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 In 1953, Lindley Styles, the Dean of the Curry School of Education, conferred upon Walter N. Ridley the Doctor of Education degree. This was an occasion of historical magnitude because Ridley was the first African American student to earn a degree from the University of Virginia and the nation's first African American to receive a doctoral degree from a traditionally white Southern university.
Since that time, Curry has become a diverse community of faculty, students, and staff. This diversity extends across many different dimensions including racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious, and sexual orientation. Moreover, we are pleased that diversity in thought is becoming more prominent in our community and believe that exposure to multiple perspectives will more aptly prepare our students to meet the educational challenges of an increasingly complex and diverse society.
Though many strides have been made in this area, there is much more work to be done. Our quest is to create and sustain a learning community that purposefully and strategically acknowledges and values diversity and is committed to preparing educators and other professionals who will, through teaching, research, and service, contribute to a body of knowledge that will result in improved outcomes for all learners.
To accomplish this goal the office for diversity and equity in collaboration with the leadership team, faculty (including the faculty diversity committee), students, and staff will work to:
- Create a safe space where faculty, students, and staff can engage in courageous conversations about cultural issues that are often not addressed openly in organizations and institutions
- Increase diversity among faculty and students
- Work with faculty to transform the curriculum so that every student will be exposed to critical aspects of diversity and equity at the national and international levels in their courses, programs, and research apprenticeships
- Encourage and support collaborative research that addresses the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students/clients
- Develop pipeline programs designed to attract students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds into education and related fields at the undergraduate and graduate levels
- Recognize and honor faculty, students, and staff who demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity in their teaching, research, and/or serviceMaintain a calendar of special events and activities related to diversity and equity in education
Please allow me to welcome you as a valuable member of our diverse community. We look forward to working together as we inspire innovative teachers, develop dedicated researchers and strong leaders at the Curry School of Education.
Sincerely,
Stan
Diversity News
Purpose and overview: The American Educational Research Association (AERA)
and the Association of Black Sociologists (ABS) announce a joint
professional development training workshop for advanced graduate students
who are examining an education research topic from a sociological
perspective. This workshop will provide advanced graduate students with
mentoring and guidance on their dissertation and give them insight into
publishing their work. A small group of senior scholars will review graduate
students¹ dissertation research (i.e., manuscripts, chapter drafts,
preliminary findings, etc.) and lead workshop activities. All graduate
students¹ research will focus on an area in education research and/or
sociology of education. This includes but is not limited to topics such as
school structures, school climate, school financing, learning contexts,
issues in higher education, children and youth, or student achievement. In
the workshop participants will discuss the intersection of race, class, and
gender with these education research topics. MORE.
Diversity Speaker at UVa School of Nursing
Dr. Carlos Cortes, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California at Riverside is speaking on Wednesday, March 25 in the McLeod Hall auditorium at the School of Nursing. His presentation begins at 2:15pm and at 4:15 he will present a one-man play on diversity. Dr. Cortes is the co-author of The Children Are Watching: How the Media Teach About Diversity. He has written several film and television documentaries and is the cultural and creative consultant behind the animated television series "Dora the Explorer" and "Go, Diego, Go!" RSVP to
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University explores ways to diversify professorial ranks
BY MARK MEIER
The US Census Bureau estimated that 6.6 percent of Virginians were Hispanic or Latino in 2007, up from 4.7 percent in 2000. However, this year at UVA, Hispanics constitute only 4.2 percent of the undergraduates, 2.1 percent of graduate students, and 1.2 percent of faculty. That last number equals merely 17 Hispanic professors in tenure-track jobs, one-third in the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese alone. More.
February 24, 2009 — A capacity crowd filled the Dome Room of the Rotunda Monday afternoon to hear Margaret Beale Spencer, Marshall Field IV Professor of Urban Education at the University of Chicago, deliver the annual Walter N. Ridley Distinguished Lecture. The annual lecture series, sponsored by the Curry School of Education's Ridley Scholarship Fund, is held in memory of the first African-American to graduate from the University of Virginia. When he earned his Ph.D. from the Curry School in June 1953, Walter N. Ridley became the first African-American to graduate from U.Va. and the first to receive a doctorate from a white Southern university. More.
The Center for Study on Race & Law presents
Marriage as a Policy Initiative: Reducing Poverty and Strengthening Minority Communities
February 11, 2009, 4pm-6pm, Caplin Pavilion (Law School)
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Sears and Stanford Law Professor Richard Banks, mediated by University of Virginia Law Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Children, Families and the Law Kerry Abrams, will discuss the effectiveness of marriage as a vehicle for curbing poverty. The speakers will discuss the linkage between social welfare programs and marriage, whether family law should even be encouraging marriage rather than focusing on the fairness among differing relationships and lifestyles in Americas ("take families as you find" theory), and whether gay marriage can be lumped into this socioeconomic conversation.
The Event is sponsored by Black Law Students Association, Journal of Law & Politics, Virginia Journal of Social Policy & Law, and Asian Pacific American Law Students Association.
Nathan Ballard
 On Monday, September 15, 2008, the Curry School hosted Nathan Ballard, a lifetime activist for those with disabilities or "exceptionalities" as he calls it. Joined by his wife and son, Nathan spoke to an auditoruim filled with faculty, students and staff. He shared the compelling story of his life and of his ultimate decision to not only keep his cerebral palsy from standing in the way of living his life fully, but also becoming a full-time advocate for others with exceptionalities.
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