Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom

Please save the date for the annual Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom, which will take place on Thursday, November 9, 2023, from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. This event is sponsored by the Faculty Senate as a showcase event underscoring the U-M community’s collective interest in academic freedom. The invited speaker is Jonathan Friedman, Ph.D., who is the director of free expression and education programs at PEN America. He will be delivering a lecture entitled “Academic Freedom 2024: Educational Gag Orders, State Censorship, and the Fight for Higher Education.” An abstract is provided below.

The lecture is open to the public and will be given in Honigman Auditorium, 100 Hutchins Hall, at the University of Michigan Law School. More information on the event will be updated here: https://myumi.ch/zwVAZ. A reminder email will also be sent closer to the date of the event.

Sincerely,

Luke McCarthy, Ph.D., J.D.
Director, Faculty Senate Office
facultysenateoffice@umich.edu

Abstract

Across the country, state legislators are increasingly making clear their intentions to pass laws to tighten control over — or outright censor — public education in schools, colleges and universities. On campuses, this movement threatens to upend commitments to the free exchange of ideas and institutional autonomy in curricular, research, and hiring decisions, putting academic freedom in peril. Professors are already attesting to a chilled climate, in which they have become concerned with running afoul of new laws delimiting teaching about race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ+ identities. This talk will summarize the current state of play concerning this rising menace, why it must be confronted, and how the higher education community has a unique role to play in communicating this anti-democratic threat to the public. It will offer a clarion call and suggestions for how to create campuses that serve academic freedom for all in the lead up to the 2024 election and beyond.

ASC Presentation. Providing Quality of Care in Fragile and Vulnerable Settings: Lessons from South Sudan

Dr. Jacob Atem, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Southern Sudan Healthcare Organization (SSHCO)

Dr. Jacob Atem is a global citizen and Lost Boy of Sudan who walked 2,000 miles with other boys from his region to flee civil war after his village was burned and most of the adults killed by armed government forces from Northern Sudan. Dr. Atem has committed his life to helping others who are less fortunate and is a role model for students due to the incredible resilience he has demonstrated throughout his life, as well as his commitment to making a difference in the lives of some of the poorest people on the planet.

The violence currently taking place in Sudan has created many refugees who are fleeing to South Sudan. The SSHCO is working to support these refugees, in addition to their work providing healthcare and education to the people of South Sudan. He and the organization he has built is an inspiring example of fortitude in the face of adversity.

The Role of Civic & Community Engagement in our Cities–Past, Present, and Future

Book cover for "In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower"

Guided by his recent book, In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower, Davarian L. Baldwin will lead us in conversation about how the higher education model of civic and community engagement has and (in many cases) hasn’t served its mission to address systemic inequities.

Davarian’s deep work with community-based leaders and neighborhood organizations that are directly impacted by universities and their development within our cities provides a context for dialogue, reflection, and planning to address harm that has occurred and identify what is needed going forward. As Davarian will share, in the current moment he sees a profound mismatch between the modest educational practices of community engagement and higher education’s massive political and economic impacts on urban life, but a comprehensive and integrated civic and community engagement approach is a promising path forward.

Later in the session, Shalom Staub, Director of UCLA’s Center for Community Engagement, will share how he and a group of faculty and staff are using Davarian’s book to reflect on UCLA’s historical impact on the city of Los Angeles and inform their work as they contribute to UCLA’s community engagement strategy.

The session will prioritize learning and sharing with two facilitated small group breakouts.

Note: This session is part of Campus Compact’s programming for R1 Institutions. All U-M faculty staff & students are welcome to attend.given U-M’s institutional membership in Campus Compact.

Advancing Health Equity in East Africa

Join us for a conversation with Rwanda’s Minister of Health Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana. Our distinguished guest will discuss Rwanda’s current efforts to strengthen its healthcare system, including significant expansions of the health workforce and international partnerships for education, advanced training, and health innovation.

This community conversation is open to all students, faculty, and staff. Please join us for this unique opportunity.

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Global Health Equity, the African Studies Center, the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, and the School of Public Health.

A2 Climate Teach-In

The First Annual A2 Climate Teach-In builds on this legacy by addressing another critical issue which has been clouded by misinformation and a lack of coordinated action.

As in 1965 and the many subsequent Ann Arbor teach-ins, this teach-in is not just about teaching and learning — it’s about about community building and creating momentum for action. It’s about bringing together individuals, climate action organizations, congregations, local government, and higher education to learn from each other, support each other, and find new ways to collaborate.

1:30 p.m. Opening keynote speaker: Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor

3:30 p.m. Closing Presentation: Shelie Miller, Ph.D., Professor, Director, Program in the Environment; Jonathan W. Bulkley Collegiate Professor of Sustainable Systems; University of Michigan Distinguished Faculty Fellow in Sustainability

RSVP

Strategies for Promoting and Sustaining Gender and Racial Equity for Faculty in STEM Disciplines

CDB Seminar Series

We are pleased to announce that Ellen Broido, D.Ed. will present her talk titled “Strategies for Promoting and Sustaining Gender and Racial Equity for Faculty in STEM Disciplines,” on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. This will be live in ABC Conference room – BSRB and via Zoom Meeting link: https://umich.zoom.us/s/93126459104.

Hosted by: CDB Students

Anti-Racism Graduate Research Showcase

Please join us for an opportunity to meet selected grantees of the 2022 Anti-Racism Graduate Research Grants. Sponsored by Rackham Graduate School, Center for Racial Justice (CRJ), and the Anti-Racism Collaborative at the National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID), the grant program supports engagement in research projects focused on racism, racial equity, and racial justice while advancing graduate student progress toward degree.

In the second year of this program, over $122,000 was awarded to 27 students from across the 19 schools and colleges for their research projects. In this virtual event, attendees will engage with graduate student grantees about their research in moderated breakout sessions. Click here to view all the 2022 grantees’ project abstracts.

Zoom link

2023 Dewey Dialogues

pond surrounded by multiple plants in a large glass greenhouse at matthaei conservatory

The Ginsberg Center’s Dewey Series recognizes the enduring legacy of philosopher and educational reformer John Dewey, who taught at U of M in the 1890’s and, later, went on to found the New School for Social Research. Chief among Dewey’s enduring ideas were that experience is the means through which we come to understand and connect with the world around us and that universal education is the key to democracy.

This year, Ginsberg Center, is collaborating with Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum and University of Michigan Museum of Art, to host a dialogue on the intersection of community, identity, public spaces, and environmental justice. We will also offer additional opportunities to explore MBGNA including garden tours and a scavenger hunt.

We hope you can join us for a restorative and engaging event!

Registration link

Strategies for continuing to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion while navigating provoking politics and a post-affirmative action world

The event flyer features headshots from the webinar's moderator and panelists.

There has been an increasing number of attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the country. Multiple states have introduced bills or taken steps that limit the administrative and pedagogical work of DEI, including a risk to affirmative action in the Supreme Court. How might we continue to advance our efforts? What strategies and solutions can be brought to bear in our current climate?

The newest installment in ALI’s webinar series will take place on Zoom, April 17, 2023 from 10:30 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. (EDT). The event will be moderated by Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman and feature panelists Dr. Katrice A. Albert, Dr. Robert M. Sellers, and Dr. Peniel E. Joseph.

Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.

Registration link