies and stands as a model of the world we are working to create. I would also say to remember to find and focus on Black Joy, remember to rest and recover in the kinship of others, remember that self-care precedes the ability to care for others, self-care is part of the work, and remember that you aren’t alone in this work. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the people doing this work at Mason, and the strength that they give me to return again and again to this work.

Please tell us anything else you’d like to share with our readers.

Over the years at Mason I’ve worked in so many capacities and with multiple people in such a wide variety of roles, and what I’d want to share most of all with your readers is my immense gratitude for the opportunities, the experiences, and the relationships that the Mason community provides, each of which has been instrumental in all I’ve been able to create and accomplish at and with Mason. Mason continues to be an enriching environment full of vital scholarship, community, and creativity, and I know the future Mason can be even better.

Get more information on Mason's Outstanding Achievement Awards.

Topics

ARIE

diversity

Mason community invited to review, discuss task force recommendations

Colleen Rich — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 19:41:39 +0000

Mason community invited to review, discuss task force recommendations Colleen Rich Thu, 02/18/2021 - 14:41

Editor's note: The link for the draft recommendations has been updated. We apologize for the inconvenience.

George Mason University President Gregory Washington and members of Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force invite the university community to the first of two virtual town hall meetings, which will be held 2-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Registrations to participate in the town hall via Zoom have reached capacity, and the university community is encouraged to tune in to the event live through GMU-TV at gmutv.gmu.edu/live.

The task force’s six committees—University Policies and Practices, Training and Development, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Student Voice, Research, and Campus and Community Engagement—have worked hard over the past five months and are ready to share their initial recommendations for the Mason community's feedback and consideration. The draft recommendations are available for review, and there is a form for you to provide feedback.

More information about the task force is available at arie.gmu.edu, including additional information about the committees.

Topics

President's Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Campus News

Faculty and Staff News

ARIE

Mason Lighting the Way: Josh Kinchen

Colleen Rich — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 21:07:11 +0000

Mason Lighting the Way: Josh Kinchen Colleen Rich Thu, 02/11/2021 - 16:07

Mason Lighting the Way

Spotlights from the Task Force

More than 100 faculty, staff and students are working on George Mason University’s Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force, which is taking a hard look at the current state of diversity and inclusivity efforts at the university and making recommendations for the future.

These individuals come from across our campuses and bring their different skill sets and expertise to this work. In this series, we will spotlight members of the task force and find out what drives them.

Josh Kinchen
Associate Director, LGBTQ+ Resources

Task Force Committee: University Policies and Practices

Josh Kinchen

Josh Kinchen uses the pronouns he/him, and he wants you to know that. He was co-chair of the team that revamped George Mason University’s Chosen Name and Pronouns Policy and worked to add “gender expression” to the nondiscrimination policy.

As associate director of the LGBTQ+ Resources in the Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment (CCEE), formerly ODIME, Kinchen advises student groups, sits on many committees and does a lot of consulting and training with schools, colleges, and departments across the university that want to learn more about working with LGBTQ+ students.

“Some of that work looks like training; some looks like conversation,” said Kinchen who serves in leadership roles in the national association ACPA-College Student Educators International. “It's more helping people connect the dots.”

It is work that Kinchen feels called to do.

Kinchen enlisted in U.S. Marine Corps after high school and was at boot camp when 9/11 happened. After his service, he worked some hospitality jobs before ending up at a community college in North Carolina where he was working while taking classes. He found he really loved higher education.

“I had an advisor who said, ‘You should think about working with students for a living.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, that!’” he said.

In the years between that “aha” moment and Mason, he earned a BA in communication studies and an MEd in higher education administration from University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where he also held a graduate assistant position working with LGBTQ+ students. Before coming to Mason in February 2018, he was working at Florida State as the program coordinator for student governance and advocacy.

Kinchen said he was excited to be working on the Policies and Practices committee because this work directly impacts the students and communities he and his CCEE colleagues interact with on a daily basis.

“This is the ecosystem that I work in,” he said. “There are some places that you when say ‘diversity and inclusion,’ the only aspect that comes out is race and ethnicity, which of course is incredibly important. [LGBTQ+ work] is intersectional with every other identity. So having someone who brings LGBTQ+ work into that conversation elevates the whole process.”

For Kinchen, the task force is about coalition building and helping his colleagues understand the nuances of identity and how things might affect people in different ways.

“I think the folks that do diversity inclusion work, none of us would consider ourselves experts because there's always more to know,” he said. “Having more people at the table with different perspectives and understandings makes the work richer, more dynamic and just better in general.”

“It behooves all of us to understand who our students are, to know what they need. We have to understand the complexity of the world for us to be able to do our work. Every social movement in the past 50 years has started on a college campus. Students can lead the way because they are intuitively understanding what the next thing is—and we get to be a part of that process.”

