Nationally recognized diversity, equity, and belonging strategist, Dr. Raja Gopal Bhattar, will be sharing strategies to foster inclusive virtual and in-person classrooms on Monday, February 14th from 5 to 7 PM in Emerson Suites, Campus Center as part of the college’s annual Difficult Dialogues symposium. The event will be available via livestream for individuals interested in attending virtually. An RSVP is required for either in-person or virtual participation (click here to RSVP) so that we can easily notify participants if there must be a change in date, venue, or format.
Due to COVID risk reduction measures, the in-person event will be limited to current Ithaca College students, staff, and faculty. Members of the public can join virtually, via livestream, and should RSVP to be notified easily if there must be a change in date, venue, or format. For those attending in-person, snug-fitting face coverings consistent with CDC recommendations must be worn at all times.
Dr. Bhattar (pronouns: they/them/theirs) will address how effective education and learning environments require intentionality and a clear understanding of outcomes for our communities. Through storytelling and interactive activities, this keynote will offer insights and strategies on how education leaders can incorporate equity, inclusion and belonging in all aspects of their work, especially in virtual and in-person contexts. This session will focus on effective assessment, engagement and implementation of strategies to transform our education systems at individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels utilizing identity-conscious frameworks.
Dr. Bhattar’s work straddles qualitative and quantitative approaches to intersectional identity development and the experiences of LGBTQ people, immigrants, first-generation students, international students and people of color in higher education. Their research centers on intersections of identity and sense of belonging, international students, HIV-AIDS in higher education, access and inclusion in global higher education and impact of diverse staff and faculty on student experience and campus climate. They have authored numerous articles and book chapters and present regularly at national and regional conferences. Raja has been featured in The Advocate Magazine, Huffington Post, BBC India, BuzzFeed, India Abroad Magazine, Hinduism Today Magazine, the Vermont Quarterly and many other news outlets. Dr. Bhattar is an inaugural Racial Equity Fellow with InterFaith Youth Core’s Interfaith America initiative.
The Difficult Dialogues symposium was created to explore complex and controversial subjects and engage audiences in civil and respectful dialogue by bringing to campus a speaker or speakers to address topics that are challenging and thought-provoking. It is named in honor of Ithaca College President Emerita Peggy Ryan Williams, who has been an advocate for open discourse and a staunch defender of academic freedom and active, open inquiry.