Report on Expanding the Role of the Elon University Multicultural Center

Appendix II: Multicultural Faculty Fellow Job Description

The Multicultural Faculty Fellow is an appointment given to a current, full-time faculty member, who is awarded course release and supporting funds over the course of a year to liaison with faculty and staff in promoting diversity awareness and infusing diversity into the curriculum. The Multicultural Faculty Fellow will work independently and collaboratively with the Multicultural Center staff and Advisory Council and directly with the Director of the Center. The position will be appointed by the Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students and the Provost, in consultation with the Academic Deans and the Director of the Multicultural Center. The Center will seek a faculty member who has demonstrated interest in multicultural education and expertise in integrating multicultural education within courses.

Goals of the Program

1. To provide a bridge between curricular and co-curricular programs.
2. To achieve better integration of multicultural education.
3. To promote the personal growth and development of students, faculty, and staff.
4. To provide faculty with an understanding of multicultural topics and how they can be implemented in the curriculum.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Develop the Multicultural Infusion Project, to provide faculty with resources, professional development, and support to infuse multicultural information and experiences into new and existing courses.
2. Serve as a liaison between the Multicultural Center and the four academic schools and the College of Arts and Sciences.
3. Develop and coordinate incentives for faculty to develop a new course or re-conceptualize an existing course(s), such as Elon 101 or GST 110, that enhance student learning about diversity and global issues
4. Promote diversity in their discipline and across campus.
5. Provide mentoring and preparation in conjunction with Career Services for students of diverse populations preparing for graduate and professional schools.
6. Develop workshops and/or discussion groups in collaboration with the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning for faculty on best practices/critical pedagogy related to diversity.
7. Collaborate with the coordinator of national and international fellowships in identifying and preparing students of diverse populations for advanced degree programs.

Responsibilities with Multicultural Center

1. Organize an annual administrator, faculty and staff reception honoring those who have made significant contributions to enhance diversity within and beyond the Elon community.
2. Collaborate with the Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies and El Centro to organize and implement undergraduate student exchanges programs to increase awareness of a global education.

Responsibilities with the Advisory Committee

1. Develop performance evaluation mechanisms for faculty that includes criteria related to promoting general diversity issues on campus and in the greater Elon community.
2. Facilitate student searches for graduate/professional school fellowships and assistantships which have identified strategic goals for recruiting, retaining, and graduating students of diverse populations.
3. Research and create a Faculty Development Diversity Grant: an opportunity for faculty to learn about, and implement, pedagogy and resources regarding diversity.
4. Develop a Faculty Diversity Award that will recognize distinctive pedagogy, research, creative work, service or outreach that advance the thinking and practices of diversity in the classroom, university and Alamance County.

Funding and Support

1. The Faculty Fellow will receive two course releases per academic year.
2. The Faculty Fellow will receive a budget for workshops, consultations and programming needs.
3. The Faculty Fellow will have the ability to attend one multicultural education conference each year.