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Mason Lighting the Way spotlights

President's Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Campus News

ARIE

Mason Lighting the Way: Dominique Dowling

Colleen Rich — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 18:36:10 +0000

Mason Lighting the Way: Dominique Dowling Colleen Rich Wed, 02/03/2021 - 13:36

Mason Lighting the Way

Spotlights from the Task Force

A few weeks ago the United States was captivated by poet Amanda Gorman and the words she spoke at President Biden’s inauguration. Among them were: “For there is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”

President Gregory Washington wants Mason to be a national exemplar in anti-racism and inclusive excellence, and these task force members are helping to light the way for this important work.

Dominique Dowling
Junior, Integrative Studies Major
Committees: Student Voice and University Policies and Practices

Junior Dominique Dowling has been working to enact social change since high school. She joined the GMU NAACP chapter in her second year at Mason, and now she is the group’s vice president.

Through the chapter, she has been involved in numerous panels and committees, which inspired her to do more anti-racism work on campus.

“Being part of the NAACP has exposed me to different initiatives and people who have been doing this work for years,” said the integrative studies major. “It made me realize that anti-racism work requires an ongoing dedication because there is always work to be done.”

Dowling has been involved with a number of organizations including Student Government. She said she was excited to be involved with the task force because she believes students are often left out of the conversation.

“Many times our voices are not heard due to the lack of representation or the simple fact that one student can't express the concerns of more than 30,000 students,” said Dowling. “I felt like this was my opportunity to elevate the voices and grievances that many students have.”

When asked about her career goals, Dowling is clear about her aspirations: She wants to one day be the U.S. secretary of education. Toward that goal, she plans on continuing on at Mason to complete her MEd and then become an elementary school teacher and eventually work in school administration. And she said her task force work has influenced her trajectory.

“I want to implement anti-racist and social justice components into my teaching,” she said. “Through administrative roles, I want to help other teachers to also implement those principles so that young people don't have to wait until they get the opportunity to take a college course on identity to become aware of inequities.”

Topics

Mason Lighting the Way spotlights

President's Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Campus News

Students

ARIE

Fighting the fires of social and racial unrest

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 20:16:18 +0000

Fighting the fires of social and racial unrest Mariam Aburdeineh Thu, 01/21/2021 - 15:16

In This Story

Gregory Washington

To honor the memory of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and recognize those on campus who actively live out his vision, George Mason University will host the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Evening of Reflection and awards ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. via Zoom.

“This year, it is particularly important to continue on with the Evening of Reflection, as we consider the state of our nation,” said Hamal Strayhorn, director of the Office of Coalition Building and Diversity Education at Mason. “Our nation has experienced the loss of 400,000 lives to COVID-19, social and economic disparity in full view, the continuation of black bodies being murdered by police without accountability and racial unrest. On Jan. 6 we all witnessed a failed insurrection in our nation’s capital, which was rooted in divisiveness and racism.”

“Our hope is that students and attendees will understand that in our nation and world there is still a lot of work to do around issues of social justice, equity and inclusion and that ‘the time is always right to do what is right,’” Strayhorn said, quoting Dr. King.

Mason President Gregory Washington will be the event’s keynote speaker and will address this year’s theme of “The Burning House,” which comes from another Dr. King quote:

“I’ve come upon something that disturbs me deeply. We have fought hard and long for integration, as I believe we should have, and I know we will win, but I have come to believe that we are integrating into a burning house…”

“How will our commitment to anti-racism work be like the ‘firefighters’ preventing the ‘house’ from burning completely down?” Strayhorn said. “[President Washington] will also look at how the work of anti-racism touches and affects our students, professional members, the local community, the commonwealth and eventually our nation.”

Following the keynote address, representatives from the student body will have the opportunity to ask questions relating to the theme, the work the university is doing around anti-racism, or how they can play a part in keeping Dr. King’s vision at the forefront of social change, Strayhorn said.

Students, faculty and staff who are doing influential work centered on Dr. King’s vision will also be honored with the Spirit of King Awards.

“The MLK Evening of Reflection shows that George Mason University is committed to diversity, excellence, and inclusion and to addressing the hard questions of where we are as a people and nation,” Strayhorn said.

Topics

Spirit of King awards

anti-racism

Racism

systemic racism

President's Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Campus News

ARIE

Anti-Racism Task Force prepares to share recommendations, receive feedback

Melanie Balog — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 10:00:32 +0000

Anti-Racism Task Force prepares to share recommendations, receive feedback Melanie Balog Thu, 11/12/2020 - 05:00

Dietra Trent (left), the interim vice president for Compliance, Diversity and Ethics and special advisor to the president, and co-chairs Wendi Manuel-Scott (center), a professor of history in the School of Integrative Studies within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the former director of the African and African American Studies Program, and Shernita Rochelle Parker (right), Mason’s assistant vice president for HR strategy and talent management, spoke about the work of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force. Creative Services photos

Over the past several months, members of George Mason University’s Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force have been hard at work analyzing the current state of the university, making recommendations, and preparing for the major work ahead.

