The University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Academics

Justin Coles and Munkaila Musah Selected as North Star Collective 2025 Faculty Fellows

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Justin Coles and Munkaila Musah
Justin Coles (left) and Munkaila Musah

Justin Coles, associate professor of social justice education in the College of Education’s Department of Student Development, and Munkaila Musah, assistant professor of building and construction technology in the College of Natural Sciences’ Department of Environmental Conservation, have been named members of the North Star Collective (NSC) 2025 Faculty Fellowship by the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE).

The NSC program is a semester-long fellowship created by BIPOC faculty for BIPOC faculty in New England, running from January to May 2025, which supports career advancement, peer mentorship and racial trauma healing by fostering a nurturing community of care.

Sponsored by UMass Amherst Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion, the Office of Equity and Inclusion and the Commonwealth Honors College, the Faculty Fellowship is a professional development program designed to support Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) faculty members from institutions that are part of the NSC. This year, a record high of nearly 100 applications were received, resulting in the selection of 33 fellows for the 2025 cohort.

Fellows receive a stipend, participate in writing retreats and professional development workshops, and meet regularly to write within the community throughout the semester. The fellowship began with a writing retreat in Cape Cod from Jan. 8-10 and will continue with a Collective Annual Convening at Boston University on April 11, followed by a Faculty Fellowship Closing Colloquium on May 2.

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North Star Collective logo

”The North Star Collective Faculty Fellowship is, I believe, a much-needed community for BIPOC faculty in the New England area,” Coles says. “It not only gathers us around shared experiences of navigating academia through racial and cultural differences but also encourages us to truly discover both old and new ways of support and sustainability. This comes from engaging in collective work that can lead to material, collective action. There was something beautiful and loving about the fellowship retreat space we experienced, but not in the surface-level ways these terms are often understood. It was beauty and love in the sense of restoration and possibility. In that space, we were no longer the one or two people of color in our programs, departments, or college units. Instead, we were able to see reflections of ourselves, affirming that we are meant to be in our roles, doing the work we desire. It was a reminder of the brilliant intellectual and social capacities we all possess. 

“Even if our identities may not be well represented on our campuses, they exist, and so do we,” Coles continues. “We have a responsibility to ourselves, to each other, to those faculty who came before us, and to those who will come after us – to do good work and leave a legacy of collective community building.”

“It is hard for me to describe my experience – all I can say is that the retreat was surreal,” Musah adds. “It created a sense of ease that was not forced, allowing for moments of self-awareness and a relaxing atmosphere that was nurturing and uplifting. It provided a unique experience of being seen, heard, and understood without judgment. It can often feel isolating when one is not connected with others who share similar lived experiences. Many internal opportunities and collaborations at UMass, including the SBS RISE, CMASS, and partnerships with programs like the North Star Collective, showcase the unwavering commitment to helping faculty feel a sense of belonging while fostering relationships grounded in the recognition that, as important as our individual relationships with ourselves are, creating meaningful connections with others is essential.”

Established by the NEBHE in 2021, the NSC is funded by institutional members, including UMass Amherst, and receives generous support from the Hildreth Stewart Charitable Foundation and the Boston Foundation. In addition to the Faculty Fellowship, the NSC offers programming for institutional members to collaborate, share best practices, and address issues related to faculty racial equity on their campuses, including one-day in-person gatherings for campus administrators, staff and faculty working on racial equity initiatives.

More information about the North Star Collective can be found on the NEBHE website.