diversity

An Age of Empowerment: Meet Joycelyn Wilson

admin — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 20:57:12 +0000

An Age of Empowerment: Meet Joycelyn Wilson admin Mon, 06/05/2023 - 16:57

Joycelyn Wilson didn’t just grow up around music, she grew up around the lyrics. She wanted to know what artists were singing and why.

“I remember sitting and writing the lyrics,” she said. “They spoke to me. Music has been a learning space for me for a long time. It’s just in me.”

Wilson’s research examines hip-hop and what it says about the world we live in. A pioneer of hip-hop education as a practice, she uses it to address issues of civic engagement, race, and politics and to inspire future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math.

A graduate of Atlanta’s Mays High School, Wilson is assistant professor of black media studies and an educational anthropologist in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication. One of her most popular classes uses the music of Outkast, Kendrick Lamar, and other artists as texts to explore larger issues.

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Summary sentence

Wilson’s research examines hip-hop and what it says about the world we live in.

Summary

Dateline

Tue, 02/26/2019 - 12:00

Contact

Kristen Bailey

Institute Communications

Associated importer

Keywords

Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts

profile

women

diversity

african-american

Music

joycelyn wilson

popular culture

School of Literature Media and Communication

faculty

News room topics

Campus and Community

Categories

Institute and Campus

Mercury ID

618453

Source updated

Tue, 02/26/2019 - 09:06

Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council Gets To Work

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 16:12:00 +0000

Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council Gets To Work admin Fri, 01/27/2023 - 11:12

Members Take Action Through Three Working Groups

Last November, more than 50 Institute faculty, staff, and students gathered for the initial meeting of the Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (GTDEIC). The campus representatives were appointed by President Ángel Cabrera, and the group was tasked with monitoring and assessing the Institute’s progress toward becoming a model campus community for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In the months ahead, it will also submit recommendations to Cabrera and the Institute’s executive leadership team for consideration in developing strategic actions.

Enhancing diversity has been one of Cabrera’s top priorities. “Our Diversity and Inclusion Council is one of several action steps announced this past summer to deliver on our promise of inclusion,” Cabrera said in 2020. “As outlined in our new strategic plan, we are striving to remove barriers to access and success, and to build an inclusive community where people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to learn and contribute to our mission.”

Since that initial November meeting, the GTDEIC has launched three working groups comprised of Council members and issue-area experts from across the campus: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan; Campus Climate Assessment; and Covid-19 Impacts on Faculty.

“A diverse and inclusive campus is an empowered and engaged campus,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and GTDEIC chair. “A focus on diversity helps improve productivity, recruitment, and retention. Through these working groups, we will address immediate areas for DEI improvement.”

Pearl Alexander, executive director of Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement and GTDEIC vice chair, added, “One of our groups is crafting a comprehensive DEI plan that will be a blueprint with actionable strategies for implementation within the next five years. Another is redesigning our climate assessment to align with Institute goals for culture transformation, while the third is addressing the impacts of Covid-19 on women faculty and faculty of color. Each working group’s co-leads are working methodically and inclusively to identify strategies that will close gaps and deliver the greatest DEI impact possible. There will be many opportunities for leading, modeling, and living our values to make significant and lasting change.”

The Working Groups

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan Working Group is developing a blueprint that mobilizes the DEI-related objectives of the new strategic plan, which include: amplify our impact, champion innovation, connect globally, expand access, cultivate well-being, and lead by example. The group will work across three focus areas: creating an inclusive and equitable community; recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff; and supporting innovative and inclusive scholarship and teaching. The final draft of the blueprint will be submitted to Cabrera for review by the beginning of June. The group’s efforts will be supported by Georgia Tech Strategic Consulting (GTSC).

“Diversity today unlocks innovation tomorrow and creates unlimited opportunities for our students, faculty, and staff,” said Rashaad Owens Sr., GTSC consultant. “I believe Georgia Tech is poised for a brighter future with its renewed commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the new strategic plan.”

The Campus Climate Assessment Working Group will be led by Keona Lewis, associate director of Institute Diversity Research, and Joseph Ludlum, assistant director for Academic Effectiveness.

“One of the most enlightening tools we have for identifying racial and gender disparities is our campus climate survey,” Lewis said. Originally developed between 2011 and 2013, the survey has provided valuable information on individual and community experiences and their impact on people’s sense of belonging at Tech. “Over the past eight years, we have used what we have learned to address issues such as racial discrimination and bias and the lack of opportunities for the professional development of women staff — and launching Leading Women@Tech, the Inclusive Leader's Academy, and workshops to address bias in hiring promotion retention.”

