ICDG

What is the program’s mission statement or statement of purpose? Why does the program exist?

The Interdisciplinary Center for Global Diversity (ICGD) promotes education, fosters interdisciplinary research, and coordinates the administrative work of the interdisciplinary majors/minors in Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, and Women’s Studies programs. The ICGD also works with all colleges and departments across the EIU campus and the larger Charleston and Mattoon communities to encourage a greater awareness of issues concerning global diversity.

How does the program mission align with the university mission?

The Interdisciplinary Center for Global Diversity (ICGD) mission as stated above, aligns with EIU's mission which provides an education where students learn the methods and results of a free and rigorous inquiry in the arts, humanities, sciences, and professions guided by a faculty known for its excellence in teaching, research, creative activity and service. And a university community which is committed to diversity and inclusion and the preparation of students with an education that provides the skills and abilities to reason and communicate clearly so as to become responsible citizens and leaders.

Whom does the program serve?

The program serves students, faculty and staff across EIU campus as well as the wider, Charleston and Mattoon communities.

What are the services provided? How do these services align with the university mission and program mission?

Apart from being an administrative anchor for the interdisciplinary majors/minors in Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies and Women’s Studies programs. ICGD provides the following services to students, faculty, staff and the larger Charleston and Mattoon communities:

1. ICGD Faculty/Student Grants: Competative grants are announced on an annual basis and proposals are accepted from all EIU students and faculty from various disciplines. These grants support travel to attend conferences.

2. ICGD - Symposium/Speaker Series. Grant recipients present their work during the ICGD annual symposium which is also graced by a keynote speaker who is part of the ICGD diversity speaker series. The events are open to the EUI, Charleston and Mattoon communities.

3. Cultural and Educational Program: In an effort to promote a better understandings between various cultures, ICGD sponsors various cultural, dance and musical groups as part of the annual Celebrations Festival events. In addition, ICGD has beginning in the Fall of 2013 started a Community Coffee Hour as away of promoting dialouge between EIU faculty, staff, and students and the wider Charleston and Mattoon Communities.These programs are open to the public.

4. ICGD Advisory Board: The board provides opportunities for faculty from various disciplines  across campus to contribute, participate and give various perspectives and voices to the functions and services of ICGD.

The services provided by ICGD aligns with EIU's mission which provides an education where students learn the methods and results of a free and rigorous inquiry in the arts, humanities, sciences, and professions guided by a faculty known for its excellence in teaching, research, creative activity and service. And a university community which is committed to diversity and inclusion and the preparation of students with an education that provides the skills and abilities to reason and communicate clearly so as to become responsible citizens and leaders..

Describe the program’s origins (e.g. year established, purpose, expectations).

The program was established in 2009 with the mission to promote education, foster interdisciplinary research,coordinate the administrative work of the interdisciplinary majors/minors in Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, and Women’s Studies programs. ICGD also works with all colleges and departments across EIU campus and the larger Charleston community to encourage a greater awareness of issues concerning global diversity, ethnic and gender identity.

How has the unit changed or adapted over time?

The unit has not changed since its inception.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program’s history and relevance to university mission.

Provide data, if available, on the numbers of students, faculty, staff, or others served by the program during the past four years. If no data are available, please estimate the numbers served annually.

There is no data available. However, based on the participation and  attendance of students, faculty, staff and community members at various ICGD sponsored or supported events/programs,  I can estimate that at least about one thousand people have been served annually during the past five years.

Does the program offer any co-curricular opportunities for students (e.g., internships, RSO support, service-learning activities)? Please describe.

The program does not offer internships or service learning activities, nonetheless, ICGD does provide RSO advisory support to various student organizations. For instance, the Coordinator of Africana Studies Program who is also the Director of ICGD is an advisor to the Africana Studies Students Association (SANFOKA) and the African Students Association. The other three coodinators of Asian Studies, Women Studies and Latin American Studies programs also serve as advisors to student organizations of their respective programs. In addition, various members of the ICGD advisory board serve as Faculty Fellows to various halls of residence.

Does the program contribute to the delivery of academic programs (e.g., providing professional expertise, serving as adjunct faculty)? Please describe.

The program contributes to the delivery of academic programs through the various affiliated majors/minors and faculty that serve it. However the program, is not an academic unit in the traditional sense.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the internal demand for the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., curriculum changes made by another program) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Is the program accredited or approved by a recognized external agency or otherwise certified to meet established professional standards? Provide an executive summary of and link to the program’s most recent accreditation or certification report, if available.

The program does not undergo a separate accreditation process other than what the university goes through.

Is the program required to meet any regulatory or legal requirements? Is the program subject to any special auditing requirements?

