Celebrating Heritage Months in the College of Education

The COE has faculty, staff and students representing nationalities, languages, races, cultures, and ethnicities from near and far. Each voice and each perspective contributes to who we are as a community. For example, in addition to our majority U.S. born students, faculty, and staff, we know of those ranging from at least 20 other countries including those captured below.

 

1. Should the college celebrate the federal heritage months and days with visible displays, messaging, and / or events?

• Committee Decision: Yes. The COE should regularly celebrate the diversity of our community in ways that draw attention to the differences and similarities that bring us together. Though our identities will always expand dramatically beyond the limitations of the categories and timelines that are currently defined by national heritage months, these moments of recognition provide us with one way to draw attention to the rich similarities and differences that bring us together. The committee will continue to consider your ideas for improvements to the model and to identify more authentic ways to maintain a focus on all the intersecting ways we bring ourselves to the college.

The committee is currently considering:

1. Ideal ways to solicit, collect, and, disseminate the visual artifacts?
2. Ways to ensure that the decision to recognize heritage months is done respectfully and inclusively and does not generate more inequities?

Along with the university community we will be celebrating Black History Month in February and Women’s History Month and Developmental Disabilities Awareness month in March.