Join us Wednesday afternoon to celebrate four English faculty and other CAHSS colleagues for their recently published books! The Dresher Center is hosting a CAHSS Book Celebration May 6 from 4:30-6:00 PM in PAHB 216. Light refreshments will be served. 

Congratulations to all for this monumental achievement!

English faculty:

Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public (Columbia University Press)
By Keegan Cook Finberg
Assistant Professor, English

Nineteenth-Century Fiction, Life Writing, and the Victorian Nomad (Routledge Press)
By Jean Fernandez
Professor, English

Romanticism Bewitched: Witchcraft, Revolution and the Female Demonic
(Cambridge University Press)
By Orianne Smith
Professor, English

Asian Girlhood in the Shadows of U.S. Empire (University of Minnesota Press)
By Sharon Tran
Assistant Professor, English

Dresher Center/CAHSS Book Celebration

Celebrating Humanities Books from 2025-2026

Wednesday, May 6, 2026 · 4:30 - 6 PM

In-Person · Performing Arts & Humanities Building : 216

List of Faculty books:

Let Us Alone: The Origins of Baltimore's Police State (University of Illinois Press)
By Michael Casiano
Assistant Professor, American Studies

Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public (Columbia University Press)
By Keegan Cook Finberg
Assistant Professor, English

Double Feature (Saint Lucy Books)
By Mark Alice Durant
Professor, Visual Arts

Nineteenth-Century Fiction, Life Writing, and the Victorian Nomad (Routledge Press)
By Jean Fernandez
Professor, English

Rebuilding New Orleans: Immigrant Laborers and Street Food Vendors in the Post-Katrina Era (University of North Carolina Press)
By Sarah Fouts
Associate Professor, American Studies

Empathy Machines: This American Life, Podcasting and the Public Radio Structure of Feeling (Bloomsbury Publishing)
By Jason Loviglio
Professor, Media and Communication Studies

Across Canons: Language, Latin American Immigrant Literature, and the Making of Latinx Narratives (University of Arizona Press)
By Thania Muñoz
Associate Professor, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication

Auteur-Publishers: Small Press Practices as Avant-Garde Writing (Edinburgh University Press)
By Craig Saper
Professor, Language, Literacy, and Culture

Amos Badertscher Images and Stories (Phaidon)
Edited by Beth Saunders
Associate Director and Curator of Special Collections, Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery

Romanticism Bewitched: Witchcraft, Revolution and the Female Demonic
(Cambridge University Press)
By Orianne Smith
Professor, English

Asian Girlhood in the Shadows of U.S. Empire (University of Minnesota Press)
By Sharon Tran
Assistant Professor, English

Light refreshments will be served

The UMBC Institute of Politics invites you to the event honoring Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American Heritage Month. This event is part of their Politics Everywhere series.

Location: Skylight Room, The Commons
Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Time: 6:45 pm to 8:30 pm

Click here to RSVP. 

Asian Americans are a rapidly growing population with significantly higher voter turnout and political participation than a decade ago. Their diverse experiences, identities, and policy priorities make them a dynamic voting bloc whose electoral influence will only continue to grow in Maryland and beyond.

Join the UMBC Institute of Politics (IoP) for an event examining the growing influence of Asian American voters and what drives their political engagement. The event will feature a reception with food and drinks from across Asian cultures, followed by a keynote address and moderated panel discussion with Asian American leaders in Maryland.

Keynote
Lt. Governor Aruna Miller, State of Maryland
Lt. Governor Miller is the first Asian American and immigrant elected to statewide office in Maryland.