The program is not required to meet any regulatory requirements other than that which is stipulated in the university's governing policies and it is also not subject to any special auditing requirements other than what all the other university departments/programs are subjected to.

What are the most important outreach or public service activities supported by the program?

The program supports the participation of students from Africana Studies, Women Studies, Latin American Studies and Asian Studies in various community services activities organized by EIU's office of community service. Thse students have volunteered in various capacities in both Charleston and Mattoon communities.

How do the local community and the region benefit from the program?

Apart from the participation of students in community services, the program exposes the local communities of Charleston and Mattoon to various issues of diversity and prespectives that would not have been impossible in an all white area. Such an exposure is essential in today's globalized world.  It also engages these communities through programs such as the Community Coffee Hour in a dialogue that fosters a deeper understanding of one another and in the process contributes to a greater human possibilities of a multicultural society. This type of engagement is also productive because due to changing demographics, a high percent of students that will be studying at EUI will consist of minority and international students. Its thus imperative that the communities where these students will live know how to relate to them.

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the external demand for the program.

What are the two or three more important measureable outcomes tracked to assess program quality? Does the program conduct an outcomes assessment, and if so, what has been the impact?

On the advise of ICGD advisory board, the program instituted  a performance assessment that will take place every five years. The assessment suervey is currently underway since this is the fifth year since the inception of the program.

What are the two or three most effective best practices that the program has implemented? What benefits have been gained from implementing these best practices?

The three best practices that the program implemented have been:

1. The ICGD symposium and speaker Series. For example, the symposim has allowed the program to expose students and faculty to various methods of research and results of free and rigorous inquiry in the arts, humanities and sciences, since presentations have been from a wide range of disciplines across campus. Likewise the speaker series has also exposed the EIU and Charleston community to various current diverse topics of national and international interest which equips them with the knowledge needed to be productive in an interdependent world: Examples of topics covered have included, "Human Rights, Diversity, Citizenship Education in Global Times."; "Circles of Insecurity: A Comparative Study of US- Mexico Border and the India - Bangladesh/Miramar Border."; "From Dictatorship to Democracy? Tunisia's 'Jasmine' Revolution and the Domino Effect in North African and the Middle East."; "The Occupy Movement and the Global Economic Crisis." and "Zero Waste Home: Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste."  

2. ICGD advisory board. The board provides opportunities for faculty from various disciplines across campus to contribute and give various perspectives and voices to the functions and services provided by ICGD.

3.  ICGD cultural and educational program. The program has contributed to the promotion of a better understanding between and among various cultures.

The implementation of these best practices have been beneficial to EIU in the following ways: It has contributed to the promotion of research and especially interdisciplinary research, kept the campus and wider communities informed of various current diverse topics of national and international interests and lastly help promote a better understanding between and among various cultures.

What external recognitions (e.g., awards, accommodations, professional certifications, references in trade publications) have the program and its staff received in the past three years?

ICGD does not have a staff in the traditional sense, the administrative work is done by the Director who is also the coordinator of the Africana Studies Program and the Clerk of the Africana Studies program. The various academic recognitions that the faculty from the majors/minors recieved are repoted under their respective programs and not ICGD.  

Is the program active with any regional, national, or international professional organizations?

ICGD through Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies are active with the following national and international professional organizations:

1. National Council of Black Studies

2. National Association of Multicultural Education

3. AsianNetwork

4. Humanities Education and Research Association

5.Latin American Studies Association

Note any presentations, publications, or offices held in the last three years.

The following presentations were made as part of the ICGD Speaker Series and symposium:

Speaker Series:

2010

Dr. James A. Banks-"Human Rights, Diversity, Citizenship Education in Global Times:

Dr. Paula Banerjee-"Circles of Insecurity: A Comparative Study of US-Mexico Border and the India-Bangladesh/Miramar Border"

2011

Peter Schraeder, Dept. of Political Science, Loyola University, Chicago-"From Dictatorship to Democracy? Tunisia's 'Jasmine' Revolution and the Domino Effect in North Africa and the Middle East"

2012

Robert Neuwirth-"The Occupy Movement and the Global Economic Crisis"

Dr. Karen Flynn, Gender & Women's Studies, University of Illnois Urbana-Champaign-"Isn't It Just a Ponytail?"

