DCEC Events

The Diversity and Community Enhancement Committee held regular monthly meetings during the academic year to discuss issues and activities supporting our Goals, Mission, and the University and College's Strategic Plans. We welcome all interested PSU College of Education students, staff, and faculty members to join us at our regular monthly committee meetings during the Fall and Spring semesters. In the monthly meeting, students, staff, and faculty members bring in issues regarding to diversity and social justice, ideas of projects and events to discuss. We also use the meetings to plan events to promote diversity and social justice. Please join us in DCEC monthly meeting!

Meeting dates for the Fall 2023 semester: 9/20, 10/18, 11/15

Meeting dates for Spring 2024 semester: 1/22, 2/26, 3/25, 4/22

Meeting time: 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Meeting location: Zoom link 

If you have any questions regarding to the DCEC monthly meetings, or if you are interested in being on the DCEC listserv, please contact DCEC Graduate Assistant Sierra Waters at [email protected]

An ongoing monthly reading and discussion series where a shared text is sent out a week ahead of a meeting where we come together to dedicate time and space to reading collectively and taking an introspective look at ourselves, our pedagogies, and our institution through a lens of equity. Join our Listserv to stay updated and be a part of these monthly discussions!

To stay updated on what we are reading and discussing during community in conversation check out our Living Document which includes the text for the month, any other source material and discussion questions!

The Diversity in Education Conference is a FREE event designed as a forum for discussion and learning about working with the diverse populations of students. The conference includes discussions on issues related to: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Allies (LGBTQA) plus issues in education; Teaching, Learning, and Social Justice; Students with Exceptionalities and Inclusion; Racial and Cultural Diversity; Immigration and Migration Issues in Schools and Families; Issues in Urban and Rural Schools.

Details for the 2022 conference will be sent via the DCEC Listserv later this year.

The Coffee and Treats with DCEC is a social event to provide us with an opportunity for fellowship, to meet and talk with DCEC members, and to gather ideas about what DCEC can do within our College of Education community! If you have any questions or need additional information about this event in the upcoming Fall 2021 semester, please contact DCEC Chair Dr. Seria Chatters ([email protected]) or DCEC graduate assistant Rhea Banerjee ([email protected]).

One of the DCEC members was involved in forming a Consortium on Social Movements and Education – this consortium organized an event on ‘A Teaching Moment: Anti-Black Police Brutality and the Popular Uprisings’ in September. DCEC also continued to collaborate with the Equity Team, which became its own committee in 2020 – separate from DCEC. The Equity Team worked with two faculty learning communities (FLCs) to create an equity model that integrated the topic of equity into lesson plans, as a way of starting to integrate equity and inclusivity into the college. DCEC also endorsed several diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives around campus, including SRJI’s and SPSEA’s training on Restorative Circles for Penn State undergraduate students.

Throughout the Fall and Spring semesters, DCEC also had continuous input on the college’s Strategic Plan. A member of the Strategic Planning Committee was always available at the monthly DCEC meetings and assimilated feedback from DCEC members into the final plan that was submitted. The Equity Team also helped work on some of the language in the Strategic Plan.