collaboration opportunities

 

Spirituality Dialogues

Religion and faith play an important part in establishing our identities. They help us perceive and understand who we are and how we see the rest of the world. Should we address faith in our interactions on campus? How does faith impact our experiences at JMU?

Spirituality dialogues are open discussions led by a faculty member where students express their personal views and ideas on religion and spirituality. Students share their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, while attempting to gain understanding and respect for those around them. For faculty, this is an opportunity to collaborate with other faculty and staff on campus and serve students outside the classroom.

Spirituality dialogues are sponsored by Student Affairs & University Planning and coordinated by Greg Meyer, the Assistant Director for Civic Learning in Judicial Affairs.

International Week

For the twelfth straight year, JMU′s Office of International Programs will be hosting International Week (I-Week) from September 27 to October 12.

Students, faculty, staff members and guests have celebrated cultures from around the world during International Week. This year′s theme was "Oceania" which includes Australia, New Zealand, and the islands in the regions of Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.

The calendar of events can be found at http://www.jmu.edu/international/iweek/schedule.shtml

Study Group

Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

Dr. Giuliana Fazzion, head of JMU′s Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, modestly describes her department as "diverse." With about 80 percent of their faculty foreign born, they collectively represent 19 countries. The department′s professional language courses allow students to gain exposure to Spanish in the medical, legal, and law enforcement fields, as well as in business environments.

The "language tables" events, where students and faculty members meet and talk about languages informally over lunch or coffee will commence again in the fall semester. Language tables have now been expanded to include Arabic, French and Spanish. A list of faculty contacts for the language tables can be found at http://www.jmu.edu/forlang/tables.html

Innovative Diversity Efforts Award (IDEA) Program Fall 2010

The Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP) is pleased to announce a call for proposals to receive grants that will enhance the diversity of thought, socio-economic status and background, ethnicity, and cultural experiences.

The goal of this award is to provide funds to students, faculty and staff members who want to test innovative ideas and/or develop sustainable activities and projects that would enrich the diversity of JMU. Individuals, departments, units or groups can submit proposals.

Awards of up to $4000 each will be made during the 2010-2011 academic year. The factors that would be used to decide awardees include: Originality, Impact of program on campus, Duration of activity or project, Feasibility, and Sustainability and/or follow up activities.

Applicants must submit an electronic copy of the completed proposal (in Word or PDF format) to diversity@jmu.edu by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 29, 2010. For more information, please contact Lisa Hess in the Office of Equal Opportunity at (540) 568-6991 or hesslb@jmu.edu.

Intergroup Dialogue Workshop on Ethnicity & Race

Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) workshops on ethnicity and race introduce JMU leaders to the IGD approach for contributing to a welcoming climate for students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds. The initiative emphasizes authentic conversations and positive interpersonal relationships among a diverse group of participants. IGD involves identity groups defined by race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic class, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin. Identity groups are represented in the dialogue by a balanced number of students, staff, and faculty.

Participants examine and discuss reading materials that address issues and experiences relevant to the groups in the dialogue, in relation to both the University setting and general society. The goal in these dialogues is to work towards understanding, not necessarily to reach agreement. Dr. Harriet Cobb, Head of JMU′s Department of Graduate Psychology and Mr. Art Dean, Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, will be collaborating with the IGD program guides to enable faculty at JMU to conduct the program in-house through a train-the-trainer session in October 2010. Stay tuned for more updates on IGD and how you can be a part of this exciting initiative.

Professor-in-Residence Program

JMU′s Professor-In-Residence Program (PIR) is an outreach endeavor to promote the educational attainment and college aspirations of Virginia high and middle schools students. Faculty members travel to Middle and High Schools throughout the state of Virginia and within our very own Shenandoah Valley. Ways you can participate:

Please contact Jackie Rufo at rufojr@jmu.edu for details, or visit http://www.jmu.edu/pir/.

 

 

 

 

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