Moderators
Del. Mark Chang (’99), District 32
Trisha Sirsat (’27), IoP Research Assistant

Panelists
Del. David Moon, District 20
Del. Kris Valderrama, District 26
Del. Harry Bhandari (‘21), District 8
Sushant Sidh, Principal, Capitol Strategies

IoP sponsored events are open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University’s nondiscrimination policy

This spring on Thursday evenings, students filled room 424 in the Fine Arts building for their Asian Diaspora in Motion: Media, Culture, Identity, and Activism class. At the head of the classroom was Zareen Taj, who designed the new 300-level class based on her experiences as a documentary filmmaker and activist defending the rights of her community—the Hazara women of Afghanistan, a community that has for over a century experienced extreme ethnic, religious, and gender oppression, including multiple massacres and starvation, under Taliban rule. 

It’s a reality Taj grew up with as part of the Hazara people, a religious and ethnic minority. In the 1990s, when the Taliban increased their killings of the Hazara people, Taj and her family fled to a refugee settlement in Pakistan. There, Taj started speaking out against the systemic oppression of Hazara women. Her activism made her a Taliban target. With a scholarship from the Feminist Majority Foundation, Taj fled once more, this time to Towson University, where she earned a bachelor’s in political science and women’s studies and a master’s in women’s studies. 

After graduation, Taj worked for Voice of America as an international broadcaster and producer. At UMBC, she worked for Chartwells in the HR department first and then as an accounting associate at The Shriver Center.  A year later, Taj was accepted into the language, literacy, and culture (LLC) doctoral program. During her studies, she raised two children and created four short documentaries about Hazara women while teaching in the global studies, Asian studies, and American studies departments. 

This semester, Taj successfully defended her dissertation, “Journey of a Scholar-Activist: An Autoethnographic and Multimodal Inquiry,” which includes written narratives and her fourth documentary short film titled “For My People.” The project marks the first time she took the time and space to reflect on her life. 

“I learned from this journey that I am different. I look different. I work differently. I see things differently, but my difference is not a problem,” says Taj about her experience at UMBC, where she hopes to become a professor. “My experience is an asset. It’s my wealth. The UMBC community, particularly the LLC and my professors, were very supportive of what I’m doing. So they supported me at each stage of my life.”

Q: What was your journey to UMBC?

A: I studied in a refugee displacement settlement in Pakistan, so it was very hard. But I got the Feminist Majority Scholarship and moved to Maryland in 2000 to attend Towson University. I could not speak English well. I saw a computer for the first time in my life. It was very hard because I came from a very war-torn country. We don’t have that advanced education system, and it’s often interrupted by war. Every minute, I reminded myself about the other Afghan girls who didn’t have this opportunity, so I couldn’t give up.  

I always wanted to get a Ph.D. That was my dream. I put all of my experiences into my academic world. In 2018, I applied to the LLC doctoral program. I talked with Carole McCann, professor of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies, about what I wanted to do. She said yes to being my advisor right away. Joby Taylor, Ph.D. ’05, assistant vice provost and co-leader of The Shriver Center for Public Service and Community Engagement, and Tania Lizarazo, associate professor of modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication, and global studies, also lent their support as co-chairs. 

Q: How did you decide on the topic for your dissertation?

A: My master’s thesis, titled “Dual Identity, Dual Oppression of Hazara Women,” didn’t follow the same research path as a traditional thesis because there were no official documents that I could use for my research. I felt frustrated. My thesis was informed by my firsthand research trips to Afghanistan. This work represents the first contribution of its kind in the academic field. My personal experiences and frustrations motivated me to return to my country, which ultimately shaped and grounded the development of my thesis.

For my dissertation, my committee wanted me to talk about myself, to write a book. I appreciated them encouraging me, but I continued to focus on Hazara women until Dr. Tanya Saunders, associate professor of sociology, pointed out all the different types of ethnography I was doing and encouraged me to focus on myself to do an autoethnography. I was surprised that I could do that, and that’s how I started. 

 That gave me a kind of confidence in my writing. I’m always reflecting on all of these things I’m doing, but not reflecting on myself. I never had the chance, or I never thought of doing it. I never thought I would be allowed to talk about myself, so I didn’t. I come from a culture where we never talk about ourselves because this is taboo. Women would be told, “Why are you talking about yourself? We have bigger issues, bigger things to talk about.” That’s the culture, especially for Hazara women. We never talk about ourselves, our pain, our joy. Everything is internalized. 

