GTCC Faculty Complete Four-Day Multicultural Academy

GTCC faculty recently completed a four-day academy on Multicultural Education in the Classroom.

JAMESTOWN, N.C. – Guilford Technical Community College faculty recently completed a four-day academy on Multicultural Education in the Classroom. Open to both full-time and part-time faculty in both technical and curriculum departments, the summer academy brought together educators to discuss topics on cultural competence and religious tolerance, poverty, LGBTQ+ inclusion, veteran integration in the classroom and how to better accommodate the needs of students with disabilities.

“Guilford Technical Community College is committed to accessibility, diversity and inclusion for all students,” said Dr. Jacqueline Greenlee, Director of Organizational Development at GTCC. “The Academy required both introspection and open discussion throughout the week, and we will be sharing our knowledge with others throughout the college during the upcoming school year.”

The Academy brought together several experts in the field of diversity and provided GTCC faculty and staff the opportunity to engage in conversation on how to better serve students both in and out of the classroom. The Multicultural Academy was held June 4-7 and organized by GTCC’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

Highlights from the Academy included:

• Ivan Canada, executive director of NCCJ of the Piedmont Triad, shared with the group that inclusion requires intention. He challenged faculty to take advantage of the diversity that already exists at GTCC.

• Omar Ali, Dean of the Lloyd International Honors College and Professor of African Diaspora Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro discussed several practical teaching techniques for reaching students across religion and race.

• Dr. Anthony Graham, former Dean of North Carolina A&T State University's College of Education and currently Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Winston-Salem State University, gave the keynote address. Dr. Graham talked about equity in education and addressed how a professor’s choice to be helpful -- even when it’s inconvenient -- can change a student’s long-term trajectory.

• Josh Lane, Assistant Professor of English at GTCC, shared his personal journey from poverty to community college to community college professor and highlighted some of the struggles students in poverty endure in a college classroom setting.

• Sabrina Boyer, Associate Professor of English and Humanities, spoke about strategies for better including LGBTQ+ students, dealing specifically with terminology use and how to make classrooms more welcoming overall.

• A day was devoted to discussing how to include military students and students with disabilities. Flora Taylor, Coordinator for Veterans and Military Assistance Programs at GTCC, and Mark Harris, Dean of GTCC’s High Point Campus, provided “Green Zone” training for faculty. The exercise served to train faculty to know about the issues and concerns faced by military-affiliated students and veterans. Both veterans, Taylor and Harris shared their personal experiences and the experiences of many GTCC students and how they potentially impact their lives in the classroom.

• A special session on how to better teach and integrate students with disabilities featured a panel discussion with students and fostered candid dialogue on what efforts could be made to help those with disabilities. The conversation underscored what did and didn’t work in prior classroom situations in an effort to better include them in future classes. A second session featured guest speaker Bryan Dooley, a local disability rights advocate. Dooley, who has cerebral palsy, spoke about the challenges he faced during his own educational journey and even now as a college graduate. His commentary included specific dos and don’ts for all those in education.

The Multicultural Academy was hosted and planned by Catina Galloway, GTCC Associate Professor of Sociology; Dr. Jacqueline Greenlee, GTCC Director of Organizational Development; and Tiffany Overby, GTCC Associate Professor of English and Humanities.

With the start of the 2018 fall semester, the team is eager to put into practice some of the takeaways gleaned from the Academy. “This faculty cadre will work together over the coming year to be both accountable to each other and to check-in on what’s working or what could be modified,” says Dr. Greenlee.   

For more information, contact Sandra Flynn, Co-Chair, Center for Teaching and Learning, at 336.334.4822 ext. 50198 or ctl@gtcc.edu; Dr. Jacqueline Greenlee, Director of Organizational Development, at 336.334.4822 ext. 50228 or jcgreenlee@gtcc.edu; Joe Partin, Co-Chair, Center for Teaching and Learning, at 336.334.4822 ext. 50417 or ctl@gtcc.edu.

Guilford Technical Community College is the fourth largest of 58 institutions in the North Carolina Community College System. GTCC serves more than 35,000 students annually from five campuses and a Small Business Center. Learn more at www.gtcc.edu.