Focus of Fall Campus Symposium: Equity

Equity will be the focus of the 2019 fall all-campus symposium on Nov. 8.

Dr. Frank Harris III, Professor of Postsecondary Education at San Diego State University (SDSU), will facilitate the discussion, helping participants define the terms: "equity," " inclusion," and  "diversity."

Dr. Harris, Co-Director of the Community College Equity Assessment Lab at SDSU, will  lead a discussion on campus culture and how Governors State defines and informs its own work on equity.

In the second half of the symposium, participants will explore GSU’s work as part of the Illinois Equity in Attainment (ILEA) initiative, a collection of 28 two- and four-year colleges and universities across Illinois. ILEA’s goal is to “eliminate racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps by 2025 and aggressively prioritize increasing completion rates.”

Dr. Harris said inequity is often assumed to be an indicator of students underperforming.

"I see it differently. Institutions that are serious about achieving equity must approach it from the standpoint of institutional responsibly and accountability. It is my hope and intention to provide some tools and strategies that have been proven effective in doing so and to inspire all educators at GSU to work toward institutional transformation for equity.”