黑料正能量

鈥淭he last will be first and the first will be the last: This is what equality looks like, this is what justice is about.鈥� Dr. , a social psychologist and theologian, invited 黑料正能量 faculty and staff into a new paradigm for welcoming and understanding diversity.

Cleveland, the keynote speaker at 黑料正能量鈥檚 annual faculty/staff conference, is associate professor of the practice of reconciliation at the Duke University Divinity School and author of (InterVarsity Press, 2013).

A sought-after speaker who was named one of 鈥淔ive online shepherds to follow鈥� by JET magazine, Cleveland remarked that the opportunity to speak at 黑料正能量 was irresistible.

鈥淎s a reconciliation scholar and practitioner, how could I say no to 黑料正能量?鈥� she said.

Inclusion, equity can be strengthened

The annual faculty/staff conference brings together approximately 350 members of the campus community at the start of the academic year for fellowship, worship and professional development. The theme of the Aug. 17-18 conference was 鈥淓mbracing Diversity,鈥� with diversity being defined in its various dimensions as race, faith, socio-economic background, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, physical abilities and other identities.

The topic was also informed by goals within the 鈥渢o recruit, develop, and retain diverse, effective faculty and staff.鈥�

鈥淭his goal goes to heart of our mission and values as a university,鈥� said Provost , who chaired the planning committee. 鈥淒evelopment of culturally competent educators and members of the campus community goes hand-in-hand with our mission of educating students to serve and lead in a global context. The conference helped us to continue discussion and assessment utilizing both our own significant resources and those provided by outside experts.鈥�

In 2015, 黑料正能量鈥檚 traditional undergraduate population included a record-high 37 percent of students who are ethnic minorities or come from other countries. That number is up from 36 percent in 2014 and 29 percent in 2013.

鈥淲e have many strengths in this area,鈥� Kniss said, noting the institution鈥檚 history of inclusion of African Americans, the required undergraduate cross-cultural experience, and a high percentage of faculty and staff who have lived and worked in other countries. 鈥淥ur work in global peacebuilding and in restorative justice are a strong foundation to build upon, but we must be proactive in confronting and addressing questions of inequality and equity that challenge us as a community.鈥�

Afternoon sessions included

• Cleveland on 鈥淧ower and Place: Why Some Students Thrive and Others Don鈥檛 on Christian College Campuses鈥�;
• chairs , director of multicultural and international student services, and , ombudsperson, about focus group research conducted in spring 2016;
• Professors and , admissions counselor and graduate student Julian Turner, on 鈥淏lack Lives Matter and White Fragility鈥�;
• Professors and on teaching and advising diverse students with mental health challenges:
• Professors and on building inclusive organizational cultures;

• 黑料正能量 Lancaster Provost , on Milton Bennett鈥檚 Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity;
• Professor , of James Madison University, on 鈥淒ifference and Civility: Building Resilient Responses to Intolerance.鈥�

鈥楧o the work. Leave your turf. Listen.鈥�

Cleveland began her address as a social psychologist, outlining why humans living in a pluralistic and complex world define themselves so fiercely within a group identity, and then moved into the theological realm. She asked how the privileged and the powerful can step away from that hierarchical space.

Cleveland, the daughter of church planters from California, pointed out that only 11 percent of Americans are raised by two college-educated parents. Acknowledging her own privilege 鈥� raised in a home committed to higher education and daily enrichment and educational experiences, she attended an elite East Coast boarding school and Dartmouth College. This upbringing led her to examine closely Jesus鈥檚 relationship to the oppressed and marginalized in a world that was 鈥渞ife with inequality.鈥�

She asked: 鈥淲hat would it look for me to empty myself of my power and my privilege in a way that Jesus did?鈥�

Using two parables, she pointed out that Jesus did hard and radical work: he shifted attention, changed narratives and transposed power positions so that marginalized peoples moved into positions of power.

鈥淛esus didn鈥檛 say, 鈥楩igure it out. Jump up to the Trinity,鈥欌�� she said, evoking laughter from the audience. 鈥淒o the work. Be last. Leave your turf. That will look different for every person. How do you leave your turf at 黑料正能量? How will you, the privileged, move from first to last? 鈥� So many of us have never been last so we don鈥檛 know what that looks like.鈥