We recently spoke with the task force leadership—Dietra Trent, the interim vice president for Compliance, Diversity and Ethics and special advisor to the president, and co-chairs Shernita Rochelle Parker, Mason’s assistant vice president for HR strategy and talent management, and Wendi Manuel-Scott, a professor of history in the School of Integrative Studies within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the former director of the African and African American Studies Program—to see how the initiative is going.

“[The task force’s work] is our best chance of creating real and lasting change at Mason,” said Trent. “As a university, we tout diversity as a core value. But, with less than 10% of our full-time faculty being African American or LatinX, our data show otherwise. I believe we have systemic problems that have perpetuated biases and discrimination over time; this task force will lead us in our efforts to root out racism and discrimination university-wide.”

“I've been at Mason for almost two decades as a faculty member,” said Manuel-Scott. “While the campus has grown, I think what has remained consistent is a deep desire that Mason be an institution that lives up to who we say we are and give meaning to what we say our core values are on a daily basis.”

“Racial Justice, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion” is also the theme of the first Freedom and Learning Forum hosted by President Gregory Washington. The campus community has the opportunity to ask questions of President Washington and other key leaders on issues of campus climate, racial justice, equity and inclusion. The forum will take place on Monday, Nov. 16, from 4-5 p.m. To RSVP or submit a question, go here.

Committee reports were due Oct. 31. What’s happening now?

Trent: The task force was launched late August. Many of the committees started working immediately; they are now six to eight weeks into their work. The committees submitted their initial reports on Oct. 31. In their reports, they recommended short-term goals (within this academic year) and longer-term goals (within the next academic year) to accomplish.

To ensure that everyone on campus has an opportunity to review and weigh in on the committee recommendations, we will host a series of town halls. We are also planning to engage the community through their individual work…whether it’s through their current research on marginalized populations, or through centers to enhance opportunities for marginalized communities, or decolonizing curriculum, or through creative expressions in the arts. We believe everyone can contribute and should be provided an opportunity to do so. We are also setting up an interactive website where the Mason community can stay informed about this initiative, and offer suggestions and solutions to some of our challenges.

And people will also be able to participate in the process through the new website?

Trent: Yes. One of our major priorities in terms of process is to ensure that we have total transparency. This will require consistent communication and engagement. We plan to have the website launched in the next few weeks. As previously mentioned, it will be interactive so people can make recommendations, identify challenges, provide solutions, and of course, keep up with our progress. There will be plenty of resources on the website, including committee recommendations and deliverables, performance measures, faculty/staff/student spotlights, interviews, a report card, etc. This website is key for Mason to tell our story, keep our community engaged, and share our progress.

Does Mason really need a task force to do this work?

Manuel-Scott: It is important to keep in mind that justice-centered work at Mason did not begin with the establishment of the task force. An initiative like this does not just bubble up from nothing. It bubbles up from student activism, faculty and administrators who believe that building a more just institution is worthwhile. There are so many individuals across the campus—staff, faculty, administrators, and students—who believe in building an inclusive university, and they have been doing that work for years.

The nearly 100 members of the task force are from many different corners of campus, and they all have different gifts, skill sets, and expertise. They are committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-heterosexist, and anti-classist institution. They sit in virtual spaces collectively thinking about the work we need to do to help our institution live up to the promises we've made to our students. And I think it's an honor to join my colleagues and our students in this transformative process because even in the scariest and most difficult moments, we continue to talk to each other, stay engaged, dream boldly, and imagine an institution that sees and values every single person.

What makes this task force unique from other institutions' anti-racism efforts?

Parker: We have had a lot of conversation about what Mason's definition of anti-racism might be. We thought it was important to get some sense of what anti-racism means for the committees in terms of the work on which they were focused. Each committee created its own definition as a part of their reports, and those definitions will be made available to the Mason community on the website. We're trying to figure out how Mason community members can also add their anti-racism definitions. There’s an opportunity for people to be able to see that chorus of voices that are a part of this work, and that would live on the website. Those definitions will be part of the creation of a Mason definition.

I think for me the most important thing about this task force and this initiative is that it's bold. At institutions, we create a lot of plans. There's always good work being done, but sometimes there is the challenge of recognizing that that work is disruptive, that work is challenging, that work takes courage. What's exciting about this initiative is that it recognizes all of those things, and we've made a commitment. Dr. Washington has made a commitment to that work. For me, it is an opportunity for us to live our values. When we talk about thriving together, this work is a testament to that commitment. And for our surrounding community, the state, and other institutions of higher education to see that it's more than just words. It's the action that goes with the words. For me, that's exciting. It's not going to be easy. It's a long-term effort and challenging, but it's work that's so worthwhile because it speaks to what we need to do and should do. It allows fulfillment of our values.

Many people wanted to be involved in this initiative. How were participants selected for the task force and committees?

