Equity Richland is a community of Richland College faculty, staff and administrators, dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion both in the classroom and in our larger community. Our Community Conversation Series and holistic approach to institutional change, serves as a testament to the transformative power of collaborative cooperation.

This session will serve as not only a pedagogical workshop for faculty highlighting the series and our newest program, Harvest of Empire, which works to dispel the myths surrounding immigration, but also as a roadmap for colleges looking for ways to bring a collaborative, institution-wide equity program to scale. Equity Richland: A Collaborative Model for Institutional Transformation will cover the following themes: Academics: - Changing the Landscape of Higher Education - Campus and Classroom Climate - What Factors Affect Campus and Classroom Climate? - Delivering Results and Making Changes - Social Justice and Diversity in Higher Education - Incivility on Campus, how do you handle it? - Incivility vs. Free Speech - Implicit Bias and Microaggressions on a College Campus: Intent, Impact, and Reduction Diversity/Inclusion: - Change Management – Leading Effective D&I Efforts - LGBTQ - Questions/Issues in the Workplace - Incivility in the Workplace, How to Handle it? - Utilizing Untapped Talent to Reach Diversity Goals - Attracting, Hiring and Retaining Diverse Talent - Creating an Impactful Culture for People with Disabilities - Breaking Down Silos in the Workplace - Moving Beyond Diversity towards Equality and Inclusion

Equity Richland is a long-standing community of Richland College staff, faculty, and administrators, dedicated to fostering the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion both in the classroom and in our community at large. To that end, we create educational opportunities for our students, employees, and community, designed to raise awareness and offer strategies and tools that can begin to build the bridges we so desperately need in today’s vitriolic climate. Equity Richland programming utilizes a multi-layered approach to event design such that every program we offer provides the following outcomes for participants:  Faculty – Professional development opportunities that provide sample assignments, in multiple disciplines, that illustrate ways in which faculty can incorporate culturally responsive pedagogy, transparent and universal design principles, and the tenets of inclusive teaching and learning in their courses.  Administrators/Faculty/Staff – Professional development opportunities that provide information and understanding of intercultural competencies, and the skills, knowledge and attributes that are valuable in culturally diverse environments.  Students and Community – Learning opportunities for students to experience culturally responsive curriculum designed to reinforce the Texas Core Curriculum (i.e. “a foundation of knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, develop principles of personal and social responsibility for living in a diverse world, and advance intellectual and practical skills that are essential for all learning.”) and provide the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate life in the 21st century. Our session will showcase Equity Richland’s Community Conversation Series—a student-centered, inter-disciplinary collaboration that brings students, the college and community together as a powerful instrument for increasing equity, student success, and inclusion across the institution. As such, this session will serve as not only a pedagogical workshop for faculty highlighting the series and our newest program, Harvest of Empire, which works to dispel the myths surrounding immigration, but also as a roadmap for colleges looking for ways to bring a collaborative, institution-wide equity program to scale. Equity Richland, through our holistic approach to advancing equity and inclusion, serves as a model for the transformative power of collaborative cooperation.