Learning Opportunities

WorkshopsGrant OpportunitiesNCBI Session

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Advocacy Workshops

Throughout the calendar year, the Office of Equity and Inclusion offers educational workshops for students, faculty, and staff addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The OEI team is available to provide workshops ranging from bullying, inclusive language, coalition building to safe space for lgbtqia+ communities. We also provide access to online J.E.D.I. modules via LinkedIn Learning. Questions about online modules can be emailed directly oei@lynchburg.edu.

Complete your diversity education request(s) via the Request Workshop button below at least two weeks prior to the needed workshop.

Request Workshop

Three rows of seated adults.

Grant Opportunities

The Office of Equity and Inclusion sponsors various initiatives throughout the academic year with the goal of maintaining and advancing Inclusive Excellence.

We are pleased to announce our annual Diversity and Inclusion Innovation Grant (DIIG) Program.

Grants

The Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) is pleased to offer our annual Diversity and Inclusion Innovation Grant (DIIG) Program.

We welcome proposals for projects and/or programs that advance justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and/or belonging in one or more of the following areas:

Recruitment and retention
Sense of Belonging
Inclusive Pedagogy
Dialogue and civil discourse for social equity
Curricular/co-curricular collaborations
Enhanced student learning within and beyond the classroom
Integration of local/global diversity

Faculty research and teaching in the area of diversity and inclusion
Workplace Inclusion
Social Justice
Equity
Students’ understanding of collaboration and inclusion
Faculty, student, and staff partnerships
Other related topics

All University of Lynchburg students, staff, and faculty in good standing are eligible to submit a proposal as individuals or as members of a group, team, office or department. There is no limit on how many people from the same student organization or department can submit proposals, nor any restriction on how many individuals can be included in a single proposal.

Instructions

To submit your proposal, complete the Diversity and Inclusion Innovation Grant (DIIG) Application.

Questions or inquiries about the proposal process can be submitted to oei@lynchburg.edu.

If you need any assistance with the proposal process, please email Dr. Robert L. Canida, II, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence at canida_rl@lynchburg.edu, or call 434.544.8540.

Applications must include:

A CV or resumé for all members participating in the project
A statement of support from the appropriate unit Chair or Supervisor, Vice President (or designee), or Faculty/Staff Advisor, or current Professor
A proposal that includes a detailed description of the project, objectives and outcomes, a timeline, and a breakdown of expected costs. All recipients of DIIG funds are expected to compile and share the results of their outcomes through a presentation, podcast, or poster. Funding will be provided via a reimbursement process.

Award/Grant

Up to $1,000 for research project resources, professional development, or conference presentation will be awarded. The total number of grants awarded will be one per classification (i.e., faculty, staff, student or student group). If funds are awarded, the University of Lynchburg and the DIIG Grant Program must be recognized in any resulting publication or presentation of research.

Important Dates

Application Due Date: Oct. 16, 2023
Award Notification: Nov. 17, 2023
Award Period: Jan. 31–April 26, 2024

National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) Session

The National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) is an international nonprofit leadership development organization that provides training in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in community organizations, K-12 schools, college and university campuses, corporations, and law enforcement.

The work of NCBI — its mission, its workshops and training, its network of resource teams, and its contribution to long-lasting institutional and social change — is guided by several core principles and key insights:

Building hopeful environments in which people want to belong.
Healing ourselves so we can create positive change on campus and in the world.
Becoming effective allies to other social identity groups to which we do not belong.
Empowering leaders to lead outside of their own oppression.
Changing hearts through hearing personal stories about mistreatment.
Engaging in skills training that allows us to effectively respond to prejudicial acts.
Modeling the needed appreciation to have leaders feel supported.
Sustaining a team of people focused on coalition building to bring about systemic change.

Much of the information found on this website and referenced in workshops and group activities comes from Leading Diverse Communities (2005) by Cherie R. Brown and George J. Mazza.

Leadership in a Diverse Environment

The NCBI has distilled its collective wisdom into concise leadership principles and recognizes that effective leaders learn and practice skills to become better.

Effective leaders:

Work together to create learning and working environments that welcome diversity.
Acknowledge that every person is important and every issue counts.
Recognize and work with the diversity already present.
Act with courage.
Take care of themselves.
Build and nurture personal relationships.
Listen to people with whom they disagree.
Believe they can make a difference.
Admit and correct mistakes.
Value and support other leaders.

Workshops

The Lynchburg NCBI Team offers experiential workshops and classroom activities to bring the NCBI principles to faculty, staff, and students. These offerings are opportunities for enhancing communication among members of the Hornet community in a focused way. Workshops encourage participants to learn about themselves, their biases toward those of other groups, the experiences of those who come from other groups, and to learn skills for interrupting disrespectful behavior. The goal is to foster a climate of inclusive excellence.

Workshops offered:

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop (full-day session)
Addressing Controversial Issues (2-2.5 hours)

The team also will engage in other activities using the principles of NCBI, such as listening tables, panels on focused issues of oppression, and other programs as developed.

If you would like to schedule an NCBI workshop, complete the Diversity Education Request Form. To learn more about Lynchburg’s NCBI Chapter, contact:

Robert L. Canida II, PhD
Vice President for Inclusive Excellence

434.544.8540
canida_rl@lynchburg.edu

NCBI Team

The Lynchburg NCBI Team’s mission is to develop a culture of inclusive excellence, by creating coalitions around cultural differences within the University of Lynchburg community.

Terry Bodine
Program and Advising Coordinator for Second-Year and Adult Initiatives