Annual Faculty-Staff Conference Focuses on Anti-Racism Work Underway at Meredith

Every year, at the end of the spring semester, Meredith College faculty and staff gather for a conference affectionately known as “PIE,” short for Pedagogy, Innovation, and Enhancement. This year’s conference focused specifically on the College’s anti-racism efforts, both to share information about what is taking place and to provide learning opportunities for the larger community.

Sessions took place over three days and included topics such as transparency in the hiring process, an overview of diversity and equity campus climate survey results, anti-racist action steps, and debriefing sessions on a recent training session attended by over 100 faculty and staff.

PIE also included a number of sessions that focused on improving pedagogical practices such as establishing an inclusive classroom environment, inclusive course design, and discussing race and gender within the context of academic disciplines.

Sarah Roth, PIE committee member and dean of the school of arts and humanities, said the conference’s emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion work was timely and important.

“Staff and faculty on campus have been in need of an opportunity to spend a dedicated block of time discussing where we are as a campus with issues related to equity and inclusion, where we want to go, and how we are going to get there,” said Roth. “PIE offered the chance for us to be in conversation with each other as a community – to share information and ideas, and to work together on plans to lay the groundwork for a more equitable and inclusive future.”

Learn more about the anti-racism initiative