COS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Power Dynamics Workshop

COS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Power Dynamics Workshop
Evelyn Ambriz, PhD
Postdoctoral associate for mentoring and faculty engagement at Cornell University and a university affiliate visiting scholar at the University of Texas at Austin

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Abstract:
Overview Faculty members who work with students, and in particular graduate students, may occupy the role of a mentor, advisor, principal investigator, and supervisor, or a combination thereof. Relatedly, students expect and/or want faculty to fill one of, or various, roles above. Within your relationship, there are unspoken power dynamics that can impede mentees’ agency to shape their own academic trajectory and contribute to scholarship. For scholars with underrepresented racial and other social identities who are already largely relegated to the bottom of the social order in organizations, these power dynamics have various consequences, including repressing learning and growth opportunities. For example, they can prevent thought partnerships, discourage questioning and independent thought, stifle academic productivity and risk-taking, and limit the diversity and breadth of knowledge produced in the field. Topics for Discussion • Examine normalized relational power dynamics and examine their unintended consequences in the academy (e.g., less productivity, narrow viewpoints in literature) • Identify dominant power structures in organizations and understand their impact on communities normatively underrepresented in the academy. • Explore opportunities to challenge hierarchical structures within mentorship relationships, departments, universities, and the field at large. Activity Types Through personal reflection, small group discussions, and large group discussions, we will identify opportunities and gain strategies to dismantle traditional power dynamics in one-on-one interactions and across the department, college, and field. That includes as a scholar, mentor, ally, and advocate. At the end of this session, you will have— Outputs / Resources • Prompts and tools to initiate conversations about social issues, including inequality and departmental racial climate with various stakeholders (e.g., mentees, other faculty) • Strategies to contribute to belonging for students with underrepresented identities in individual interactions • Strategies and tools to help mentees develop an independent scientist identity, including confidence to risk-take, self-advocate, and share their scholarly ideas • Strategies and tools to claim and foster feelings of agency amongst others

Bio:
Evelyn Ambriz, PhD is a postdoctoral associate for mentoring and faculty engagement at Cornell University and a university affiliate visiting scholar at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pragmatic organizational sociologist in the field of education and draws from various fields of to examine the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and practices, including their unintended consequences and further opportunities for systemic change. Her scholarship is situated in the context of extreme cases of inequity and homogeneity: organizations historically segregated by race, gender, and class. More specifically, she examines how actors leverage their agency and interorganizational networks to influence individuals’ schemas of identity, organizational norms, and their surrounding context in order to challenge the reproduction of social inequality. She is also leading the development of Cornell’s Faculty Advancing Inclusive Mentoring programming, including an immersive conference, course modules, and resources for inclusive mentoring. Her work is informed by her work as an assistant dean of students at Cornell University, where she advised culturally based student groups, developed cross-racial educational programming, and engaged in mentorship and cultural humility work and initiatives. Her research has been published in the American Education Research Journal, The Review of Educational Research, and Organizational Theory & Praxis. She holds a B.S. in sociology and an MPA from Cornell University, and a PhD in higher education leadership from the University of Texas at Austin.

Intended Audience:
All are Welcome!

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