WYOMISSING, Pa. — A Penn State Berks team, comprised of one student, three staff and three faculty members, participated in the Summer Institute on Equity in the Academic Experience hosted by the American Talent Initiative (ATI) and Georgetown University. This three-day institute was held virtually with various colleges and universities offering local convening opportunities. In Pennsylvania, both Penn State Harrisburg and University of Pittsburgh offered in-person convening opportunities.
Gathering in the Penn State Berks Thun Library for three days, the Berks team participated virtually in Penn State Harrisburg's value-added morning sessions, the institute's daily welcomes and provocations, 15 presentations/sessions, and an equity coaching consultation. In addition, the team completed more than six hours of team time, processing the information discussed and thinking about practical applications for Penn State Berks.
Following this planning and discussion, the team completed the final day of the institute by participating in the campus plan feedback session — an opportunity for teams to present their projects and solicit feedback from other teams using the ‘step-back consulting’ approach. In this approach, the "consultants" (other team members) engage in a structured and facilitated process to take ownership of the problem to help brainstorm creative solutions and bring fresh perspectives.
The Penn State Berks team members included:
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Becky Eckenrode, senior associate director of admissions
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Maria Fellie, assistant professor of Spanish
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Alexa Hodge, coordinator of student support services
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Erica Kunkel, director of continuing education
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Tami Mysliwiec, associate professor of biology
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Belén Rodríguez Mourelo, division head of humanities, arts, and social sciences
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Viktoriia Vozharenko, student government association president
The Berks team was just one of Penn State's 24 teams representing 16 campuses and units. The Berks team joined the 60 teams (totaling more than 400 people ) from 55 colleges and universities seeking to live out the institute's motto: "Come with a goal, leave with a plan."