Parker: It is a wonderful challenge to have so many people who want to be involved. In terms of the process, we really did look at individuals with varying degrees of subject matter expertise in diversity, inclusion, social justice, and racial justice across campuses, schools, colleges, and units. We were trying to make sure that we were as inclusive as possible, but also recognizing that when you talk about creating a body that needs to take action(s) that you are challenged by managing the number of people involved. The sheer numbers really can grow to such a point where it's impossible to be productive in terms of creating the infrastructure that's needed for execution of the activities, programs, and initiatives. So we sought to expand membership and participation through involvement in the committees. As the committees are identifying their different initiatives and projects, it starts to be about the doing and the activities that create the change. Those activities are portals for wider involvement. That’s where we really have a great opportunity to make sure that we pull even more people into this. We want everyone to be involved.

How is the task force including all voices in this work?

Trent: As Dr. Washington pointed out when he arrived, Mason enters this conversation from a very strong place. Currently, Mason is engaged in significant anti-racism and inclusive excellence work, and has been for some time. I think one of our greatest challenges is how we build organizational synergy and create seamless networks across colleges/schools. This is our foundation. Our committees are working very hard; they are inviting voices from all around campus to be engaged in this work. These are not just the voices of advocates and people doing work in this space, but also the voices of those who have not been involved. Dr. Washington’s charged the task force with leading Mason in becoming a national exemplar in anti-racism and inclusive excellence. Mason’s capacity to accomplish this depends on the full diversity and inclusivity of our community. We define diversity in the broadest sense of the word—with no one excluded. We welcome all voices, even those who may automatically feel excluded. Inclusive excellence requires that we leave no one out. The task force is leading this charge, and I know Mason will be a better and more inclusive university as a result of their commitment.

Students are playing a large role in this initiative. Why is that?

Trent: We believe it’s important to include students in every conversation. Student perspectives are key to this effort. Our student members are offering viewpoints and solutions that promote diversity and inclusion. They serve on every committee. When we're looking at university policies and procedures, pedagogy and curriculum, research, training and development, or campus and community engagement, students’ voices are well represented. Additionally, there is a Student Voice committee, chaired by an undergraduate and graduate student that has 12 to 15 members. The Student Voice committee meets regularly and has contributed significantly to the task force work.

What are the next steps for the task force?

Manuel-Scott: There are going to be some short-term initiatives that we can do immediately, and the funding will be available to tackle those quickly. Then there are going to be the institutional changes that are going to require a long-term commitment, such as thinking about how we recruit and how we can be more intentional in terms of who we recruit. It is a complex effort, and the initiatives will impact people across campus. For example, I've been working with my colleagues, Ben Carton and George Oberle, for three years now on the Enslaved People at George Mason Memorial project, and I think about what the memorial will mean for our institution in terms of changing the narrative and transforming the landscape of our Fairfax Campus. I think about what the memorial will mean for new students and what it says to them about who we are—and the story that we tell about who we are. Going forward we are choosing to be an institution that amplifies marginalized voices—voices from the past and voices in the present.

Mason’s Carter School prevails in pandemic. Here’s what is on the horizon for its first year.

Mariam Aburdeineh — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Mason’s Carter School prevails in pandemic. Here’s what is on the horizon for its first year. Mariam Aburdeineh Fri, 09/18/2020 - 01:00

The name change to the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution serves as a tribute to the Carters’ steadfast commitment to peacemaking through nonviolence and the transformative role of dialogue and diplomacy in conflict resolution. Photo courtesy of The Carter Center.

In the midst of a pandemic that pushed the spring 2020 semester online, George Mason University’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) was undertaking the largest change in its 40-year history—becoming the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

It was a move that put the school’s expertise to the test.

“The renaming of an institution could easily be a dividing process, but we managed to use our own expertise in conflict resolution and peacebuilding to make our renaming process a peaceful one,” said Carter School Dean Alpaslan Özerdem. “The most amazing part of this story is that we have done all this in the midst of a pandemic.”

The switch also occurred during changes in senior leadership, as Mason transitioned between provosts and university presidents. In the process, the school has emerged “more united and with a clearer vision for our future,” Özerdem said.

That vision is inspired by the school’s namesakes, he said.

“With the emphasis on ‘peace’ in our title, we are re-defining our vision in light of the Carters’ legacy in peacemaking, human rights protection and socio-economic development of vulnerable populations,” Özerdem said. “Our future work will integrate peace and justice in a symbiotic relationship.”

What’s going to be different about the Carter School?

“The main change is to ensure a much greater engagement with different actors outside academia, whether they are state departments, legislators, civil society organizations, the private sector or the general public,” Özerdem said. “My goal is for the Carter School to become the go-to place for all matters of peace and conflict resolution, whether for study, research or community engagement.”

One highlight is the new Peace Labs initiative, which will facilitate collaboration between the Carter School and Mason’s other schools and colleges.

