25-28 JUNE 2024 // costa mesa, california

The Faculty Racial Justice and Decolonization Institute, sponsored by the ACPA Foundation, provides a guided, curricular experience for tenure and non-tenure track faculty in higher education and student affairs programs that can develop essential knowledge and skill related to racial justice & decolonization in teaching activities. The institute will provide opportunities for dialogue and activities to assist with teaching practices rooted in advancing racial justice and decolonization. After attending the Faculty Racial Justice and Decolonization Institute, participants will leave with the knowledge and skills to implement the SIRJD in curricula development, pedagogical practices, and learning environments.

FEATURES & focuS

The 2024 Faculty Racial Justice and Decolonization Institute will include:

• A highly interactive curriculum focused on implementing pedagogical practices rooted in racial justice and decolonization. 
• Collaboration with institute faculty implementing pedagogical practices rooted in racial justice and decolonization.
• Dedicated time to craft or redesign course syllabi, learning assessments, and activities.
• Opportunities for feedback from institute faculty and peers.
• In-depth discussions and reflections facilitated through small groups.

Focus of the institute

A professional development experience for college and university faculty members interested in an innovative approach to teaching and learning. The institute curriculum is designed for application to higher education/student affairs graduate programs. However, faculty from other disciplines are welcome.

Who should attend?

Educators who have an interest in engaging racial justice and decolonization pedagogical practices to enhance college student development and leadership. This includes but is not limited to:

• • • Faculty from all disciplines–tenured, tenure-track, and clinical faculty welcome.
    • Graduate students with teaching responsibilities.
    • Higher Education/Student Affairs practitioners with teaching responsibilities.

FACULTY

Jude Paul Dizon, Ph.D.

he, him, siya // California State University, Stanislaus

Jude Paul Matias Dizon, Ph.D. (he/him/siya) is an assistant professor of higher education leadership at California State University, Stanislaus. Jude Paul’s research broadly focuses on racial justice in higher education, campus racial climate, equity-minded leadership and organizational change, and Asian American and Pacific Islander college students. His current research agenda focuses on higher education’s relationship to the carceral state, system-impacted students, campus safety, and abolition. Jude Paul has been a faculty member at Rutgers University and a student affairs practitioner in diversity, equity, and inclusion units. Jude Paul has published in The Journal of Higher Education, Peabody Journal of Education, American Behavioral Scientist, and Journal of College Student Development. Jude Paul is a first-generation faculty member from a Filipino working-class family. 

Stacey D. Garrett, Ph.D.

she, her, hers // Appalachian State University

Dr. Stacey D. Garrett is an Associate Professor of Higher Education at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Originally from Virginia, she received her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership- Higher Education from Clemson University and joined the faculty at Appalachian State in 2017. She also serves as the Program Director for Higher Education overseeing curriculum, enrollment, and advising processes while teaching graduate courses in the master’s and doctoral degree programs. Before joining the faculty at AppState, she worked in entry- and mid-level positions in residence life and fraternity/sorority life. Her research agenda explores the experiences of Faculty, Students, and Staff of Color at predominantly White institutions, and the people, policies, and practices that help or hinder their success and advancement.

Quortne R Hutchings, Ph.D.

they, them, theirs // Northern Illinois University

Hutchings (they, them) is a first-generation college graduate, proud Ronald E. McNair scholar alum, and assistant professor of higher education at Northern Illinois University. Their research primarily focuses on Black gay, bisexual, queer, and non-binary undergraduate and graduate students’ academic and social experiences in higher education, student affairs professionals’ experiences in student and academic affairs, undergraduate and graduate students’ experiences with substance use and recovery, and critical qualitative methodologies (e.g., queer phenomenology, arts-based research, and collaborative autoethnography). Quortne has student and academic affairs experiences in academic advising, orientation, multicultural affairs, TRiO programs, and leadership development. Quortne’s current work utilizes podcasting as a method and analytic approach to exploring Black gay, bisexual, and queer men’s experiences in men of color (MoC) and Black male initiative (BMI) programs at higher education institutions. 

They serve on the editorial board for the Journal of College Student Development research-in-brief and the Journal of First-Generation Student Success. Their research has been published in the Journal of Autoethnography, International Journal of STEM Education, Journal of Critical Scholarship in Higher Education and Student Affairs, and International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. Quortne holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago, an M.Ed. in Education, Organization, and Leadership, with a concentration in Higher Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and a B.A. in African and African-American Studies, minors in Sociology and Human Development & Family Studies from the Pennsylvania State University.

