Dr. Christine Stanley’s Passion For Diversity And Inclusion
For Dr. Christine Stanley, a passion for diversity and inclusion stems not just from her upbringing in the Caribbean but also from many other spheres of influence, including her parents, grandparents and the surrounding community. That passion is what fueled her commitment to effecting change over the course of her career.
Dr. Stanley has held several senior level administrative positions in academia and leadership roles in national professional organizations in higher education. She has also been awarded prestigious honors, including the 2015 Mildred Garcia Award for Exemplary Scholarship from the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and, most recently, the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education’s inaugural award created in her name.
“I’m still in shock that they did this. I’m not sure I can find the words. I’m so humbled. It’s just incredible to me that the first organization I got so involved in at a professional level would choose to honor me in this way,” said Dr. Stanley, of the POD award. “Sometimes you can advocate and be passionate about something you believe in but you’re not always quite sure if it’s having an impact or not.”
As noted on the POD website, the Christine A. Stanley Award for Diversity and Inclusion Research in Educational Development seeks to honor individuals who, like Dr. Stanley, demonstrate unequivocal commitment to advancing research on diversity and inclusion issues in educational development.
The website further notes that the purpose of the award is threefold:
- To raise the awareness of and advance theory about diversity and inclusion-related issues in educational development.
- To contribute to increased understanding of best practices on diversity and inclusion-related issues in educational development.
- To recognize how POD’s values of diversity and inclusion are reflected in the everyday practice of educational development.
As Dr. Stanley notes, the award “is about advocating for research on diversity and inclusion but also using that research to influence change in teaching and learning and ultimately impact change in terms of how our universities operate.”
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This article by Ashley Green originally appeared in Transform Lives.