The focus will be on cutting-edge research, Özerdem said, such as a Peace Engineering Lab in partnership with the Volgenau School of Engineering to explore new ways of using big data and artificial intelligence for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Other areas for collaboration may include work around climate change with the College of Science, and a lab on social justice with Mason’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Carter School will also be playing a role in Mason President Gregory Washington’s Anti-Racism Task Force

Other new initiatives include:

A collaboration with Arlington County and Fairfax City on police, justice and education reform programs;
The Carter School Political Leadership Academy, which will train citizens running for office in conflict resolution skills;
A new graduate certificate in contemporary dispute resolution, focusing on resolving disputes that arise in home and work environments;
The Carter School Buddy Program, through which new students from undergraduate to doctoral levels are being paired with a student mentor; and
Carter School Peace Week, which aligns with the United Nations’ International Day of Peace on Sept. 21 and includes events on peace and justice.

“To ferry S-CAR through the Carter School name change has been the most exciting leadership experience,” Özerdem said. “We showed we can work together, overcome challenges and excel—that’s what I’m really proud of.”

Carter School set to build strong foundation for Mason president’s Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force

Audrey Williams — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 19:51:40 +0000

Carter School set to build strong foundation for Mason president’s Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force Audrey Williams Fri, 09/04/2020 - 15:51

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In This Story

Mason community marches on campus to peacefully protest on the Fairfax campus to voice their support for Black Lives Matter. (Photo by: Ron Aira/Creative Services/ George Mason University)

When George Mason University President Gregory Washington announced that he would establish an Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force, he named the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution as playing a central role in building a strong foundation for anti-racism work at the university.

“[The Carter School is] one of the nation’s few schools dedicated to social justice and peace, and one of the very best,” President Washington wrote in his July announcement on the task force’s formation.

Now that the Fall 2020 semester has begun, the task force is ready to begin its work, and a number of Carter School community members will be playing a role in setting a national model for what it means to create a truly inclusive campus rooted in an anti-racist approach to teaching, scholarship, research, and practice.

The task force’s central membership of 32 Mason-based experts, scholars, students, and practitioners includes two Carter School faculty members, Charles L. Chavis, Jr. and Tehama Lopez Bunyasi.

Chavis is an assistant professor of conflict resolution and history at the school, where he is the founding director of the John Mitchell, Jr. Program for History, Justice, and Race. His scholarship and practice focus on “salvaging” the “human story” of marginalized communities through narrative change and critical historiography.

Read the Mitchell Program’s “Letter to White America” in recognition of the 57^th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Lopez Bunyasi is an assistant professor of conflict analysis and resolution at the Carter School, where her work is focused on race, racism, and anti-racism in the United States. Her co-authored book with Candis Watts Smith, Stay Woke: A People’s Guide to Making All Black Lives Matter (New York University Press, 2019), has gained national attention, particularly over the past summer, and was written to help people of all backgrounds open up constructive conversations about race and racism in the United States.

In addition to its core membership, the task force will involve more than 100 people from across Mason’s colleges, schools, and units in carrying out anti-racism and inclusion work across six committees: 1) Training & Development; 2) Campus & Community Engagement; 3) University Policies & Practices; 4) Curriculum & Pedagogy; 5) Student Voice; and 6) Research.

Chavis will serve as a co-chair for the Training & Development Committee, while Lopez Bunyasi will serve as a co-chair for the Curriculum & Pedagogy Committee.

The committees will draw on the expertise of a number of Carter School community members, including Sheherazade Jafari (Director of the Point of View International Retreat and Research Center), Susan Hirsch (Vernon M. and Minnie I. Lynch Chair of Conflict Analysis and Resolution), Al Fuertes (PhD ‘07 and affiliated faculty member), Derek Sweetman (PhD ‘20), and Kat Trejo (bachelor’s student).

Read the complete membership list of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force and its affiliated committees.

The contributions of the Carter School’s community to the task force reflect its commitment not just to educating peacebuilders and conflict resolution specialists in theories of peace and social justice but also to putting those principles into practice by playing a role in dismantling structural racism and inequality in its own classrooms and hallways.

“Condemnation alone will not do the work that is needed to dismantle systems of racial injustice,” said Carter School dean Alpaslan Özerdem in the school’s May statement against white supremacy. “It is our firm commitment as a School to undertake an ethos of research, teaching, and practice that prioritizes anti-racism and opposes oppression. That means continually engaging in reflective scholarship and practice that contemplates our own place in this system while lifting up the efforts of our community members working to dismantle white supremacy.”

The school’s faculty, students, and alumni are already engaged in scholarship, research, and practice that interrogates the role of white supremacy and systemic racism—and anti-Black racism, in particular—not just across society as a whole but in the field of peace and conflict studies.

One of the Carter School’s initiatives includes its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which has been working since 2017 to support the school in being attentive and responsive to the various needs and experiences of students from all backgrounds, including those from minoritized and marginalized communities.