Laila McCloud, Ph.D.

she, her, Black woman // Grand Valley State University

Dr. Laila McCloud is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at Grand Valley State University. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies (Higher Education and Student Affairs) from the University of Iowa. Prior to pursuing a faculty career, she served as a student affairs educator focused on issues of equity and access at several institutions in the Chicagoland area.  Laila’s research uses critical theories and methods to explore: (1) the professional and academic socialization of Black college students; (2) the professionalization of multicultural student affairs work; and (3) teaching and learning practices in higher education and student affairs graduate preparation programs.

She serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of College Student Development and the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice. Laila is an active member and has held leadership roles in higher education and student affairs associations such as ACPA, ASHE, and NASPA. Laila is a Research Associate with the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL). In 2023, she was recognized as an ACPA Emerging Scholar.

Ricardo Montelongo, Ph.D.

he, him, his // Sam Houston State University

Ricardo Montelongo, Ph. D. is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Sam Houston State University. He teaches in the Higher Education Administration, Higher Education Leadership, and Developmental Education Administration programs. Ricardo’s primary research interests include college student involvement; the impact of Latina/o/x college student organizations; diversity issues in higher education; and spirituality in higher education. He also studies (critical) digital pedagogy and online teaching and learning.  At Sam Houston State University, he teaches courses such as: Organization and Administration of Higher Education, Leadership of Higher Education, The College Student, Student Noncognitive Development, History of Higher Education, Diverse Student Populations. His publications can be found in About Campus, ACPA Developments, CLEARVoz Journal, College Teaching, International Journal of Information & Learning Technology, and Journal of College Student Development. He has twenty years professional administrative experience in student success, academic advising, academic enhancement, Student Support Services/TRiO, institutional research, career development and residence life.  He received his Ph.D. in Higher Education from Indiana University and a M.S. in Student Affairs Administration and B.S. in Psychology both from Texas A&M University. Dr. Montelongo is active in ACPA College Student Educators International and was co-chair of its Latinx Network from 2011-2013. His personal website is located at ricmontelongo.com 

Michael Steven Williams, Ph.D.

he, him, his | University of Missouri

Dr. Michael Steven Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Missouri. His research program broadly focuses on inclusion, diversity, and equity, the social-psychological development of students, and institutional excellence in American postsecondary education. Specifically, he centers his inquiry on two aspects of higher education: (a) interpersonal relationships, particularly socialization, mentoring, and belonging for students, administrators, and faculty, and (b) the institution, focusing on organizational improvement and accountability through multi-pronged assessment and evaluation.

Before joining the Mizzou faculty in 2017, he was an Assistant Professor of public and international affairs at Baruch College, City University of New York. He has also served as a student affairs educator in several different roles, including residence hall director, living learning community assistant director, and admissions assistant. At Mizzou Ed, he teaches honors and graduate (M.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D.) courses related to higher education.

Williams’ scholarship has been featured in the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, the Journal of African American Studies, and the Journal of College Student Retention, among other publications. He is on the editorial board for several journals including the College Student Affairs Journal and the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education and is a member of the Association for the Study of Higher Education and other professional organizations. Williams is committed to translating his research to inform policies and practices that promote social justice and student success in higher education.

Registration Rates

Scholarship information

ACPA members are eligible to apply to receive scholarship funds due to the support of the ACPA Foundation. Scholarship funds will cover institute registration, hotel, and various meals during the institute. Scholarship funds will not cover travel-related expenses.

The scholarship application is included in the institute registration form. Scholarship application review will begin on 19 April 2024. After 19 April 2024, scholarships applications will be reviewed and funds awarded on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. If you apply to receive an institute scholarship, please select “Check” as your payment method when submitting your institute registration.

hotel information

The host hotel for the 2024 Faculty Racial Justice and Decolonization Institute is The Westin South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa. The room block for the 2024 institute has closed. For assistance, please contact Brian Hopkins, ACPA Director of Convention & Events, at [email protected].

686 Anton Boulevard | Costa Mesa, CA 92626

tentative schedule

*all times listed in Pacific Time

• 8:00-8:45am // Breakfast (provided)
• 9:30-9:15am  // In Gathering
• 9:30-11:30am // Working Time
• 12:00-1:00 pm //Lunch (provided)
• 1:00-2:30pm // Educational Block 3
• 2:30-4:00pm // Educational Block 4
• 4:20-5:00 pm // Collaborative Dialogue  Block 2
• 5:00pm // Dinner/free time on your own

Friday, 28 June

• 8:30-9:15am // Breakfast (provided)
• 9:30-10:00am // Closing Session
• 10:00-11:30am  // Collaborative Dialogue Block 3
• 11:30am // Depart to Transform!