Inclusive Practices

As a small campus community, Queens University of Charlotte understands the importance of the relationships we foster and the spaces we create for our students, staff, and faculty. We also understand that we need to be intentional about working to ensure those relationships and spaces are inclusive, equitable, and accessible. A key goal of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is to provide opportunities for individual and collective reflection and skill building that allow us to continue to refine our approaches to teaching, advising, mentoring, and supervision. The Office of DEI operates from a Community of Practice model that recognizes the strategies faculty and staff are already applying, creates space for resource and practice sharing, and offers opportunities for each of us to deepen our skillset in ways that promote more affirming and transformative living, learning, and working environments.

The following are the ongoing faculty and staff development initiatives offered through the Office of DEI and our campus partners. If you would like more information about or would like to participate in any of these opportunities, please reach out to Renee Wells, Chief Diversity Officer (wellsr@queens.edu).

Note: please also review the information on Fostering Religious Inclusion designed as a resource faculty and staff can use to proactively support the religious observance of students, colleagues, and employees.

Inclusive Practices in Higher Education

This monthly reading group invites faculty and staff to critically engage with a shared article that explores the interpersonal and/or institutional dynamics of higher education and how those dynamics influence the experiences of students, staff, and/or faculty. The goal of the monthly discussions is to consider the nuanced ways members of campus communities experience higher education in relation to inclusion and belonging based on peer-reviewed research, discuss how each reading relates to our work at Queens, and identify concrete ways we can adapt our individual and collective practices to promote more equitable and affirming spaces for students and colleagues.

2024-2025 Reading Group Discussions

If you would like to participate in any of the meetings, please reach out to Renee Wells, Chief Diversity Officer (wellsr@queens.edu), or visit the Office of DEI SharePoint site for more information. (Note: faculty and staff are welcome to attend reading group meetings as their schedule allows; participation in the entire series is not required.)

Putting Our Values into Practice

This video series provides a way for Queens faculty and staff to share the concrete strategies they are using to foster accessible, equitable, and inclusive living, learning, and working environments. Each installment in the video series is structured as a brief (15-20 minute) informal conversation with a featured faculty or staff member about one practice they have implemented that has had a transformative impact on the way students or colleagues experience the campus or workplace. By providing a forum for practice sharing, this series allows faculty and staff to tell the story of how they are honing their skills and to serve as resources for each other. Faculty or staff who have inclusive practices they would like to share are invited to contact Renee Wells, Chief Diversity Officer (wellsr@queens.edu).

Navigating the Deeply Interpersonal Nature of Our Work

This five-part series will invite faculty and staff to hone their skills for responding in moments when things feel heavy and hard—such as student disclosures of sexual assault, biased comments during student discussions, or those moments when we say something and realize the impact we unintentionally caused. Structured as a series of 90-minute workshops designed to deepen our individual and collective capacity, this cohort opportunity will launch in spring 2025 and will be re-offered again in fall 2025. Below are the dates, times, and topics for the spring series sessions.

Session #1: Thursday, January 9 – 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Topic: Responding to Student Disclosures of Harm

Session #2: Thursday, January 30 – 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Topic: Discomfort vs Dysregulation: Trauma-Informed Practices

Session #3: Thursday, February 20 – 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Topic: Responding to Microaggressions

Session #4: Thursday, March 13 – 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Topic: Taking Accountability and Rebuilding Trust When We Cause Harm

Session #5: Thursday, April 10 – 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Topic: Navigating Difficult Dynamics with Colleagues

This series will be offered as a cohort model, with participants building trust and shared practices over the semester. Faculty and staff who are interested and able to commit to all five sessions can contact Renee Wells (wellsr@queens.edu), Chief Diversity Officer, to reserve a spot in the spring 2025 cohort.