Grant

On behalf of the University Provost’s Office, the Diversity & Social Justice Grants support Western Washington University’s strategic goals for the enhancement of equity, inclusion and diversity.[see footnote 1] The grant will provide resources to actively undertake the development of educational practices that support and enhance diversity and social justice in and beyond the classroom at WWU, or to engage in social justice projects that will result in the significant advancement of their professional development and field of research, scholarly or creative work. Diversity, conceived broadly, refers to typically underrepresented cultures, groups, or identities [see footnote 2] and their relationships to structures of power. Practices focusing on the advancement of social justice do “not merely examine difference or diversity but [pay] careful attention to the systems of power and privilege that give rise to social inequality and [encourage] the critical examination of oppression on institutional, cultural, and individual levels in search of opportunities for social action in service of social change” (Hackman, 2005, p. 104). [see footnote 3] Collaborative projects between faculty, students, staff, community, and/or others are welcomed. Proposals rooted in a variety of disciplinary contexts that engage these questions and challenges are welcome.

This grant offers a current faculty member, in concert with student(s) and/or community member(s), either a summer grant of $6,000 or a one-course release (for tenured and tenure-track faculty) or equivalent pay (for non-tenure track faculty) during one academic year for the development of educational practices, research, or initiatives that support and enhance diversity and social justice in and beyond the classroom at WWU. All proposals should enhance diversity and social justice in the campus community, while preference will be given to those that also include impact within the broader community. In addition, grant recipients will contribute to furthering campus-wide dialogue through their participation in Faculty Learning Labs in which they will share their work with one another. Then each grantee will report on the experience and effects of their work in a public colloquium during the following academic year.

• Collaborative projects between faculty, students, staff, community, and/or others are strongly encouraged. Yet all projects must have a Western Washington University faculty member that is the point person, sponsor, or co-author.
• The review committee expects proposals to explain how they are informed by, and have demonstrated personal knowledge of engagement with, stakeholders. The committee urges proposers to work with stakeholders to the extent possible.
• Previous grantees who have need of continuing funding for their projects are also encouraged to apply.
• To be eligible, faculty applicants must be employed by WWU for the current academic year and have a contract (or reasonable expectation of employment with the university) for the academic year following the grant period.
• If the grant would immediately follow or precede professional leave, it should be clearly clarified in the proposal what will be accomplished through this grant, as distinct from the project undertaken during the professional leave.
• Faculty members who are receiving grant funding concurrently, or for the following year, must clearly explain how, and in what ways, the SJEC project proposal is distinctly different from those pursued in other grants.
• No summer appointments combined may exceed 100% effort.
• All grant writers may be asked to a 20 minute in person interview with members of the review committee.

Diversity & Social Justice Grants are granted for activities that substantially enhance the university’s academic programs by incorporating diversity and social justice concepts, materials, pedagogies, and perspectives and/or by addressing the needs of underserved learners.

Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria:

• Is the proposed work centered around diversity and social justice, as defined above?
• Is the proposed work transformational? In making these evaluations, the committee recognizes that different applicants may have different levels of knowledge and experience with diversity and social justice work, and may work in environments with varying amounts of support for such work. Thus, what counts as “transformational” is not fixed, but depends on the context in which the work will take place.
• Would the proposed work have broad impact on the WWU campus and/or in the community? For example, a project could have broad impact by serving a large number of students from a variety of majors, through enhancing the capacity of community groups engaged in social justice work, or by changing the climate within the department for all students. The applicant should explain in what way they believe their project would have broad impact.
• Would the proposed work lead to sustainable, structural changes? This could include changes in curriculum, changes in unit policy, changes in the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of faculty, enhancement of on-going programs, etc.
• Does the proposed work significantly add to existing programming and offerings at WWU? Any similar programs at Western should be mentioned, and the applicant should explain how the proposed work serves a different purpose or reaches a different audience than those programs.
• Does the proposed work go beyond what is typically expected of someone in the applicant’s position and in the applicant’s unit? At the same time, is it reasonable for the applicant to accomplish the proposed work within the timeframe of the grant and with the provided resources?

When possible, the committee seeks proportional representation across the seven colleges. Applicants are reminded that committee members may not be familiar with their department or program, and are encouraged to briefly discuss this context in their proposal. Similarly, the committee recognizes that diversity and social justice work may not be specifically referenced in the applicant’s unit evaluation plan. Thus, proposals that would also contribute to the applicant’s portfolio in the recognized areas of teaching, scholarship, and/or service are welcome.

Applications should include:

• Title of proposal, author, department, rank, and contact information (i.e. email address and phone number).
• Two-page narrative proposal, single-spaced (excluding citations). The narrative should address the criteria listed above and should provide a description of projected project plans and outcomes. Applicants should not assume that the reviewers are familiar with the details of their individual programs and should offer sufficient background information to assist the reviewers.
• A brief justification for the selection of grant type ($6000 vs. course release). Should a request for a course release from a Department Chair be denied, applicant agrees to accept the stipend instead.
• A timeline for the project, including a brief statement indicating that the activity can be accomplished during the grant period or how it will be sustained past the grant period.

Questions can be addressed to SJEC@wwu.edu. Applications must be emailed to SJEC@wwu.edu as a single pdf by February 19, 2021.

Selected sources used to inform our work:

Bettez, S. C., & Hytten, K.  (2013). Community building in social justice work: A critical approach. Educational Studies, 49(1), 45-66.

Fradella, H. F., Owen, S. S., & Burke, T. W.  (2009). Integrating gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues into the undergraduate criminal justice curriculum.  Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 20(2), 127-156.

Hackman, H. (2005). Five essential components for social justice education.  Equity and Excellence in Education, 38, 103-109.

Laird, T. F. N. (2011).  Measuring the diversity inclusivity of college courses.  Research in Higher Education, 52(6), 572-588.

Mayhew, M. J., & Grunwald, H. E.  (2006). Factors contributing to faculty incorporation of diversity-related course content.  The Journal of Higher Education, 77(1), 148-168.

[1] See the President's Strategic Plan.

[2]  Including, but not limited to, categories of identity such as race/ethnicity, ability, religion, sexual orientation, language, gender, gender identity, national origin, socioeconomic status, age, or any other typically underrepresented group and their intersections.

[3] Hackman, H. (2005). Five essential components for social justice education. Equity and Excellence in Education, 38, 103-109.