The group’s goal is to create new research questions to capture data needed to measure the strategic plan’s DEI goals as well as the impact of current initiatives and programming. The Campus Climate Assessment group has formed three sub-teams for survey revisions: faculty, staff, and students. “This will allow us to measure our progress on achieving many of the new DEI objectives in the strategic plan through an exploration of the lived experiences of the Georgia Tech community,” Lewis said.

There are many reasons to be concerned about the short-and long-term impacts of Covid-19 on the well-being and advancement of faculty. “Data strongly suggest that the pandemic might exacerbate existing structural inequities in academia, as the burden of caregiving, differential access to resources, and mental health challenges exact a higher toll on women and underrepresented minority groups,” said Dana Randall, ADVANCE Professor for the College of Computing. “For this reason, the ADVANCE Professors formed this working group to develop a systemic approach to mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on the well-being and career progression of women faculty at Tech.”

“The overarching themes and outcomes we expect from a working group are twofold,” Kim Cobb, ADVANCE Professor for the College of Sciences, added. “First, our effort will aim to prevent the impending loss of women and underrepresented minority faculty from Georgia Tech, either through recruitment elsewhere, negative tenure or promotion outcomes, or by choice due to dissatisfaction with current working conditions and opportunities for advancement. Second, we will aim to improve the well-being and support for those faculty most negatively affected.”

The Covid-19 Impacts on Faculty Working Group will be co-chaired by an ADVANCE Professor and another member of the GTDEIC, with approximately 10 additional tenure-track faculty members. Specific areas the group plans to tackle include: campus climate and workplace satisfaction, promotion and tenure, retention, and the coordination of research and activities around Covid-19 and its impact on faculty.

“Establishing the GTDEIC represents the Institute’s commitment to engage all sectors of the Tech community,” Ervin said. “By identifying opportunities to achieve our aspirations for an inclusive community, and by demonstrating our value to be a community that thrives on diversity as a critical element of campus culture and climate, we are doing just that.”

Summary sentence

The Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council has launched three working groups comprised of Council members and issue-area experts from across the campus.

Summary

The Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council has launched three working groups comprised of Council members and issue-area experts from across the campus.

Dateline

Wed, 03/10/2021 - 12:00

Contact

Courtney Hill
Communications Manager
Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
courtney.hill@gatech.edu

Location

Atlanta, GA

Associated importer

Keywords

diversity

equity

inclusion

URM

faculty

staff

students

DEI

Categories

Institute and Campus

Mercury ID

645197

Source updated

Wed, 03/10/2021 - 12:18

Event Marks History While Embracing the Future

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 16:12:00 +0000

Event Marks History While Embracing the Future admin Fri, 01/27/2023 - 11:12

Georgia Tech students, administrators, and guests gathered yesterday to commemorate the transformation of a site once known as a haven for segregationists into an environmental restoration project now known as the EcoCommons.

The site, near the intersection of Hemphill Avenue and Ferst Drive, is the former location of the Pickrick Restaurant, which opened in 1948 and was owned by segregationist Lester Maddox, who later became the governor of Georgia. After the passage of the Civil Rights Act In 1964, three Black theology students from the Interdenominational Theological Center — George Willis Jr., Woodrow Lewis, and Albert Dunn — attempted to be served at the restaurant on three occasions. Each time they were forced out by Maddox and white patrons wielding a handgun and pickaxe handles.

The students hired Black attorney Constance Baker Motley, who filed the first federal lawsuit under the Civil Rights Act. The court ordered Maddox to desegregate the Pickrick. Instead of complying, he closed the restaurant. Georgia Tech purchased the building when campus expanded and used it as a job placement center for many years. The building was razed in 2008.

Archie W. Ervin, Georgia Tech’s vice president for Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, welcomed guests to the event.

“Today, we want to commemorate, celebrate, and honor the bravery of three young men, whose courage allowed them to alter the course of history by challenging racial segregation in the Deep South, our beloved city of Atlanta, and in the state of Georgia,” he said. “Their acts of courage helped to pave the way for progress addressing some of the many challenges to Black equality in America, which allowed for an eventual path toward healing the hurt and harm perpetrated on Black Americans under racial segregation laws and practices.”

Karcheik Sims-Alvarado, assistant professor of Africana studies at Morehouse College and a member of the committee that helped create the space, talked about the history behind the site, including the legal battle over desegregation. Matthew Wesley Williams, president of the Interdenominational Theological Center, spoke about the three students who participated in the sit-ins. And Jeanne Kerney, president of the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization, discussed Black student success at Georgia Tech.

Andre Dickens, Atlanta city council member who also serves on the Georgia Tech Alumni Association board of trustees, spoke about the historical significance of the events that took place here.

