Zúñiga, Perdomo and Neely Receive 2021 Higher Education Innovation Fund Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

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Ximena Zúñiga; professor of social justice education; Shelly A. Perdomo, assistant vice chancellor for advocacy, inclusion and support; and Dave Neely, director of diversity education and training; were awarded a $74.458 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education’s 2021 Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF). This program rewards cross-system collaboration, innovative thinking and evidence-based practices at the campus and system levels.

This HEIF grant will support a partnership between the College of Education’s social justice education program and the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Life aimed at building capacity for engaging in transformative racial justice practices.The primary goal of this initiative is to develop a learning sequence that builds capacity among professional academic affairs and student affairs staff to engage in, and facilitate, transformative racial justice practices such as inter- and intra-group race dialogues and racial healing circles. The ultimate goals of this initiative are to foster more racially aware and affirming workplaces for student-facing staff. 30 professional staff will be invited to participate in a sustained learning sequence that includes a three-day institute in May and practice labs in June, among other grant-sponsored activities.

Zúñiga will lead the project in close collaboration with Perdomo and Neely as co-principal investigators. Other key collaborators engaged in planning, delivering, and assessing the effort include Wilma Crespo, director of the Center for Multicultural Advancement, Nina Tissi-Gassoway, adjunct professor in social justice education; trainers from Workplace, Learning and Development; and social justice education graduate students.