A discussion around partnerships and social responsibility in the community and beyond
Location: JW Marriott Gould auditorium
Moderator: Samantha Eldridge, director, American Indian Resource Center
Panelists: Tiffany Baffour, associate dean, Graduate Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, The Graduate School; associate professor, College of Social Work
Jarrel T. Johnson, assistant professor, Higher Education
Bryan Hubain, AVP, Student Development and Inclusion, Student Affairs
P. Brandon Johnson, senior associate dean, Student Success and Transformative Experiences, Office of Undergraduate Studies
Karen Francis-Begay, independent scholar, Indigenous Higher Education Consultant
Ronee Wopsock Pawwinnee, education director, Ute Indian Tribe Education Department

The “Day of Collective Action” (DoCA) is designed to offer the University of Utah’s campus community an opportunity to learn, reflect and find ways that each of us can work to build bridges of understanding that aid in building a sense of belonging for all members of the U collective. The DoCA is a Presidential initiative, launched in 2022 by the Presidential Commission on Equity and Belonging.

This year, the DoCA will be rooted in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) partnerships initiative at the U, exploring how strategic partnerships can build bridges of talent and excellence and provide insight into the unique position of the University of Utah in the area of HBCU/Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) bridge building.

The keynote speaker will be Marybeth Gasman. She is the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education and the Associate Dean for Research in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. A Distinguished Professor, she also serves as the executive director of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Leadership, Equity & Justice and the executive director of the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

In addition to exploring the role and impact of HBCUs in American higher education, industry and community; this year’s DoCA will also engage conversations in learning sessions targeting Health Equity (health disparities, social determinants of health, implicit bias; while bridging main campus with health sciences in the community); along with Social Responsibility and excellence through bridge building and strategic partnerships.