article by: Adis M. Vila

 

“The mission of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), the youngest of the four service academies, is to educate, train, and inspire men and women to become officers of character motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation.

Nearly four thousand officers, enlisted personnel,and civilian employees work with more than four thousand cadets, a population almost 80 percent male. Together, we are Team USAFA.

In November 2010, I began working in a newly formed position as the chief diversity officer (CDO) for the USAFA in Colorado Springs. I was asked to serve as the principal advisor to USAFA leadership to ensure that diversity programs and projects are developed in accordance with federal, Department of Defense, Air Force, and USAFA guidance and policy.

Additionally, I serve as the strategic leader, diversity advocate, and principal advisor to academy
leaders on diversity programs and issues and the primary voice on matters of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

In this article, I share my experiences to date and articulate the steps we are taking to build an inclusive organizational culture at USAFA. As a practitioner with thirty years of experience managing organizations, studying and implementing change, I have relied on the research and theory of some of the best scholars in the field, particularly Frederick A. Miller, John P. Kotter, and Jerry Porras. For our diversity and inclusion (D&I) work, publications by Roosevelt Thomas Jr. and David Thomas and Robin Ely provide frameworks and road maps that have proven useful.”

Full article here

 

 

The themes for the documentaries for this year’s UW-La Crosse festival are “Human Dignity” and “Education is a Human Right”. Ranging in length from five to 73 minutes, these documentaries are set in dozens of different locations around the world. They address issues we cannot afford to ignore in our ever more tightly interwoven world. These films raise questions to which we all at times must provide an answer: What is human dignity? What if it is taken away? What kind of education can be empowering to all? How are others affected by our choices? And what is happiness around the world?

Full details about the event here

 

Date: February 8th
Time: 9-11:30am
Place: Hogan gymnasium

Topic: The first 90 minutes will be a presentation about micro-aggression. How do we recognize it? How do we stop it?

The focus will shift to a panel conversation with several multicultural leaders in the La Crosse community. A period of Q&A will be shared.

 

 

2012 Report_Page_1 2012 Report_Page_2

Our December event was a great success!  We would like to thank our audience for their spirited participation, willingness to share, take risks and make the experience worthwhile!

We would also like to thank our presenter, Lor Lee, for his guidance through a wonderful process of leaving diversity tolerance behind, and the discovery of an appreciation for cultural diversity.

Based on your feedback and suggestions, the Diversity Council will endeavor to organize more trainings on issues related to cultural competence.

Keeping the audience engaged.

Keeping the audience engaged.

group exercise

group exercise

 

Beyond Diversity Management: Successful Inclusion Strategies

Radisson Center, December 7th, 2012

1. Instructor Rating for Lor Lee 4.79 (out of 5)
2. Environment and Support 4.45 (out of 5)
3. Learning Objectives (As a result of this program, I can….) 4.22 (out of 5)
3. How did you hear about this program Mailing: 4%Email: 38%WoM: 29%Other: 29%
4. Are you a member of the Diversity Council? Yes: 30%No: 70%
5. Did this event represent good value for money? Yes: 96%No: 4%
6. How relevant was the topic of this event for your professional development with regards to diversity, inclusion and cultural competence? Relevant: 33%Somewhat Relevant: 25%Very relevant: 42%
Comments: “The speaker, topic, and facilities were all top notch.  Having lunch served in a separate room was excellent and being served made it much more quickly too.  (…) “ “I would love to become a member of the diversity council (…)” “I appreciate this opportunity in our community.  I am hopeful this council can continue to provide opportunities for staff development on related topics in the future.” “The presenter was EXCELLENT and a very good value for the cost of the training.  He uses a variety of teaching strategies that engaged the audience and were very relevant to the topic.” “I would love to be part of a diversity council, however the distance is great.  I plan to investigate local initiatives.” “I like the descriptions of tolerance and other words on the scale of inclusiveness.  I will use this tool with my students.”
Suggestions “Shorten the lunch to 45 minutes.” “Since we had so many educators from the same building at this workshop, I think it would have been more beneficial for us to work together instead of working in different groups (…)” “(…) two trainings per year would be great: fall and spring.” “It would have been most helpful at the end of the day for the many school district folks to work together for our plan, rather than creating a virtual plan.”
Topic suggestions “More knowledge regarding specific cultures and traditions.” “(…) a longer day around micro-aggressions would be powerful.” “a continuum of training related to developing cultural competence within any organization.” “We need more cultural training.” “Concrete differences between cultures (general).  Schools are seeing a lot of African American boys entering the EBD program in elementary school.  Perhaps a greater understanding of their culture would change the view that educators have on what behaviors are acceptable in their homes.” “Scenario based conflict negotiation when cultural diversity is influencing (…).”

 

 

 

 

Event Notice

Fierce Foundation's Empower Generations LIVE Event

FIERCE Foundation recognizes the transformative power of the 1Life Fully Lived approach, which personally guided Carolyn Colleen out of generational adversity and into success. Now, we’re excited to bring this […]

Learn More

Multi­cultural Resource Guide

This guide lists established and emerging resources that reflect and celebrate cultural diversity in our area.

View Guide