"Shayla Herndon-Edmonds" Archive

Wake Forest community invited to WISE Conference 2018

This is a guest post from the Center for Global Programs and Studies:

The Center for Global Programs and Studies encourages members of the Wake Forest community to attend the 2018 Workshop on Intercultural Skills Enhancement, or WISE Conference, celebrating its 10th anniversary, Feb. 8-9. Wake Forest faculty, staff and students may attend at no cost, although registration is required.

WISE is the pioneering conference for faculty leaders, program coordinators, and administrators to develop the knowledge and skills needed to help students advance their intercultural skills and awareness during abroad experiences.

Farzana Nayani, a nationally-recognized Diversity & Inclusion Specialist and Intercultural Trainer, will present the keynote address on Thursday morning. Nayani, who has extensive experience working with academic institutions, Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations, will speak on Being Inclusive: Creating an Environment Where Authentic Selves Thrive.

The conference features a number of Wake Forest faculty, staff, and student presenters, including the following sessions:

  • Bridging the Communication Gap: Script-Based Language and Culture for Non-Language Programs with Rebecca Thomas
  • Inclusive Excellence: Including the On-site Team with Jessica Francis and Shayla Herndon-Edmonds
  • International Student Adjustment to U.S. Universities: The Role of Intercultural Skills with Nelson Brunsting, and student presenters Megan Mischinski, Frank Fang, and Wenjin Wu

The full schedule and session descriptions are available on the WISE website.

Registration is open through Jan. 27. WISE 2018 will be held at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Winston-Salem, located at 425 North Cherry Street.

WISE 2018 also features pre-conference workshops on February 7. Topics include Mindfulness & Intercultural Teaching and Learning, and Global Service-Learning Pedagogy and Partnerships. Paid registration is required.

Please contact wiseconference@wfu.edu or 336-758-5938 with any questions.

Categories: Events

Faculty, staff enhance ability to facilitate diversity in classroom

pedagogy

Faculty and staff participate in the Summer Institute for Intercultural Professional Development and Pedagogy

This is a guest post from Office of Diversity and Inclusion:

This fall, 30-plus faculty and staff from across the University will be more equipped to facilitate diverse experiences in their educational offerings and to promote inclusion and equity at the University. They participated in the Summer Institute for Intercultural Professional Development and Pedagogy this past July.  Advanced by members of the Curricular Changes and Faculty Development sub-committee of the Campus Climate Implementation Team, the Institute emerged from recommendations provided by the campus community in fall 2014 as part of the Deliberative Dialogue Series on Inclusion.

Jose Villalba, senior associate dean for faculty, evaluation, and inclusivity, and Shayla Herndon-Edmunds, director of diversity education, spearheaded the effort with support from Barbee Oakes, chief diversity officer, Lynn Sutton, vice provost, and Catherine Ross, director of the Teaching and Learning Center. Former Wake Forest Fellows Muhammad Siddiqui and Nia Evans also contributed greatly to the development and implementation of the Institute.

Participants in the Institute were selected after completing an application for admission and were assigned pre-readings for discussions during the two-day, overnight experience at Graylyn International Conference Center. The Institute covered a wide-range of topics, including facilitating difficult dialogues in the classroom and campus settings, the role that self-awareness plays in cultural competence, and best practices for creating inclusive spaces. Each participant left the Institute with a personal action plan to continue to strengthen their skills, and they also reported significant increases in their confidence and ability to manage complex discussions around difference, empathize with others, among other measures of intercultural competence according to a pre- and post-test administered by Dr. Villalba.

“What I find most impactful about the Institute is that faculty and staff now have more tools and skills at their disposal to improve interactions with students, shape campus departments, and create programs,” said Villalba. “Their willingness to challenge themselves to be more inclusive and aware as educators is a great model for our campus community and hopefully will inspire others to do the same.”

The Institute is a part of the Dean of the College’s “Maximizing Inclusivity + Minimizing Apathy (MIMA)” professional development series for faculty and staff. MIMA offers skills-based workshops in the fall semester and awareness/theoretical sessions in the spring. This October, faculty and staff can look forward to a session that addresses the complex mental health concerns of students on campus. The session is co-sponsored by the Learning Assistance Center, University Counseling Center, and Office of Academic Advising. For more information, contact Jose Villabla at villalja@wfu.edu.

