Staff positions in Student Affairs focus on community and belonging

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In alignment with Penn State's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Student Affairs created two staff positions in fall 2021 to enhance and bridge existing initiatives focused on the development of community and belonging contributing to the overall student experience and ultimately student success.

“Student Affairs has long shown a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in its work, but we know more must be done, particularly at this extraordinary moment of awareness and reckoning in our society,” said Damon Sims, vice president for Student Affairs. “These positions and the wonderful professional colleagues who’ll occupy them bring added promise that Student Affairs’ longstanding efforts will be even more impactful in the years ahead.”

Jessica Sumney serves as the assistant director of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for Student Affairs. Acting as a community resource to help recognize barriers to inclusion, increase critical self-awareness and engage in difficult dialogues. She helps develop strategies for creating and maintaining more equitable and inclusive spaces both within and beyond the equity and inclusion units in Student Affairs.

The assistant director position is focused on bridging and supporting existing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in Student Affairs, while also providing support and collaboration in those endeavors especially for student organizations and the Coalition on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CoDEI), which supports Penn State’s Commonwealth Campus students and colleagues.

“In this role, I’m hoping to advance our shared understanding of social justice and equity through reflection and getting comfortable with the uncomfortable,” Sumney said. “Having the foundational skills to challenge oneself will carry well beyond someone’s time at Penn State and into any path they choose for themselves.”

Most recently, Sumney worked at Bentley University where she collaborated with equity offices on programs to advance undergraduate student success and belonging. She has been active in student mentorship programs and informal mentoring throughout her career.

André Culbreath serves as the associate director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for Student Affairs and Residence Life, helping to consult and support the units within Student Affairs on equity-based practice, particularly within residential living and learning environments.

Additionally, Culbreath is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic equity and inclusion initiatives for students living on campus and the professional staff supporting their experience, impacting all 11 of the residential campuses within the Penn State commonwealth system and serving nearly 20,000 students. Culbreath also serves as a primary convenor of student-focused bias response support along with the Equity and Inclusion Network in Student Affairs, which serves as a community of practice for colleagues focused on furthering equity and inclusion within the student experience.

Culbreath’s work focuses on the reframing of existing curriculum models, professional engagement practices, professional development for staff and paraprofessionals, and inclusive conduct practices for residential students. He is also the lead facilitator for the inclusive language campaign, a series of workshops that address the power of language and its connection to building and sustaining communities.

Prior to this role, Culbreath worked as an area coordinator for Penn State Residence Life. He is a doctoral candidate researching the impacts of cultural fraternities on the academic persistence of Black sophomore male students. He is a veteran with the United States Air Force Reserves, president of the Penn State Forum on Black Affairs and the Community Coordinator Committee chair of the State College NAACP chapter.

“As the work of our identity and advocacy spaces have grown since their inception, so has the need for us to create spaces for deeper dialogue across identity and experience,” said Brian Patchcoski, assistant vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion in Student Affairs. “These roles, in connection and collaboration with units within and outside of Student Affairs, provide us with the opportunity to think even more critically about belonging and student success.”

One of the first accomplishments of these new roles was rolling out a dialogue series titled “Who We Are, All That We Are,” a monthly series that aims to foster meaningful dialogue through conversations about topics that may be new and challenging to Penn State community members.

Patchcoski, who currently oversees these positions, works to support the student-focused identity and advocacy spaces within Student Affairs, including Adult Learner Programs and Services; the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity; the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development; the Gender Equity Center; and the Paul Robeson Cultural Center. The assistant vice president for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position was formally created in 2017 to bridge existing efforts toward equity-based practice in Student Affairs, as well as to foster direction and strategy forward with broader university equity initiatives.

“As we have created new networks and opportunities for our students, we have also worked to create similar opportunities for our colleagues committed to advancing the larger university aspirations toward equity-based and informed practice,” Patchcoski said. “As our work continues to evolve and grow, it is through partnership with our students and those colleagues that support them, that I believe we will have a profound impact on the student experience and thereby create an even stronger Penn State community.”

Student Affairs offers numerous resources related to equity and inclusion, which can be found at the department’s Community & Belonging webpage.