2013

Bea Johnson-"Zero Waste Home: Simplifying your life by reducing your waste"

Symposium:

2010

Dr. Charles Foy, History-"Forced Maritime Migrations; Eighteenth-Century Prize Negroes and Kidnapped Seamen"

Dr. Betty Smith, Geology-Geography-"Ancient Trail Mapping in Highland Ecuador"

Dr. Debra Reid, History-"Black Land-Owning Families and the Irony of the Welfare State in Texas during the New Deal"

Dr. Jinhee Lee, History-"Politics of Cartography: Mapping Tokdo/Takeshima between Korea and Japan"

Dr. Dagni Bredesen-English & Women's Studies-"Laughter and the Female Detective"

2011

Dr. Carlos Amaya, Spanish & Latin American Studies-"Nunca estuve sola: La lucha de la mujer en el conflicto salvadoreno"

Dr. Vanesa Landrus, Spanish & Latin American Studies-"La periferia se resiste: El caso de las hermanas Echenique"

Dr. Kristin Routt, Spanish & Latin American Studies-"Historia y fantasia en Historia del Rey Transparente de Rosa Montero"

Dr. Betty Smith, Geology-Geography-"Population and Urbanization in Latin America and the Caribbean"

Dr. Dagni Bredesen, English & Women's Studies-"The Impersonal Private "I": Gender Disavowal and First Person Narration in the Female Detective (1864)

Dr. Jeannie Ludlow, English & Women's Studies-"Divine Matters: Abortion and Spiritual Activism in Contemporary Multiethnic Fiction by Women"

Dr. Debra Reid, History & Women's Studies-"Canning: A Domestic Chore or Community Development Project?"

Dr. Jinhee Lee, History & Asian Studies-"Through Children's Eyes: Earthquake, Massacre, and Representations of Koreans in Imperial Japan"

2012

Dr. Amira Davis, Africana Studies-"Salt Peanuts: Theorizing a Bebop Methodology"

Dr. Suzie Park, English-"Apparently Dead: Romantic Inspiration and the Resuscitation of 'Collateral Objects' in Wordsworth's Spots of Time"

Dr. Debra Reid, History-"What Minority History can Contribute to Community Living History"

Dr. Charles Foy, History-""He was born free": The Enslavement of Philip Johnston, a free black seaman"

Dr. Tim Engles, English-"Making Whiteness Visible in Young Adult Literature: The View from the Other Side"

Dr. Janet Marquardt, Art-"Francoise Henry's Observations in County Mayo"

Dr. Jinhee Lee, History, Asian Studies-"Japanese Social Changes with Aging and Germs"

Dr. Jeannie Ludlow, English & Women's Studies-"Intimacy and Occupation: Abortion, Gestation, and Colonization in Contemporary American Literature:

Brian Hebeler, Student-"Point Omega's Racial Ecology of Rendition"

2013

Dr. Debra Reid, History-"Delta Character outside the Delta: Turn-of-the-Century News about a Heinous Event"

Dr. Charles Foy, History-"Remapping the Black Atlantic"

Dr. Jinhee Lee, History, Asian Studies-"Discourse of a 'Naturally Disciplined' Body in Japanese Theater" and "Manipulation of the Imperial Household Authorities during the Allied Occupation Era"

Dr. Jeannie Ludlow, English & Women's Studies-"Undue Burdens and Personal Responsibility: Abortion and A(na)chronicity in Contemporary Drama by African American Women"

Dr. Vanesa Landrus, Spanish & Latin American Studies, and Women' Studies-"De mi cartera para muchos": Escritura femenina en la Argentina decimononica"

Groups that performed at EIU Celebration sponsored by ICGD:

2009:

Afriky Lolo (West African dance company)

Ashley Davis (African American Cultural Center/Omnimov Dance Troupe)

Radhiya's Middle Eastern & North African Dance, Inc.

2010:

Asian Improv Arts Midwest (Asian American cultural arts organization)

The Barefoot Hawaiian (Hawaiian entertainment company)

2011:

Community Performance Ensemble (African American drum and dance company)

Doorei (Korean drumming)

Philip Gomez (Latin music performance)

Yoshie Montgomery (Korean Bon Odori dance)

2012:

Community Performance Ensemble (African American drum and dance company)

Yoshie Montgomery (Korean Bon Odori dance)

Salaam (Middle Eastern and North African Music)

Kimiko Gunji (Japanese Tea Ceremony)

2013:

Roots Rock Society ((Co-sponsored) Reggae Band)

Mandara Caravan (Bellydance troupe)

Mexican Folkloric (Mexican dance)

Salaam (Middle Eastern and North African Music)

HOLi ((Co-sponsored) Festival of Colors)

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the quality of program outcomes.

Note any special benefits (e.g., personnel support, equipment, permanent improvements) that the program has received in the past three years from its grants and other sponsored programs.

The program has not recieved any equipment or personnel support in the past three years from grants or other sponsored programs.

How does the program benefit from donor gifts (e.g., scholarships, endowed chairs)? Does donor support provide a significant percentage of the program’s overall funding?

In the past five years, one guest speaker donated his honorarium towards a scholarship fund.