“One thing is for sure, DEI work is meaningless if we do not center an anti-racist approach,” said Jafari and Pushpa Iyer (PhD '07), who are co-chairs of the DEI Committee, in a July story for Carter School News.

The Carter School and George Mason University are doing this work in response to and in conversation with the widespread, interracial protest movement in support of Black Lives Matter, which throughout summer 2020 has laid bare once again the enduring nature of white supremacy and anti-Black racism in the United States.

“The fissures of inequality are on full display,” said Lopez Bunyasi in a recent interview with George Mason News. “We are amidst a great reckoning with who we are in this country and who we want to become.”

The Complete List of Members of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) Task Force

John Hollis — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 16:45:00 +0000

The Complete List of Members of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) Task Force John Hollis Wed, 09/02/2020 - 12:45

Anti-Racism Inclusive Excellence

TASK FORCE

“George Mason University will become a national exemplar in anti-racism inclusive excellence.”

Task Force Chairs

Wendi Manuel-Scott – Associate Professor (CHSS)

Shernita Parker – Assistant Vice President for Human Resources

Task Force Members

Ignacia Moreno – Board of Visitor’s member

Zofia Burr – Dean, Honors College

Shelby Adams – President of Student Government (UG)

Laurence Bray - Associate Provost for Graduate Education

Van Bailey – Assistant Dean, Director of Diversity and Inclusion (UL

Christopher Carr – Chief Diversity Officer (VSE)

Charles Chavis – Asst. Professor of Conflict Resolution and History (Carter School) 

Shannon Davis – Faculty Senate Chair

Elizabeth DeMulder – Professor and Academic Program Coordinator (CEHD

Na’ama Gold – Executive Director, Mason Hillel

Nance Lucas – Executive Director, Center for the Advancement of Well-Being

Creston Lynch – Associate Dean (UL)

Holly Mason – Coordinator of Graduate Programs Admissions & Fiscal Management

Christy Pichichero – Associate Professor & Director of Faculty Diversity (CHSS)

Lauren Reuscher – Community Manager, University Information, (Communications)

Millie Rivera – Director of Faculty Diversity, Inclusion and Well-Being, (FA&D)

Kevin Rockmann – Professor of Management (Business)

Craig Sawyer – Director, Corley Institute for Diversity and Inclusion Education (Law)

Bethany Usher – Associate Professor for Undergraduate Education

Gerald Weatherspoon – Chair, Chemistry and Biology (COS)

Mariely Lopez-Santanna – Associate Professor (Schar)

Rachel Wernicke – Chief Mental Health Officer (UL)

Ayondela McDole – Graduate Student

Robyn Madar – Director, Organizational Development and Learning (HR)

Cynthia Fuchs – Interim Director, Film and Video Studies (CVPA)

Rebekah Hersch – Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation 

Emily Ihara – Associate Professor and Chair (CHSS)

Nena Rogers – Sr. Associate Director, Student Services (Athletics)

Tehama Lopez-Bunyasi – Assistant Professor (Carter School)

Lauren Cattaneo – Associate Professor (CHSS)

Gesele Durham – Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Planning

Bill Dracos – Associate Vice President for Business Services

Anti-Racism Inclusive Excellence Committees

Training & Development: The Training & Development committee’s charge is to enhance, develop, recommend, and integrate anti-racism and inclusive excellence training. Currently, implicit bias and anti-discrimination training occurs in various units within the university. This committee should work with the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, as well as University Life, to assist schools and units with tailored training and workshops to meet individualized needs.

Committee  Co-chairs:  

Christopher Carr - Chief Diversity Officer (VSE)

Robyn Madar - Director, Organizational Development and Learning (HR)

Charles Chavis - Asst. Professor of Conflict Resolution and History (Carter School)   

Committee Members 

Millie Rivera - Director of Faculty Diversity, Inclusion and Well-Being (FA&D)

Kyle Warfield- Equal Opportunity Specialist (CDE)

Khaseem Davis-Director, Early Identification Program (UL)

Julie Owen-Assoc. Professor, Leadership and Integrated Studies (CHSS)

Jennifer Shelton (alum)

Brandi Blake- Assistant Director, Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education (staff)

Hamal Strayhorn - Director, Coalition Building and Diversity Education (UL)

Campus & Community Engagement: The Campus & Community Engagement committee is charged with developing, implementing, and supporting programs that promote access, diversity, equity, and inclusion through campus and community partnerships. This committee will establish guidance for engaging the university and broader communities in the ARIE work. Further, it will leverage Mason’s unique position in Northern Virginia and the National Capital Region to recommend and implement strategies that create long-term and sustainable change at Mason and our surrounding communities.

