Members of the College of Education’s Belonging Committee have identified the key themes that will focus their work moving forward.
Four “interrelated dimensions” – Belonging and Mattering; Voice and Decision-making Power; Equity in Workload and Opportunity; and Leadership and Commitment to DEI – emerged from their summer analysis of qualitative and quantitative data gathered in a spring climate research survey conducted by committee member Carrie Kortegast.
Kortegast and research committee members Sally Blake, Suzanne Degges-White, Eric Junco, Carolyn Pluim and Bess Wilson collaborated on the data analysis over the summer.
They then reviewed the results with fellow Belonging Committee members Hyoju Ahn, Kristal Armstrong, Joe Curran, Razak Dwomoh, Christie Easley, Kim Green, Q Hutchings, Farah Ishaq, Jennie Jones and Michael Manderino.
Among their reflections:
Belonging and Mattering
- Hyoju Ahn: “Feeling connected, accepted and listened to is important. For me, the feeling of ‘I am worthy and needed here’ makes belonging.”
- Joe Curran: “As a staff member, ‘Belonging’ is all about not feeling like a ‘staff member’ and more the feeling that everyone I work with has a shared goal and understand their piece of it. I can’t do what an instructor, faculty member, executive assistant or food services can do to help meet that goal, but that doesn’t mean we all don’t ultimately want the same thing: happy students, pleasant co-workers, the sense that what we are doing has meaning and that our voice matters. I tend to think of ‘Belonging’ in the same way that weather and climate are different. In any given moment, I may be frustrated or something like that. That is ‘weather’ – short-term and temporary. But ‘Belonging’ is climate – how a place is over an extended period of time.”
- Farah Ishaq: “At the end of each department meeting, a trophy is presented to faculty or staff who made a positive impact that month. They are then able to keep this trophy until the next department meeting. Each winner is then responsible for presenting the trophy to someone new at the next department meeting for their efforts. This is one small thing that stands out that allows faculty and staff to feel appreciated and respected. It’s always great to hear what impact faculty and staff within the department have on each other, which can make a big difference in overall climate, sense of community and relationship-building.”
Voice and Decision-making Power
- Q Hutchings: “In some spaces, I feel really welcome and feel like my voice is being given perspective. But sometimes when I leave – when I leave my department or college home – that’s where it comes off very differently. You’re asked about, ‘Are you tenure-track? Are you tenured?’ You often have to name these things for people in order for them to not question your humanity or your identity on campus. I do think that there are often times where, unless I’m around other folks who look like me, I don’t feel like I get this sense of respect and welcoming.”
Equity in Workload and Opportunity
- Suzanne Degges-White: “It’s important to allow people across all levels to feel a sense of ownership about their roles and their responsibilities. Each program area has a variety of program-level tasks and committees that can provide diverse opportunities for personnel to step up and choose where they would like to play a role in the workings of the program.”
Leadership and Commitment to DEI
- Degges-White: “Being focused on cultural competence is essential – participating in DEI trainings; being willing to discuss sensitive topics from a place of support and willingness to listen and learn; and being willing to accept feedback or correct one’s errors, such as misgendering or misspeaking. Assessing the success of existing practices and being open to revision of procedures when needed are important ways to ‘walk the walk’ as well.”
Eric Junco, the college’s director of Academic Cultivation and Engagement, says the committee is excited to help faculty and staff understand the survey results and work together to create a “more just, inclusive and empowering College of Education.”
“In the pursuit of excellence and inclusivity, the Belonging Committee is dedicated to cultivating an academic community where every student, faculty, and staff member feels connected and valued,” Junco said. “We recognize that belonging is not just a feeling – it is a condition for educational innovation, collaboration and achievement. Our work is rooted in a commitment to evidence-based improvement and collective care.”
Committee members now are organizing meaningful events that affirm individual and collective belonging in spaces where dialogue, collaboration and mutual respect can flourish.
The events will create a dynamic feedback loop that informs policy, practice and community development, something that empowers progress toward the college’s value of Belonging and supports its strategic priority of Social Justice.
The first of those opportunities will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, in the Lincoln Room of the Holmes Student Center with s’mores and other refreshments provided.
Billed as a “fireside chat,” the event will examine the COE’s climate research survey findings and explain how the perspectives of faculty and staff will help to shape the college’s roadmap. It also will take a deeper dive into “Belonging and Mattering,” focusing on this question: “Do faculty, staff, and students feel seen, respected and valued as full members of the community?”
- Can’t join in person? An online, interactive Belonging Committee Data Dive Presentation will take place via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26.
Dean Mary Earick applauds the committee’s efforts.
“What I’ve learned from, and about, the committee in just my first few months is impressive and encouraging – and, more than that, is fundamental in fostering a thriving community within the college,” Earick said. “I’m looking forward to the upcoming conversations and explorations that will continue to strengthen our belonging value and will show us how to best pursue that ambition.”
Junco expects just that.
“Increasing our collective efforts to listen and engage can make belonging a lived reality for everyone in the college. By grounding our work in these dimensions, we’ve been able to clarify where our strengths lie and where we need to grow,” Junco said.
“What encourages me most is seeing both the honesty and insight in the data. Faculty and staff voiced real challenges, but they also shared ideas, commitments and bright spots that indicate how the COE is moving forward,” he added. “It tells us that change isn’t only possible – it’s already happening.”
This is the first in a series of articles related to the work sponsored by the Belonging Committee or sponsored by the Academic Equity Committee, whose members also work to advance our Social Justice priority and support our value of Belonging. For more information, email ejunco1@niu.edu.