List two or three key relationships that the program maintains with external constituencies (e.g., community colleges, other universities, government bodies). How do these relationships advance the university mission or otherwise benefit the university?

There are currently no relationships with external constituencies.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the resources generated by the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., revenue pass-throughs) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Provide an executive summary of and link to any metrics or benchmarks that the program tracks to measure productivity.

A performance assessment survey is currently underway for the first time in five years since the program's inception.

What initiatives has the program implemented to enhance staff productivity (e.g., access to training, workflow improvements)? Briefly describe the costs and benefits of these initiatives.

The program has not implemented any initatives to support staff productivity. There are no funds allocated for such activities and ICGD does not have a staff in the traditional sense, its administrative work is conducted by the Director who is also the Coordinator for Africana Studies Program and the office clerk for Africana Studies program.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the productivity of the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., accreditation requirements, curricular changes, program restructuring) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the costs associated with the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., expenditures made centrally or externally, expenditures made on behalf of other units) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

ICGD does not have a staff, the administrative work is done by the Director who is also the Coordinator of Africana Studies and the Office Clerk for African Studies Program. 

How does the program seek to distinguish itself from similar programs at other institutions?

There are no known similar programs at other EIU peer institutions. Where such programs exist, they are academic units with staff etc its therefore difficult to compare.

Note any unique and/or essential contributions that the program makes to the university.

Through the services/programs it provides, ICGD makes the following contribution to the university:

1. The ICGD symposium and speaker Series. For example, the symposim has allowed the program to expose students and faculty to various methods of interdisciplinary research and results of free and rigorous inquiry in the arts, humanities and sciences, since presentations have been from a wide range of disciplines across campus. Likewise the speaker series has also exposed the EIU and Charleston community to various current diverse topics of national and international interest which equips them with the knowledge needed to be productive in an interdependent world. 

2. ICGD advisory board. The board provides opportunities for faculty from various disciplines across campus to contribute and give various perspectives and voices to the functions and services provided by ICGD.

3.  ICGD cultural and educational program. The program has contributed to the promotion of a better understanding between and among various cultures.

Provide any program-specific metrics that help to document program contributions or program quality. Examples of some commonly used program-specific metrics may be found here.

There are no  program specific metrics, however a performance assessment has been developed and the survey is currently being conducted.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program impact on the university mission.

Provide a link to or listing of the program’s goals and/or strategic plan.

1. Promotes education and  fosters interdisciplinary research. 

2.  Coordinates the administrative work of the interdisciplinary majors/minors in Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, and Women’s Studies programs.

3. Works with all colleges and departments across the EIU campus and the larger Charleston and Mattoon communities to promote and encourage a greater awareness of issues concerning global diversity.

What role will the program have in the implementation of the university’s strategic plan (provide link to strategic plan)?

ICGD will continue to work to promote education and foster interdisciplinary research, coordinate the administrative work of the interdisciplinary majors/minors in Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, and Women’s Studies programs. And work with all colleges and departments across the EIU campus and the larger Charleston and Mattoon communities to encourage a greater awareness of issues concerning global diversity. ICGD will thus through the services it provides as described in this document continue to play a role in the implementation of EIU's strategic plan, to improve academic rigour and excellence and in the area of changing demographics and global competition.

In the next two or three years, what best practices, improvements in operations, or other opportunities to advance the university’s mission are likely to be implemented?

In the event that there are more funds available, ICGD could improve on the three best practices as follows:

1. The ICGD symposium and speaker Series. For example, the symposim has allowed the program to expose students and faculty to various methods of research and results of free and rigorous inquiry in the arts, humanities and sciences, since presentations have been from a wide range of disciplines across campus. With more funding, we could organize a larger conference that could attract students and  scholars from regional peer universities to participate and thus boost the interests of our students in research. Likewise the speaker series has also exposed the EIU and Charleston community to various current diverse topics of national and international interest which equips them with the knowledge needed to be productive in an interdependent world. We hope to expand on the number of speakers that we bring on campus to at least two a year if funds are available.

2.  ICGD cultural and educational program. The program has contributed to the promotion of a better understanding between and among various cultures. We hope to continue with the cultural and educational programs that we have been carrying on so far as described in this document. We are also co-sponsoring with Booth Library a program currently underway titled "Lets Talk About it: Muslim Journeys." The program among other things will provide numerous co-curricular opportunities for EIU students such as book discussions, an inter-faith panel and a library display that will be organized by the Muslim Student Organization an EIU RSO. In addition, with the approval of the university administration, we could expand the program into the local schools, by having students and faculty from various races, ethnicities and nationalities present on their cultures at the request of the schools. We could also again with the approval of the university administration, continue with the "Community Coffee Hour" as away of promoting dialouge between EIU and the Charleston Mattoon communities.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand future opportunities for the program.