The meeting was held at the Sheraton Inner Harbor in Baltimore and provided me the chance to connect with colleagues from around the country.  Along with my colleague Marcine C. Pickron‐Davis, Chief Community Engagement and Diversity Office at Widener University we presented a session entitled Are We Lifting As  We Climb?:  Women Leaders and Their Role in Campus Climate.  In this session we discussed the intersection of personal identity and leadership positions, highlighting the importance of women working together as allies across other aspects of identity.

I presented my personal narrative which was followed by a series of questions presented by Marcine, who served as the session moderator. The attendees shared their stories and engaged in broader discussions of potential impacts on courses, curricula, and climate of college campuses.

I also attended other sessions throughout the conference on topics such as The Hidden Other:  Immigrants in Higher Education, Limited Resources: So What?, and Social Responsibility in a Diverse Democracy: Integrating Civic, Global, and U.S. Diversity Lenses.

 I find conference participation invaluable and invigorating.  While it is certainly a challenge to find the time to prepare for such activities, the payoff is worth the investment.  In my position, discussion about pedagogical strategies, national trends and finding pathways for student success in our challenging times are critical.

http://www.aacu.org/meetings/diversityandlearning/DL2012/