I am reaching a stage of very clear realizations about how this academic process is a very healing process for me. I’m making my people visible and bringing awareness to the cause. We’ll get to know people, my people, my ethnicity, their suffering, and also the resilience of these women. 

Q: Why was this dissertation process a healing process?

A: My short documentary, “For My People,” which I produced for my dissertation, helped me process the anger and isolation I have carried after years of fighting for survival and against oppression. This process led to exploration and, for the first time, I explored healing and the shift to joy, community, and belonging I have found with the Hazara women who resettled in Washington, D.C., my global network of activists, and my UMBC community. 

The more work I’m doing in the form of writing an article, creating films, or public speaking, the more visibility I have to those dimensions, those identities. It’s helping me feel that I do justice for them. That’s the process of healing. The more I work to bring community sustainability and collectiveness, the stronger my sense of belonging, satisfaction, and deep attachment to my community.

Q: What inspired the topics for your other films?

A: I was doing my master’s thesis about Hazara women, but there wasn’t much data. I decided to go back to Afghanistan for the first time since fleeing Pakistan to document the living conditions and experiences of Hazara women living under the fear of genocide. When I returned, I had 40 hours of videotapes, 700 photographs, and 20 hours of cassette recordings that helped me make my first film, “The Oppression of Hazara in Afghanistan.” 

But I didn’t just want to show the oppression of Hazara women as victims. I wanted to show the resistance and leadership of Hazara women. After the fall of the last Afghan government in 2021, some Hazara refugees came to the Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia area. We have a lot of activists and advocates like Azra Jafari, the first woman in Afghanistan to hold the office of mayor. They were willing to be interviewed for “Our Face Tells: Seeing the Genocide of Hazaras in Afghanistan.” 

Last year, I collaborated with several organizations and led efforts to train Hazara women to create and share their own stories. The Hazara Women of Afghanistan Share Digital Stories event trained and supported Hazara women to tell their own stories. That inspired “Voices of Resistance.”

Q: How have you passed on your documentary film skills to your students?

A: UMBC has given me so much and helped me to contribute to it. I taught three years in the global studies program as a visiting lecturer, and I designed, established, and taught Global Studies 409: Documentary Film as Global Activism. Students had to make a documentary about their families from any part of the world. They had to document where their identity and sense of belonging came from. Their films reflected their family backgrounds as well as their personal passions and engagement with social issues.

I still remember a student whose grandparents came from Ethiopia. His film was about them, and afterwards told me that when he was given the assignment, he said to himself, “If this lady, this lady from Afghanistan, can do these films, I can do that too.” It made me smile

Q: Looking back on everything that you have experienced and accomplished, has your purpose changed?

A: In 2021, when the Taliban returned, it was like the loss of a 20-year-old child. It was hard not to despair. But in all the chaos, some Hazara were able to get out and needed help arriving to live in the United States. That service rescued me from that vulnerable situation. Community work changed me again. It lifted me up. 

After the Hazara Women of Afghanistan Share Digital Stories event, I realized I do not need to feel the responsibility to speak for Hazara women, as they are now able to articulate and share their own stories with the world. This is my message for Hazara around the world, especially Hazara women who feel like their stories do not matter. You need to tell your story because your story is our history. And your story is our future. Sharing our stories will hold us together and make us known to the world.

Good Afternoon UMBC Capstone Community, Clients, Faculty, Students, Family, Friends, Staff & More! 

Dr. Paris von Lockette, Dr. Chuck Laberge, and Prof. Adam Bridenolph (Shady Grove), Senior Design instructors for the Mechanical Engineering Capstone and the Interdisciplinary Capstone, extend a warm invitation for you to join us for our . . .                                                                       

Spring 2026 Senior Mechanical & Multidisciplinary Engineering Capstone Design, Showcase, Friday May 8th       

• Presentations begin at 9AM in the Fine Arts Theater 
• Demonstrations begin at 10AM in the Engineering Atrium
• Come vote for your favorite project in our “People Choice” Award

Credit and thank you to Sarah Swatski from the Faculty Development Center for this idea, and to Billy Schneider for building it out for us!

