POD Diversity Committee Spring 2009 Update

1. DC Executive Committee
We are pleased to introduce to you the DC executive committee for 2009-2010:

Michael Jennings, Chair
Stacy Grooters, Vice Chair
Frank Tuitt, Past Chair and Conference Liaison
Lori Schroeder, Chair of Diversity Grants
Marie-Therese Sulit, Donald H. Wulff Travel Grant, Vice Chair
Patricia Lawler, Internship Grant, Vice Chair

This executive committee will assume leadership of the DC on April 1, 2009.  The DC would like to thank Wayne Jacobson for the support, guidance and wisdom he provided in the role of DC Past Chair and we look for to his continued participation on the DC.


2. Reflections from the Fall 2008 DC Business Meeting:  During our fall 2008 Diversity Committee Business Meeting we discussed the following long-range plans:

•   Increase the diversity of the POD membership through outreach to individuals from underrepresented groups and minority-serving institutions  
•   Create a welcoming environment at POD conferences for POD members from underrepresented groups
•   Increase understanding among the POD community of diversity issues and the work of the Diversity Committee  

The DC plans to achieve these strategic objectives by focusing our attention on the annual conference. Specifically:  we plan to increase the visibility of the DC during the fall conference by: (a) encouraging DC members to submit diversity related proposals for the fall conference; (b) engaging in outreach activities to attract more diverse members to POD via the fall conference.

Our travel grants program will continue to play a major role in this area; (c) increasing the number of DC related activities at the fall conference; and (d) increasing our communication with DC members prior to, during, and after the fall conference through the creation of a DC eFolio site (http://poddc.project.mnscu.edu).


3. POD Fall Conference
Proposals are now being accepted for the POD Fall Conference, and we encourage all DC members to consider submitting a proposal.  We encourage all DC members to use our e folio site as a vehicle for collaborating with others on proposals.  The theme for this upcoming conference is Welcoming Change: Generations and Regeneration.

Proposals are due APRIL 6, 2009, 5:00 PM Pacific. Proposals will be accepted online starting MARCH 10.  You can read the complete Call for Proposals and submit online here: http://podnetwork.org/conferences/2009.


4. POD Donald H. Wulff Diversity Travel Fellowships Program

The Donald H. Wulff Diversity Travel Fellowships Program seeks to increase participation by people from underrepresented groups and/or institutions in the field of instructional development. Recently renamed to honor the memory of an early supporter of the Diversity Committee, the travel grant program awards up to $1,000 to individuals (and up to $2,000 for teams of two or more) to support their travel to the annual POD Conference. The 2009 Conference is in Houston, Texas, October 28 – November 1.

The POD Diversity Committee is particularly interested in people who would join POD and contribute to its mission over the long term. Former grant recipients who have not received more than one award in the past may also apply for a second grant, with priority consideration being given to second-time applicants who have remained active members of POD's Diversity Committee. Underrepresented institutions include, but are not limited to the following: 1) Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 2) Native American Tribal Colleges, 3) Hispanic Serving Institutions or Hispanic Area Colleges and Institutions.

The deadline for applications is May 10, 2009 by 5 p.m. CDT. Awardees will be contacted on or before July 1, 2009. Applications for the grants should be sent via email attachment to Lori Schroeder, Chair – POD Travel Grants Program at
lori.schroeder@metrostate.edu.
Visit the POD web site (http://podnetwork.org) for additional information about POD grants, the organizational mission, and conference schedules.

Additional information on the application process, proposal elements, timeline, review criteria, and FAQs can be found on the POD Diversity Committee eFolio site at http://poddc.project.mnscu.edu. Contact Lori Schroeder, Chair – POD Grants Program, at lori.schroeder@metrostate.edu or Marie-Therese C. Sulit, Vice Chair – Donald H. Wulff Travel Fellowships Program, at sulit@msmc.edu.


5. POD Faculty/TA Instructional Development Internship Grant

The 2009 Faculty/TA Instructional Development Internship Grant Program provides a POD member institution with funding up to $5,000.

Faculty/TA Instructional Development Internship Grant goals:
1.  To provide a person of color with career exploration opportunities in Faculty/TA instructional development;
2.  To support the intern’s attendance at the 2009 POD Conference in Houston, Texas (October 28-November 1, 2009) or at the 2010 POD Conference.
The grant award will be allocated in two ways:
1.  Up to $4,000 will be awarded to the institution to fund the internship,
2.  Up to $1,000 will be available to the intern for attendance at the 2009 POD Conference.
Institution applicants must have joined POD on or before the application deadline to be eligible for this grant. For POD membership details, please visit http://podnetwork.org/membership.htm.
Additional information on application process, including expectations of grant recipient, review criteria, and FAQs can be found on the POD Diversity Committee eFolio site: http://poddc.project.mnscu.edu.

All proposals are to be submitted through email to Lori Schroeder, Chair – POD Grants Program, lori.schroeder@metrostate.edu by 5:00 PM CDT on or before May 10, 2009.


6. Upcoming Conference: Expanding the Circle: Creating an Inclusive Environment in Higher Education for LGBTQ Students

The DC is looking for a volunteer to work with Kathryn Plank as POD’s liaison to this joint venture between POD and the California Institute of Integral Studies. The conference description begins with the following paragraph:

In order to advance the American ideal of pluralism, acknowledge a scholarly area of investigation, and deepen learning in higher education, we need to expand our circle of inclusion and broaden our definition of diversity by increasing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) studies. In this conference, participants will not only address a variety of factors that have contributed to excluding LGBTQ issues from academic study and student life; but they will also explore strategies to make our campuses more inclusive for all students.  Although some colleges and universities have been incorporating LGBTQ studies for decades, courses and programs continue to be pockets of innovation, rather than models of inclusion for all of higher education.  

If you are interested in helping to plan for this conference please contact Frank Tuitt at ftuitt@du.edu as soon as possible.  This conference is schedule to be held at Hotel Nikko- San Francisco, California - February 25-28, 2010.