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The REACH mission:

REACH is a coalition of faculty, staff, and students which aims to create a campus culture wherein the committee members unite together to advance basic needs equity among all UMBC members with the immediate goal of hunger eradication on campus. The committee members serve by sharing knowledge and guiding Retriever Essentials to better perform its operations and expand its outreach.

**Event Posting**

Writing Accountability Group (WAG) Kick-Off Meeting

Be Like Chip! “WAG” Your Tails on 2/22, 8-9 pm!

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Grad Students and Postdocs: if you are interested in teaching and want a starting point for understanding the origins of racism in educational environments and how you can actively work against that history to create a more inclusive and equitable learning space for your students, THIS PROGRAM IS FOR YOU. Certificate upon completion (and we will work with you on having this also count toward a CIRTL certificate as well - contact us if you are accepted into the program). Details below!

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From USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation:

Faculty and staff have an important role to play in creating environments and contexts where all students can learn and thrive. At the same time, systemic forms of racism and bias work against the promise of inclusive and equitable learning environments. Many faculty and staff want to take a more active stance in redressing inequities in their daily interactions with students, but may ask, “Where do I start?”

The USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation has partnered with Lumen Learning to pilot Exploration of Belonging for Educators: Creating a Sense of Belonging to Support Student Success and Well-Being -- a set of virtual, self-paced professional development modules focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). The modules are designed to help participants foster a sense of belonging so that students feel valued and respected. The modules invite participants to examine their own personal journey with DEIB by exploring identity, bias, power, and how these factors come into the educational environment. 

The Kirwan Center is pleased to be able to offer members of the USM community the opportunity to participate in the pilot this spring. Access to the modules is being made available to participants at no cost to them or their institutions -- all fees associated with the pilot will be covered by the Kirwan Center. 

Who Should Apply?

Eligible applicants are faculty and staff with student-facing roles at their institutions, such as instructors in any appointment involving teaching, graduate and teaching assistants, instructional designers, advisors, and student affairs and student success staff. No background in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is necessary.

What To Expect

Working at their own pace through four modules, participants will examine:

• Why belonging is essential to student success for students;
• How to foster a sense of belonging;
• Why social identities are important to learning, engagement, and belonging;
• How to recognize bias and address its effects in the campus community;
• How power dynamics impact campus communities; and
• Strategies that can empower students and address power differentials.

Important Dates

• Enrollments are being accepted on a rolling basis at https://info.lumenlearning.com/selfpaced-deib-md
• Pilot Start Date: Access to Modules will open on February 22, 2022
• Pilot End Date: Modules will close on June 30, 2022

Time Commitment and Expectations for Participation

Each of the four modules will take approximately 5 hours to complete, inclusive of embedded activities. Participants will be expected engage in personal reflection and to identify ways to apply the concepts and ideas presented. For the purposes of the pilot, we ask that applicants agree to work through all four modules within the time frame of February 22-June 30, 2022. 

Supports and Benefits

There will be a Lumen Belonging Coach providing nudges along the way to help participants stay on track. Participants who complete all four modules by June 30, 2022 will receive a certificate of completion. Participants can also pursue earning a badge in each of the four module areas.  

We invite you to learn more and apply today at https://info.lumenlearning.com/selfpaced-deib-md. Questions may be directed to Manuela Ambrosino at manuela@lumenlearning.com.