Are you trying to wade through the murky depths of your Site’s Media files and finding yourself lost, dazed, and confused? A new tool is here to help!

The Media Inventory

This button is now available in your Media Library, which you can find on the left-hand navigation if you are logged into Sites.

This Media Inventory will download a CSV that contains the following information* for every piece of media in the library:

• File name

• File type

• Uploaded on date

• Uploaded by person

• Uploaded to URL (please note this is the original URL the media was uploaded to, it does not update if the media is moved to a different page or removed from that page!)

• File title

• Alt text

• Caption

• Description

*If the information is available for the file, if not, it will just show up as blank for that section.

What can you do with this? Our starter suggestions:

1. Sort by “alt text” for a quick way to see what files are missing alt text, or to review the current alt text for accuracy

2. Sort by “file type” to understand how many PDFs are present on your Site

3. Sort by “uploaded on date” to review your oldest media and find your most likely candidates for deletion

Calling all current graduate students! Looking to level up your data storytelling skills this summer? The Division of Student Affairs is hiring a Graduate Student Intern – Data Visualization & Reporting Analyst for summer 2026! In this paid, highly flexible hybrid role ($21.39/hr, 10–12 hours/week), you’ll design interactive dashboards, translate complex datasets into meaningful insights, and have an opportunity to collaborate with student affairs leaders on data analysis projects. This internship is open to all current UMBC graduate students that have prior Tableau experience. Recent graduates cannot be considered for this role. This internship will provide a great opportunity to build portfolio-worthy solutions. Application review begins May 20.

How to Apply:
All interested candidates must apply on Handshake, visit our job posting here.

Candidates should submit two documents: a resume and a cover letter that includes a statement of interest and an outline of your relevant experience and skills. Your cover letter should also include a link to a Tableau dashboard project you have personally developed. As a reminder, the UMBC Career Center website has some helpful materials about crafting a cover letter.

Questions? Reach out to Dr. Mary Ellen Wade, Director of Assessment and Planning at mewade@umbc.edu 

You may have heard the news: RT is better, shinier, and faster than ever before! The move to RT 6 brings a more intuitive experience to our daily workflows. While there are plenty of technical improvements under the hood, here are the standout features that will make your day-to-day tasks smoother and more efficient.

What’s New in RT 6?

1. Avatars: A More Visual Experience
   RT has gotten much more colorful. RT 6 introduces native support for user avatars. Instead of just seeing names, users are now visually identified throughout the interface—such as in ticket history and menus—using either uploaded images or auto-generated initials.
   Pro Tip: Update your look on the About Me! Go to your Initials > Settings > About Me > Picture.
   
   

2. Modern Compose Window
   The editor is newly upgraded and offers a cleaner toolbar and superior native support for dark mode. Most importantly: you can now build links using text! No more messy URLs cluttering your responses. You can now also paste images directly into your reply without having to save them and attach them as an image. 

1. Calendar View
   Need to visualize your deadlines? In any saved search, look for the grid of four boxes on the top right. You can now toggle between a standard table and a color-coded calendar view. Try adding "Date" fields to your searches to see a helpful layout of upcoming due dates.
   
   

2. Smarter Inline Editing
   When you make an inline edit to a ticket, RT 6 automatically reloads the ticket history and smoothly scrolls you to the newly added transaction. Inline Editing is practically everywhere. On the ticket display page, look for the subtle edit icons next to fields like Owner, Status, or Custom Fields. You can change these values right on the display page, and they will save instantly in the background without refreshing your screen.
   