Categories: Guest Post

Manning, Herndon-Edmunds named Employees of the Year

At the Staff Rewards and Recognition Luncheon, Travis Manning and Shayla Herndon-Edmunds were named Employees of the Year.

Travis ManningManning, the circulation manager at Z. Smith Reynolds Library, has been described as patient and kind to everyone, demonstrating a commitment to improving services every day. He has a great ability to build a bridge of understanding between people and provides superlative, exceptional service and always has a smile. He is the first to volunteer when there is a call for assistance, and he truly leads by example. As a problem-solver and supervisor of student workers, he helps scholars transition to university life and guides them through the uncertainty of starting a new job in a new place.

Shayla Herndon-EdmundsHerndon-Edmunds, the manager of diversity education in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, has built a reputation on campus for giving honest feedback and helping people understand how to approach others with the assumption of good intent. By conceptualizing an idea and forming a plan to implement that idea, she has introduced an education series that impacts all levels of the institution. She exhibits dedication to serving others and making a difference – both in the Wake Forest community and globally. By teaching others to understand themselves, those around them, and why we should value similarities and our differences, she has helped create a more inclusive environment for faculty, staff and students.

“The Staff Rewards & Recognition events enable our campus community to celebrate and appreciate our dedicated staff, whether they have been here for 5 or 35 years,” said Carmen Canales, chief human resources officer. “By honoring Employees of the Year, we further recognize exceptional service in the areas of integrity, accountability, inclusion, dedication to excellence, and Pro Humanitate.”

WFU honors Gatekeepers

Shayla Herndon-Edmunds addresses the crowd.On June 10, members of the Wake Forest community gathered in the Magnolia Room for the Gatekeepers Recognition Ceremony. The event honored 109 faculty and staff that have completed the first three workshops in the Gatekeepers Workshop Initiative in the 2012-2013.

Created by Shayla Herndon-Edmunds, manager of diversity education for Wake Forest, the Gatekeepers Workshop Initiative enhances participants’ cultural competence through tools and exercises that explore perception, various communication and conflict styles; value differences, stereotype threat, implicit bias, contact theory, among other phenomena that impact the engagement of faculty, staff and students on campus.

Provost Rogan Kersh and other University leaders spoke about the importance of cultural competence in building an inclusive community, while participants and internal trainers were celebrated for their efforts.

To date, more than 1,000 staff, faculty and students have attended the Gatekeepers 1 Workshop, “Enhancing Our Community Through Inclusion.”

Check the Professional Development Center’s website for Gatekeeper’s courses available in 2013-14.

Categories: Events

Important diversity and inclusion changes

Barbee Myers Oakes talks with students.

Barbee Myers Oakes talks with students.

To faculty, staff and students:

Important changes have been made in the area of diversity and inclusion. In February, the position and responsibilities of Assistant Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, Dr. Barbee Myers Oakes, was realigned to report jointly to the Provost and the Chief Human Resources Officer, Carmen Canales. This new reporting structure is intended to provide additional support to all faculty, staff and students in these areas by leveraging resources from both HR and the Provost’s office.

Barbee continues to lead the Office of Diversity and Inclusion with support from J. Matthew Williams, Program Coordinator . The LGBTQ Center, directed by Angela Mazaris, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, directed by Alta Mauro, also continue to report to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Read more about Oakes being named one of the “25 Women Making a Difference” by Diverse Issues in Higher Education »

Shayla Herndon-Edmunds

Herndon-Edmunds

Additionally, Shayla Herndon-Edmunds was appointed to serve as Diversity Education Program Manager, reporting to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. In this role, Shayla will fully implement the GateKeepers Workshop series that she developed while serving as the Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration.

We believe these changes will play a crucial role in taking the university from an environment of awareness to one of inclusion, in which faculty, staff and students are empowered to bring themselves more fully into the Wake Forest experience.

— Mark Welker, interim provost
— Hof Milam, senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer

Categories: Staff News

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