Committee Co-chairs

Creston Lynch-Associate Dean (UL) 

Elizabeth DeMulder- Professor and Academic Program Coordinator (CEHD

Nance Lucas- Executive Director, Center for the Advancement of Well-Being

Committee Members

Hansel Aguilar-Graduate Student (CHSS)

Jesse Guessford- Associate Director, Undergraduate Education 

Colby Grant- Operations Coordinator, SciTec (staff)

Michael Guston- Police LT., Police & Public Safety 

Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon- Director, Educational & Career Pathways (COS) 

Kimberly Holmes- Associate Dean for Student Affairs (CHHS) 

Sheherazade Jafari-Director, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Kristin Johnsen-Neshati- Associate Professor (CVPA) 

George Oberle - History Librarian (University Libraries) 

Lisa Snyder- Associate Director, Leadership Education and Development (UL)

Janae Johnson (alum)

Julie Choe Kim- Director, Graduate Student Life (UL)

Dann Sklarew- Director Sustainability Initiatives

University Policies and Practices: The university policies and practices committee is charged with identifying systemic inequities within Mason’s policies, practices, processes, and procedures to enable needed change. The committee will develop and implement an action plan for achieving meaningful, long-term structural change and accountability throughout the university community.

Committee Co-chairs 

Christy Pichichero - Associate Professor & Director of Faculty Diversity (CHSS)

Millie Rivera- Director of Faculty Diversity, Inclusion and Well-Being (FA&D)

Cheryl Druehl- Associate Dean of Faculty (Business)

Committee Members 

Juliet Blank Godlove- Dean of Students (UL)

Christopher Carr - Chief Diversity Officer (VSE)

Susan Hirsch- Professor (Carter)

Joshua Kinchen- Associate Director of LGBTQ+ Resources, ODIME (staff)

Michelle Lim- Assistant VP (HR)

Dan Taggert – Director, Human Resources and Employee Relations (COS)

Xiaomei Cao – (Faculty Senate rep)

Tiffany O’Neal- Assistive Technology Program Support Specialist (CDE)

Zavin Smith (alum)

Curriculum & Pedagogy: The curriculum and pedagogy committee is charged with recommending, helping to develop, and/or expanding current curriculum that prepare students to not only understand and address systemic racism and values a multi-cultural world, But also a curriculum that is in intentionally inclusive of the diverse scholars and voices that contribute to the academy.

Committee Co-chairs 

Lauren Cattaneo- Associate Professor (CHSS) 

Tehama Lopez-Bunyasi- Assistant Professor (Carter School)

Van Bailey- Assistant Dean, Director of Diversity and Inclusion (UL)

 Committee Members 

LaNitra Berger- Senior Director, Office of Fellowship (UG Ed);

LaTisha Elcock- Administrative Assistant, Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities (staff)

Melissa Broeckelman-Post- Director, Basic Course/Faculty, Communication (CHSS)

Al Fuertes – Associate Professor (CHSS)

Mark Hopson- Director, African and African American Studies (CHSS) 

Shelley Reid- Director for Teaching Excellence (Stearns Center) 

Derek Sweetman- Graduate Student Lecturer (CHSS, Carter School)

Kristen Wright- Director of Civic Engagement (UG Ed)

Kelly Knight – Professor/STEM Accelerator (COS);

Student Voice: Students often experience racism and bigotry in the university setting differently than faculty and staff. While students will be included on the larger taskforce, the student voice committee will allow for more input from student leaders from across the university on the student experience and campus climate. Student voices will support and enhance the work of the ARIE and share the task force work with their constituencies. Additionally, the student voice committee will participate in a student engagement campaign and provide input into additional faculty/staff training beyond curriculum and pedagogy.

Committee Co-Chairs

Shelby Adams - President, Student Government (undergraduate student)

Rose Pascarell- Vice President, University Life

Committee Members

Austin A. Deray -Doctoral Candidate

Sharrell Hassell-Goodman -Doctoral Candidate

Joshua Miller- Undergraduate Student

Tamyra Washington – Undergraduate Student

Kat Trejo – Undergraduate Student

Avery Ransome – Undergraduate Student

James Condo- Vice President Pride Alliance

Deion Maith- President of Collegiate Black Men

Domonique Dowling- Vice President, NAACP

Nautia Smalls- Student Government

Yessica Tello- President, Hispanic Student Association

Justin Suegay - Former President-APAC

Paola Choque Villarroel- Hispanic Student Association

Research: The research committee will promote an inclusive community that advances the meaningful contributions of diverse perspectives and views to the research, scholarship and creative activities of the campus community. This committee will establish guidelines and work with colleges and schools to promote diversity and inclusion in all areas of research, scholarship and creative activities across campus. Additionally, they are charged with establishing programs, opportunities and formal mentorships to increase historically underrepresented candidates. Finally, the committee will look at Mason's engagement in innovation and economic development activities to ensure that inclusive excellence is core to the entrepreneurship and economic development activities.