   
   

3. Seamless Mobile Support
   Working on the go? The interface now scales beautifully on mobile and zoomed-in screens. Navigational menus now auto-close on click and dynamically highlight your active sections for better clarity.
   
   

4. Log your time in My Day and My Week
   If you’re a heavy user of the “Time Worked” part of RT, updating tickets individually is a chore. Instead, go to Tools > My Week and see an overview of all tickets worked this week and an easy way to add time to all of the tickets at once. My Day provides an easy way to enter updates all at once with multiple assigned tickets.
   
   

There are many tips and tricks for the beginner to the expert - did you know…

• There’s a dark mode for RT? Set your Theme Mode to dark on the Preferences page (Initials > Settings > Preferences) and hit Save Changes. 

• That if you highlight text on the ticket display screen and reply, it quotes the text in your reply?

• There are handy keyboard shortcuts to quickly navigate and triage tickets - press the ? (Shift + /) on your keyboard to see them! 

• If you type a ticket number into search and hit Enter, RT will take you straight to that ticket?

• At the top of the Ticket History section, look for the little link that says "Hide ticket history" or the option to filter out system messages. You can toggle this so you only see the actual comments and email replies from humans, collapsing all the automated system noise.
  
  

There are many more improvements under the hood, and more to come. Let us know what you’ve been enjoying in the new RT upgrade! If you have any questions or concerns, you can Request Help here. 

The UMBC career of Rileigh Mansfield ’26, mathematics, has been a masterclass in combining high-level theory with real-world impact. A Meyerhoff Scholar who began conducting research in her first year, Mansfield has spent the last three years applying complex data assimilation to everything from epidemiology to volcanology. Her academic path has taken her from the Andes of Ecuador to a math camp in Rwanda, and now it will take her to Stanford University to pursue a Ph.D. in geophysics. But Mansfield’s time at UMBC has included much more than academics: It has been defined by resilience and a contagious enthusiasm for building community—whether through tutoring and mentoring fellow students or playing Settlers of Catan with classmates and friends. 

Q: What’s next for you after graduation?

A: I’m heading to Stanford University to pursue a Ph.D. in geophysics. Stanford has always been my dream school. I was nervous about applying, because I was switching from math to geophysics and graduating a year early. Plus, I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped on the GRE, and I felt like it was going to be impossible to get in. But I went for it anyway, with encouragement from my best friend—and now I get to go!

Q: How have you gotten involved on campus, and how have those activities supported your growth?

A: I’ve served as the president of Pi Mu Epsilon (the national math honors society), a Meyerhoff Peer Advisor, and a teaching assistant in the math department. I also conducted research with math professors Dr. Animikh Biswas and Dr. Kathleen Hoffman. But honestly, some of my most meaningful involvement has been more informal. Last spring, I was having a tough semester when I got invited to join a group from the math lounge to play the board game Catan on Tuesdays. It became a little community and something to look forward to every week—a much-needed step back from school and work. I actually play in competitive Catan tournaments now, and I’m even hosting an official tournament this spring through the math honors society.

Q: How did you first get involved in research at UMBC, and what did you focus on?

A: I got involved in research through the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. Dr. Biswas taught one of my Summer Bridge classes. I asked a lot of questions, and he said I should apply to be in his lab. In the fall, a notification went out for a research position in the math department, so I filled it out, and it ended up being for his lab combined with Dr. Hoffman’s. I got to start my first year, which was really cool. My research focused on data assimilation—specifically looking at parameter sensitivity and estimation for biological models. I was studying how diseases like cholera and HIV spread. Jumping into that as a freshman was tricky, but I had a lot of support from the seniors in the lab.

Q: So how did you end up pivoting to geophysics for graduate school?

A: My dad was a budget analyst for NASA, so I grew up around space and earth science. I’ve always been mystified by natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanoes, because we don’t really have them in Maryland. When Dr. Biswas introduced me to data assimilation, he mentioned it’s used for weather forecasting. That was the spark. I liked my research at UMBC, because it’s easy to see how working in biology can help save people’s lives, but honestly biology isn’t my passion. When I looked internally at what I’m excited about that can also help people, natural disasters came to mind. I realized I could use my math background to work on earthquake or volcano early-warning systems. 

