Congratulations to our 2023-24 Donald H. Wulff Diversity Fellows

The Donald H. Wulff Diversity Fellowship aims to increase and support sustained participation of individuals from historically underrepresented groups in the field of educational development. The Fellowship recognizes individuals from all career stages, from early or pre-career to senior educational developers, for their accomplishments and future potential to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field.

 

  • Ebony Aya, Ph.D., Macalester College
  • Maimuna Begum Kali, Florida International University
  • Jonathan Byrn, Ph.D., Yakima Valley College
  • Beth Counselman-Carpenter, Ph.D., LCSW, Adelphi University
  • Viyon Dansu, Florida International University
  • Aleya Dhanji, Ph.D., Highline College
  • Chinasa Elue, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University
  • Marissa Gee, Cornell University
  • Abigail Jaimes-Gomez, Mohave Community College
  • Boyun Kim, University of California Irvine
  • Na-Li Kim, Ed.D., The University of Texas at Arlington
  • Eunjin Kim, The Pennsylvania State University
  • Jeanne Kusina, Ph.D., The University of Toledo
  • Rainamei Luna, Pennsylvania State University
  • Jaclyn Rivard, Ph.D., National Louis University
  • Jacques Safari Mwayaona, Syracuse University
  • Evangeline Su, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison and Northwestern University
  • Bailey Szustak, University of Illinois Chicago
  • Yingfah Thao, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (System Office)
  • Lisa Webb, Ed.D., CRC, Virginia Commonwealth University 

The Donald H. Wulff Diversity Fellowship—named to honor the memory of former POD President and early supporter of the POD Diversity Committee—aims to increase and support sustained participation of individuals from historically underrepresented groups in the field of educational development.

Fellowship Description

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education enthusiastically invites applications for the 2023 Donald H. Wulff Diversity Fellowships. These fellowships provide financial and mentoring support (see below) designed to increase and support sustained participation of individuals from historically underrepresented groups in the field of educational development.

Underrepresented groups include, but are not limited to, individuals who identify as racial and/or ethnic minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered individuals; and individuals with disabilities. These fellowships are also intended to support individuals working at institutions that are currently underrepresented in the POD network. These institutions include, but are not limited to: Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Native American Tribal Colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions or Hispanic Area Colleges and Institutions, Minority-Serving Institutions (or those aspiring to become MSIs), and Community Colleges. The fellowship is named to honor the memory of the former POD President, Donald H. Wulff, who was an early supporter of the POD Diversity Committee. This initiative highlights the alignment of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee’s mission with POD’s strategic priorities.We encourage applicants with all levels of experience in educational development to apply, from graduate students and other early career or pre-career applicants to senior educational developers.

Past Wulff Fellows are encouraged to apply and serve as mentors to new awardees. Wulff Fellow Mentors will take the lead in facilitating community-building experiences for new fellows throughout the conference and going forward through the year.

The POD Network Conference is an opportunity for educators, administrators, consultants, and innovators to come together and participate in interactive sessions and networking events focused on current issues and trends in educational development. This year’s conference will offer two paths: an online conference experience and an on-ground conference in Pittsburgh. Both conference paths feature programs specific to diversity, equity, and inclusion. New Wulff Fellows will share their work or perspectives through a roundtable discussion and have the opportunity to connect with one another. Wulff Fellow Mentors will provide guidance and support to new Fellows.

Fellowship Details

The Fellowship provides:

  1. A one-year POD membership;
  2. Registration fee for the POD Conference (online or in-person);
  3. For awardees opting for the in-person conference venue in need of travel support, financial support for travel costs to Pittsburgh, PA;
  4. Mentoring and other experiences before, during, and after the conference, designed to connect awardees with colleagues and support their participation in educational development

Fellows are expected to:

  • Attend the 2023 POD Conference (online experience or in-person);
  • Attend the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee’s Annual Business Meeting;
  • Participate in a roundtable discussion sharing work, insights, perspectives, and/or experiences
  • Participate in Wulff Fellow cohort networking opportunities during the 2023–2024 fellowship year to connect and build community around their work;
  • Submit a post-conference report and a 6-month check-in survey at the midpoint of their fellowship year. This post-conference report and the 6-month check-in survey will help us assess the effectiveness of the program to better the experience of Wulff Fellows.

Criteria

A successful application should clearly articulate:

  1. Your identification as someone from a historically underrepresented group or someone serving at an institution that is currently underrepresented in POD membership. Please see the fellowship description above for more information;
  2. Your interest and/or experience in educational development;
  3. How you would benefit from attending the conference;
  4. A clear and explicit explanation of how sustained engagement with the DEI Committee and POD network aligns with your goals in the field of educational development (for example, if you are a grad student, how this opportunity will help you explore career and other professional interests; if you are more advanced in your career, how this opportunity will help you towards your professional goals).
  5. The work, insights, perspectives, and/or experiences that you will contribute to the POD conference roundtable; or (for past Wulff Fellows applying as Wulff Fellow Mentors) the insights, perspectives, and/or experiences you will bring to your role mentoring new awardees through the conference and beyond.
  6. If you are planning to attend the in-person conference, a brief description of your travel needs, such as geographical travel distance, planned travel arrangements, hotel costs, etc., and how this travel fund would help you overcome financial barriers (including extraneous factors such as child care, elder care expenses, etc.) to attending the POD conference.

Application Timeline and Resources

Look for the application, timeline, and resources for the 2024-2025 Wulff Fellowship grants in late spring and early summer 2024.