#ALISE2015 : Juried Panel: Diversifying the reflection of LIS education programs: Spectrum doctoral fellows in the front of the classroom

Nicole A. Cooke -

• The Spectrum Doctoral Scholarship program was begun in 2007, with a cohort of 12.
• The ultimate goal is to increase racial death in diversity among the disciplines  and the profession, so next generation of LIS faculty and leaders.
• Four Fellows have now become LIS faculty members and two more have graduated and are working in libraries.

From fellow to faculty:

• Transition:
• Challenging - need help with expectation management
• Need for continuous mentoring
• Flexibility and growth
• Fusing teaching, research and services - time management is important 
• Continuous advocacy and promotion

We need a continuous pipeline of doctoral students from diverse backgrounds.  

Monica Colon-Aguirre -

Her first language is Spanish, not English.  What does the mean for her teaching in the U.S.?

"Non-native English speaker teacher"

• Research has shown that they are seen as not being as competent, but students, colleagues, and institutions.
• Some people latch onto the accent as an excuse. "I didn't do well on the exam because I can't understand the teacher."
• Slang and colloquialism are always an issue. They may not translate well.
• Language can be used to exclude someone from a culture.
• What are the cultural differences that you need to be aware of?

Janet Ceja Alcala - 

• She is Mexican American (Chicana), from Los Angeles.
• Interested in how people with a background similar to hers have been represented in archives.
• As a doctoral student, she felt that her cultural background was not represented in the literature.
• Teaching in Tucson (MSLIS program) where Mexican American studies was banned in K-12.
• As an educator, she has a lot of power in terms of course content, etc.   She can make issues visible.

J. Brenton Stewart - 

• Librarianship is his first career.
• His first professional position was a two-year residency in a rural Midwest academic library, which was part of a diversity initiative.  Staff saw the residency as being unjust.  He realized that location could be very important.
• After his PhD, he went somewhere in the South for an academic position that had a heavy teaching load.  He was an outlier in a monotone institution.
• He is now at an institution that is more supportive in terms of teaching and research.  (He learned that there is more than one kind of "South.")

Questions:

• Monica had to educate people that Puerto Rico is part of the U.S.
• Can this become a session that more can attend?  The people, who need to hear it, are not in this session.
• What about the other Spectrum scholars?  They don't know what happened to all of them.  Some are still working on their PhDs. Some found that the program (and working on an LIS PhD) was not for them.
• How have you been able to use your influence?
• Sometimes you don't recognize the influence that you have.
• Influence in the classroom
• Having students who come to the program because of you
• Decisions in libraries historically reflect people's biases.
• The difference between those whose ethic identities are obvious and those whose ethic identity is not obvious.
• What is the purpose of disclosing?
• Advice for prospective doctoral students
• Investigate you or research area
• Look at the faculty you'll e working with
• Be comfortable with the environment
• You have to want this (as an entity)
• Not a path for the timid
• Do your research on the institution that you want to study at
• Take it one day at a time
• You have to have support
• You have to be comfortable with who you are