Committee Chairs

Laurence Bray- Associate Provost for Graduate Education

Rebekah Hersch – Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation 

Committee  Members

Ben Carton- Associate Professor (CHSS) 

Toya Frank- Associate Professor (CEHD)

Rosemary Higgins- Associate Dean for Research (CHHS) 

John Hollis – Communications Officer (staff) 

Aditya Johri – Professor, Information Sciences & Technology (VSE) 

Jessica Kallista - Founder/Curator/Art Instigator (CVPA)

Jessica Rosenberg- Associate Professor (COS) 

Michele Schwietz - Associate Dean for Research (CHSS) 

Paula Sorrell - Associate Vice President, Office of Research

Bonnie Stabile - Research Associate Professor (Schar)

President Washington's plan positions Mason for success

Colleen Rich — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 19:36:25 +0000

President Washington's plan positions Mason for success Colleen Rich Mon, 08/03/2020 - 15:36

At his first planning conference with the Board of Visitors, George Mason University President Gregory Washington outlined his ambitious framework for the university, including a mission to “reposition, restore and reinvent” Mason to achieve success in the post-COVID era.

“We are not going to look like we are the same institution two, three, four, five years from now….and it would be a mistake for us to think that we’re going to do that and to not correspondingly make the hard choices and the hard changes,” Washington said Thursday at the virtual conference, televised on GMU-TV. See the video here.

Washington said the institutions that will succeed in this new environment will be those that focus on reskilling, upskilling and retraining; provide clear pathways and flexible access to higher education; and focus on the grand challenges of their community and the planet.

“People are going to need to be reeducated and retrained in unprecedented ways,” Washington said. “We are the best-positioned institution in this state to do this, without question. But I contend we’re one of the best institutions in the country to move it forward as well.”

Washington unveiled or elaborated on several key initiatives, including executing the Safe Return to Campus plan, implementing a fiscal management plan to support the university through this COVID period, and forming a President’s Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, which he announced last month.

Washington also announced that Mark Ginsberg, appointed as interim provost and executive vice president in March, will serve a two-year appointment in that position to provide continuity in leadership while the university conducts a search for its next provost.

Among other goals that Washington set forth at the annual planning conference:

Establish an Innovation-Mason Commission of “the most-forward thinking faculty, staff and administrators” to make recommendations to chart the direction of the university
Complete a national search for a vice president of research, innovation and economic impact to replace Deb Crawford, who is now the vice chancellor of research at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Restructure the position of the vice president of compliance, diversity, and ethics, and then establish and complete a national search
Restructure, redistribute, and reposition the responsibility of the vice president of academic innovation and new ventures
Establish an initiative aimed at retaining key faculty
Examine and decide on the possibility of forming a standalone graduate school
Become a national leader in forming public-private partnerships to take advantage of university assets

“We are at a time in history where we need institutions like Mason more than ever,” Washington said. “And I truly believe that not only I am here, but we are all here at this moment in time to continue the university's positioning to be at the pantheon of the nation’s great universities.”

Dietra Trent, interim vice president of compliance, diversity and ethics and special advisor to the president, gave a presentation about the President’s Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence, a group charged with rooting out and preventing bias in university practices.

Trent said the university-wide task force is still being formed but announced that Wendi Manuel-Scott, professor within the School of Integrative Studies and the Department of History and Art History, and Shernita Parker, assistant vice president for Human Resources Strategy and Talent Management, will serve as co-chairs, and Honors College Dean Zofia Burr will serve as the deans' representative to the task force, in addition to advising Trent.

Mason is the largest and most diverse public university in the state and one of only 24 designated Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Centers in the country—and the only one in Virginia. Historically underrepresented groups make up 53% of Mason’s undergraduate student body, with little to no disparity in graduation rates based on ethnicity or economic status.

“Our vision is that George Mason will become a national exemplar of antiracism and inclusive excellence,” Trent said. “Excellence requires diversity, it requires equity, it requires inclusion, and it requires performance. It all goes hand-in-hand.”

ARIE

An Interview with the 2022 recipient of the Margaret C. Howell Outstanding Achievement Award

Congratulations to Jessica Kallista, adjunct faculty for the School of Art!

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Josh KinchenAssociate Director, LGBTQ+ Resources

Task Force Committee: University Policies and Practices

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Mason Lighting the Way: Dominique Dowling

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Dominique DowlingJunior, Integrative Studies MajorCommittees: Student Voice and University Policies and Practices

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Fighting the fires of social and racial unrest

In This Story

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Anti-Racism Task Force prepares to share recommendations, receive feedback

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In This Story

Read the Mitchell Program’s “Letter to White America” in recognition of the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Read the complete membership list of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force and its affiliated committees.

The Complete List of Members of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) Task Force

President Washington's plan positions Mason for success

Josh Kinchen
Associate Director, LGBTQ+ Resources

Dominique Dowling
Junior, Integrative Studies Major
Committees: Student Voice and University Policies and Practices

Read the Mitchell Program’s “Letter to White America” in recognition of the 57^th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.