“It’s important to be able to put a marker down to say that something happened here that led to allowing people to gather together, integrated. I think this is the right thing to do, and this institution continues to get it right,” Dickens said. “Atlanta has always been at the height of the civil rights movement, and this place will be added to the legacy of Atlanta. We will make sure that people come see this place and know the story of what happened.”

Undergraduates Kemuel Russell and Shelbe Johnson spoke on behalf of the Georgia Tech African American Student Union.

“I hope that the evolution of this space, intended to inspire reflection and connection, is purposefully dedicated to the community that was previously harmed here years ago,” he said. “I also hope that Georgia Tech utilizes opportunities like this to remove barriers to success for minority students, in order to build a community where people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to learn and thrive.”

Johnson noted that the African American Student Union was founded after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

“Today, we carry on the legacy of legends such as Dr. King and the seminary students honored here this afternoon,” she said. “We encourage you to join us in taking up the mantle, helping to ensure that their legacies live on.”

Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera was the closing speaker.

"This beautiful element of the EcoCommons that we officially open today will help us remember our past, the struggle for civil rights in our city and our nation, and will inspire us to build a better future. It celebrates three courageous students who put themselves at risk to tear down walls and create opportunity for all of us," he said. "This garden, this unity garden, creates an opportunity for us to come together, to heal and to continue on our journey to build an inclusive community where everyone can thrive."

Summary sentence

EcoCommons space honors three young men who challenged racial segregation.

Dateline

Wed, 04/21/2021 - 12:00

Contact

Victor Rogers

Institute Communications

Location

Atlanta, GA

Associated importer

Keywords

ecocommons

Pickrick Restaurant

cabrera

Ervin

diversity

News room topics

Campus and Community

Society and Culture

Categories

Institute and Campus

Mercury ID

646737

Source updated

Tue, 05/25/2021 - 16:12

Georgia Tech to Help Expand Research at Historically Black Colleges  and Universities

bwaye3 — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 14:50:18 +0000

Georgia Tech to Help Expand Research at Historically Black Colleges  and Universities bwaye3 Tue, 07/19/2022 - 10:50

Georgia Tech’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) was recently awarded a $995,550 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to enable network and research enhancements for nearby historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).  

The NSF grant will fund at 100 percent a two-year project titled Promoting Research and Education at Small Colleges in the Atlanta University Center and at Tuskegee University Through Network Architecture Enhancements. Through this project, Georgia Tech, in collaboration with Southern Crossroads (SoX), will extend advanced networking services and cyberinfrastructure access to Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman College, and Tuskegee University. The project includes a robust training and support program to ensure proper adoption and success for researchers and educators at participating institutions. The Atlanta University Consortium (AUC) Woodruff Library will benefit from network upgrades through the grant as well.

Cas D’Angelo, OIT associate vice president and chief operating officer, serves as principal investigator for the project. He also serves as president of SoX, a Georgia Tech affiliate organization that serves nonprofit education, research, and government entities with cyberinfrastructure and global high-performance connectivity. 

“We started preparing a compelling proposal package that would demonstrate the need and value to the research community in early 2021,” said D’Angelo. “For years, we have been working to get institutions within the AUC — the oldest and largest contiguous consortium of African American higher education institutions in the U.S. — connected to the SoX regional network, given their proximity. This project provides us with that opportunity.”  

This project will also lay the groundwork for expansion to other HBCUs.

The NSF has solicited proposals to support traditionally underserved institutions of higher education through partnerships with regional entities that have experience in high-performance research and education networking like Georgia Tech. Special emphasis has been placed on HBCUs, tribal colleges and universities, and other traditionally minority-serving institutions.   

To learn more, visit sox.net.

Summary sentence

Georgia Tech’s Office of Information Technology was recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to enable network and research enhancements for nearby historically black colleges and universities.

Summary

Dateline

Wed, 07/13/2022 - 12:00

courtney.hill@gatech.edu

Location

Atlanta, GA

Associated importer

Keywords

Technology

HBCU

minority

AUC

cyberinfrastructure

NSF

grant

diversity

News room topics

Science and Technology

Categories

Institute and Campus

Community

Education

Mercury ID

659388

Source updated

Thu, 07/14/2022 - 13:28

diversity

An Age of Empowerment: Meet Joycelyn Wilson

Read the full story

Keywords

News room topics

Categories

Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council Gets To Work

Members Take Action Through Three Working Groups

Keywords

Categories

Event Marks History While Embracing the Future

Keywords

News room topics

Categories

Georgia Tech to Help Expand Research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Keywords

News room topics

Categories

Georgia Tech to Help Expand Research at Historically Black Colleges  and Universities