Q: Who has supported you throughout your UMBC journey?

A: I met my friend Emilia Pelegano-Titmuss at a summer program at Caltech in 2024, and we have supported each other in our pursuit of earth science ever since. Last spring, I had an incredibly challenging semester. My grades dipped, and I lost my self-confidence; I felt like I wasn’t made for research. Emilia talked me through it. She told me, “If you and I aren’t made for the research life, I don’t know who is.” She pushed me to graduate early and apply to grad school with her. Without her courage and motivation, I wouldn’t be in the position I am today.

Q: Can you describe key takeaways from your education abroad experiences?

A: Going to Ecuador was my favorite part of undergrad. In winter 2025, I went into the Andes to do field work in volcanology with Emilia, who goes to Hunter College. We stayed with indigenous communities who lived right on a volcano. It was a huge cultural experience in addition to the science we did. I even got to shear alpacas! Sitting down for dinner with the people I want my work to impact was a huge motivator. I learned about how there was a lot of distrust between their community and scientists, including the ones who order evacuations around disasters. I want to help bridge those divides.

I also went to Rwanda to teach elective math seminars at a Supporting African Maths Initiative (SAMI) camp. I taught game theory and disease modeling, but I also spent a lot of time helping students understand the U.S. college admissions process. Many of those students are so bright, and they really want to come to the U.S. for college, but they don’t have the resources or information to navigate the system. I still talk to some of them today to help them through the Common App.

Q: Why is it important to you to make a positive impact and help others?

A: I don’t like to feel like I’m wasting my time—if I’m going to spend my life doing research, I want to know it’s having a real-world impact. I’m also just genuinely excited about what I do. I really love it, and I want everyone else to love it, too. My favorite type of mentor is someone who loves something so much that even if at first you don’t understand what they’re talking about, you start caring about it just because they do—their enthusiasm is contagious. I try to bring that same energy to my work as a teaching assistant and peer mentor and to sharing math and science with anyone and everyone.

Q: What’s something unique about you that isn’t obvious from your résumé?

A: I am obsessed with the show Survivor. I audition for it every year. I’ve been watching it since third grade, and I’m always training for it. One year during finals, I even practiced eating only small portions of rice and working out on very little sleep just to see if my brain could still function—and it turned out it could. I also practiced starting fires with a flint. 

I also did competitive trampolining for years, and I play in competitive Catan tournaments. It’s interesting because, like Survivor, it’s a social game and a strategic game. My strength is always the social game. More recently, I went on The Price is Right with my friend Emilia. If you watch the June 1 episode, you’ll see us screaming and jumping up and down in the audience; she got picked to participate!

Q: What advice do you have for incoming UMBC students or aspiring undergraduate researchers?

A: Go to office hours. Even if you don’t have a specific question, just go and talk to your professors. It helps the professors know who you are, which can have the side benefit of motivating you even more to do well in the class. It can also create opportunities, like how I talked to Dr. Biswas at Summer Bridge, which led to doing research in his lab.

And if you really want something, you can always find a way to get it. Don’t just say, “UMBC doesn’t offer it,” or, “It’s not easy to get.” Many of the things I did weren’t here at UMBC, but UMBC professors sent me applications for workshops and opportunities. Dr. Justin Webster and Dr. Biswas sent me to a workshop in Texas on partial differential equations and to Colorado for a conference on data simulation—both were incredibly valuable. The resources are there to help you get what you want, but you have to go after it.

Credit and thank you to Sarah Swatski from the Faculty Development Center for this idea, and to Billy Schneider for building it out for us!

Are you trying to wade through the murky depths of your Site’s Media files and finding yourself lost, dazed, and confused? A new tool is here to help!

