Diversity Infusion Program: It's more than meets the eye

Diversity Infusion Program 2007 Today’s employers tell us that they want to hire people who have the ability to work well with others, to work in teams, to collaborate and cooperate with other employees. Just as we teach students skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in their chosen career, we must also teach them to be successful in navigating the people in their world.   

The Diversity Infusion Program goes to the heart of what we do at Maricopa... teach.  The program focuses on both faculty and students through two aspects of diversity education:

• Diversity issues and perspectives we teach students to help them live in an increasingly multi-cultural world
• Methods and strategies faculty can use to effectively teach the diversity of students we find in our classes. 

The Diversity Infusion Program accepts both full-time and adjunct faculty for a one-year internship to infuse diversity in at least one of their courses.  Faculty attend seminars, hear guest speakers, participate in activities, and are exposed to resources related to diversity.  Participants receive a stipend and enjoy the close knit support group that develops within the Program.

The Diversity Infusion Program maintains several services to help both faculty and students.

1.  The Diversity Helpline provides assistance to faculty who wish to add a diversity component to their classes, conducts searches to help faculty find resources of all kinds, maintains a speaker’s bureau, and communicates important information about diversity District-wide.

2. The special Library Collection on Diversity contains books, videos / DVDs, and activity workbooks, and resources available for interlibrary loan by any MCCCD employee or student.

3. A program Website loaded with information and resources that is updated regularly.  The Website also provides testimonials about the experiences of faculty and students who have been in the Program and documents the work done by participants in a database for others to benefit.
 
4. A faculty mentoring program that allows faculty who graduate from the program to continue their work with us.

5.  Diversity Book Fair – This annual event brings together major textbook publishers to help faculty discover what resources are available for them to use as they infuse diversity into their courses, and to tell the publishing companies what materials and textbooks are needed in their fields.

6.  The Student Internship Program allows students to participate with faculty in the activities of the Infusion Program. The internship is designed to help students improve their knowledge of diversity and their leadership, intercultural competence, and interpersonal communication skills. Students also receive a scholarship for participating. This semester the program has 13 student interns participating from throughout the district.  Two former student interns summarized their experiences with the Program with the following statements.

“This program is a real eye-opener. It’s very interesting how both teachers and students get involved in the program and whether or not you’re shy or outgoing you’re definitely a fit for this program”.  ~ Miriam Estrada, Student Intern, CGCC

“Being a part of the Diversity Infusion Program has helped me to become aware of the vastness of diversity…. I have learned to never assume or stereotype individuals, to be more sensitive when I speak and to listen with compassion to the stories of those different from myself in a non-judging manner”.  ~ Pamela Ernst, Student Intern, PVCC

For more information about the Diversity Infusion Program, please visit our website at   http://www.maricopa.edu/diversityinfusion or contact the Executive Director, Dr. Bonnie A. Gray at (480) 423-6777.