Join Dean Pitt-Parker as CEIS launches two new college-wide initiatives

CEIS Afrofuturism Initiative 

The College of Education and Integrative Studies recognizes the immediate need that exists to unapologetically address oppression, racism, and anti-Blackness on college campuses. Using Afrofuturism as a framework which celebrates themes of imagination, technology, liberation, and the future, and in line with our mission, vision, and values, the College of Education and Integrative Studies Afrofuturism Initiative will explicitly develop and implement nuanced strategies for advancing Black student success and elevating Black excellence across students, staff, faculty, and community spaces.  

Afrofuturist Scholars (student-focused) and Afrofuturist Fellows (faculty-focused) who have a demonstrated commitment to, knowledge of, and experiences in partnering with Black populations will be recruited to help facilitate the goals of the initiative:

• Leverage interdisciplinary, culturally relevant approaches for deeper partnerships with on-campus and community-based entities;
• Bolster pipeline programming and academic pathways with K-12 and California Community Colleges;
• Grow funding for and access to increased student participation in High-Impact practices;
• Enhance support for professional, career, and leadership opportunities; 
• Employ evidence-based strategies to impact recruitment, retention, and development;
• Develop structured programming and community collaborations that center Black joy in educational and community spaces through musical and artistic activism;
• Increase capacity for the development and implementation of anti-racist, decolonizing, and Black liberatory pedagogies, scholarship, and creative activities;
• Cultivate resources for free access, distribution, and practical use in schools, community colleges, and community settings.

C³W Initiative

The College of Education and Integrative Studies along side so many local and global entities is seeking to thoughtfully navigate post-pandemic factors that cannot be ignored. Lived experiences of food insecurity, racial injustices, housing instability, socioeconomic challenges, isolation, grief, trauma, exacerbated physical and mental health conditions, and lack of access to consistent and integrated care are significantly impacting students, staff, faculty, families, and communities. 

In line with our mission, vision, values and grounded in tenets from educators and activists like bell hooks, Audre Lorde, and Angela Davis regarding broad notions of communal wellbeing which arise from the constant pursuit of care and human liberation, the College of Education and Integrative Studies Community-Care and Wellness (C³W) Initiative will recruit Student Scholars and Faculty Fellows who are committed to and have demonstrated experiences in social justice and civic engagement for the purposes of:

• Partnering with diverse communities to identify and prioritize equity and social justice issues;
• Leveraging an interdisciplinary team of stakeholders (e.g., students, staff, faculty, community members) to facilitate community-centric conversations around areas of priority;
• Developing next steps related to action items in the form of advocacy and social action;
• Providing recommendations for program intervention and transformation and/or practice-based research activities on campus and in partnership with communities;
• Distributing findings using diverse platforms as part of intentional community-outreach efforts and coalition building on campus and in partnership with communities.