The Media Inventory

This button is now available in your Media Library, which you can find on the left-hand navigation if you are logged into Sites.

This Media Inventory will download a CSV that contains the following information* for every piece of media in the library:

• File name

• File type

• Uploaded on date

• Uploaded by person

• Uploaded to URL (please note this is the original URL the media was uploaded to, it does not update if the media is moved to a different page or removed from that page!)

• File title

• Alt text

• Caption

• Description

*If the information is available for the file, if not, it will just show up as blank for that section.

What can you do with this? Our starter suggestions:

1. Sort by “alt text” for a quick way to see what files are missing alt text, or to review the current alt text for accuracy

2. Sort by “file type” to understand how many PDFs are present on your Site

3. Sort by “uploaded on date” to review your oldest media and find your most likely candidates for deletion

As part of UMBC’s ongoing commitment to fostering equitable and inclusive working environments, we are pleased to share training opportunities designed to help employees and supervisors develop the knowledge and skills needed to engage effectively with diversity, manage workplace challenges, and create environments where all members of the community can thrive. These offerings include virtual courses available through Vector Solutions; any UMBC employee can use their university credentials to login and search for courses.

Faculty, staff, supervisors, and partners are encouraged to participate. For questions or enrollment support, please submit a request form here or email culture@umbc.edu.

Virtual Trainings Options

Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging for Leaders

Designed to meet employees and organizations where they are in their learning journey, this course helps leaders develop the skills needed to collaborate effectively in an increasingly diverse workforce. Participants explore key topics such as identity, equity, unconscious bias, microaggressions, and allyship to strengthen inclusive leadership practices.

Participants will:

• Build awareness of key concepts related to diversity, equity, and belonging.

• Strengthen leadership practices that support inclusive collaboration.

• Identify ways to promote a speak-up culture and allyship within teams.

Communication for Inclusion

This course emphasizes the importance of focusing on impact rather than intent when using identity terminology and engaging with self-identification. It explores how small acts that undermine can affect workplace relationships and offers strategies for addressing them constructively.

Participants will:

• Understand how everyday interactions can impact workplace inclusion.

• Learn strategies for responding to actions that may undermine others.

• Explore how microaffirmations can help create more supportive environments.

Engagement with Diversity (Employees and Managers)

This course focuses on how employees define and engage with diversity, using the iceberg model to illustrate how some aspects of diversity are not readily observable. It examines how diversity resistance, reactions to difference, assumptions, and the ladder of inference can negatively impact the workplace, while providing practical strategies to help participants engage more thoughtfully with diversity.

Participants will:

• Understand visible and invisible dimensions of diversity using the iceberg model.

• Examine how assumptions and reactions to differences can affect workplace interactions.

• Develop strategies for engaging constructively with diverse perspectives.

Discrimination: Avoiding Discriminatory Practices

This course provides supervisors with an overview of best practices for establishing and maintaining a respectful and positive workplace environment. Participants examine how to recognize discriminatory behaviors and foster a culture that values respect, acceptance, and fairness.

Participants will:

• Identify behaviors and practices that may contribute to workplace discrimination.
• Learn strategies for supporting respectful interactions across differences.
• Explore approaches for fostering a culture of acceptance and respect.

 Managing Difficult Behaviors

This course provides supervisory staff members with practical approaches for managing difficult behaviors in the workplace. Participants explore strategies for maintaining professionalism, addressing concerns constructively, and focusing on solutions that support healthy team dynamics.

Participants will:

• Reflect on personal responses and approaches when addressing difficult behavior.

• Learn strategies for maintaining self-control and focusing on problem-solving.

• Develop techniques for coaching employees and addressing behavior through performance management.

Finding & Enrolling in Courses: Browse available courses by selecting the “Courses” tab in the left-hand toolbar. In the library, “select” a specific category or “all” to view titles and summaries. Need help enrolling? Visit Vector’s self-enrollment support page for step-by-step guidance.