Faculty Diversity Workshop
“Increasing Diverse Faculty: Standards and Best Practices”
Monday, Jan. 25
11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Norman Hall Terrace Room
PRESENTERS
– Cirecie West-Olatunji, UF Associate Professor, Counselor Education
– Richmond Wynn, UF doctoral candidate, Counselor Education
This College of Education-sponsored workshop is designed to increase faculty members’ knowledge about best practices for increasing faculty diversity, particularly as it relates to the goals within our College of Education.
Participating faculty are asked to bring one doctoral advisee. Following a luncheon, all participants can expect to engage in interactive exercises, a presentation of evidence-based best practices, and working groups.
According to West-Olatunji, inclusion of ethnically and racially diverse faculty, and enhanced competence by all faculty in addressing diversity-related issues in scholarship, have been shown to provide more creativity in solving concerns in education. Inclusion spurs more divergent thinking, authenticity to research investigations, and critical analysis to academic discussion.
RSVP: For reservations or more information, contact the SHDOSE administrative office (352-273-4334) by Wednesday, Jan. 20. The workshop is open to COE faculty and their doctoral students or, at the discretion of faculty, advanced Master’s or Specialist students who seek Ph.D.’s.
Presenter Bios
Cirecie West-Olatunji, a UF faculty member in counselor education since 2003, also is an affiliate faculty member in UF’s African Studies program. Her research specialty is multicultural counseling and the role of culture in the psychological, emotional and educational development of socially marginalized students. She also explores educators’ attitudes regarding low-income, culturally diverse students to identify effective ways to intervene with teachers, counselors and other school personnel. She recently was co-recipient of the College of Education’s International Educator of the Year Award and is a past president of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development.
Richmond Wynn, a doctoral advisee under West-Olatunji, is conducting his dissertation reearch at UF on the relationships between ethno-cultural identity, sexual orientation and traumatic stress in African American gay men. Over the past 20 years, he has held several positions as a licensed metal health counselor and certified addictions professional. While pursuing his doctorate, he is working as a therapist with the University of North Florida Counseling Center.
