PUBlic Professor Series talk examines inequity of representation with Dr. Sandra Dixon

trevor.kenney — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 21:06:07 +0000

Dr. Sandra Dixon is a registered psychologist, an award-winning researcher and an associate professor in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Education. She is also a woman of colour in a predominantly white post-secondary landscape where colonial ideas are privileged over alternative ways of knowing and being.

Dr. Sandra Dixon

“Increasing research has shown that racialized faculty members are underrepresented and undervalued in higher education compared to their white peers,” says Dixon, who will speak to this disparity in the next PUBlic Professor Series talk, Owning my Voice and Speaking my Truth in Academic Spaces.

The presentation is Thursday, Feb. 29, 7 p.m., at the Sandman Signature Lodge.

Dixon says that while ULethbridge values its liberal education focus where individuals are expected to foster free inquiry and the critical interpretation of ideas, like many institutions, this expectation is not always translated into transformative and tangible actions.

“My goal for this talk is to identify a strong theoretical framework for us to have meaningful discourse around non-performative actions in higher education so that more voices and experiences can be valued and heard,” she says.

“By taking an action-oriented, accountable stance, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and by extension the broader community, will learn about the importance of championing equity, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) initiatives that dismantle social injustices instead of embracing a performative allyship position that fails to take a stand against anti-racism and other forms of “isms” in our society.”

Dixon’s research encompasses culturally adapted counselling practices amongst minoritized groups, cultural identity reconstruction and ethno-cultural diversity issues. She has received several awards for her excellence in research, including the 2023 Psychologists’ Association of Alberta Excellence in Teaching Psychology Award, the EDI Scholar Award at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge (2021-2022), and the 2022 People’s Choice Award by the Alberta Black Therapists Network.

This is the fifth of the six-part PUBlic Professor Series of talks. Initiated in 2014, the monthly lecture series is designed to spark thought-provoking discussions and bring a diverse group of experts and researchers from the ULethbridge campus right into the community.

Check out the PUBlic Professor Series web page for the 2023/24 talk schedule, to register for priority seating or to join the series mailing list. View this advance video that discusses the upcoming presentation.

U of L names its first Equity, Diversity and Inclusion scholars

caroline.zentner — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 21:10:30 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is proud to announce the first recipients of its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Scholars program, Drs. Glenda Bonifacio, Sandra Dixon and Roy Golsteyn (BASc (BSc) '84).

The program was established in 2021 and is designed to acknowledge and support individuals involved in EDI work at the scholarly level. The scholars will be engaging in projects that advance the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s EDI priorities and, when completed, share the information with the broader campus community.

“We are so pleased to recognize these exceptional scholars and assist them in their EDI work,” says Martha Mathurin-Moe, the U of L’s EDI executive director. “The projects they will undertake demonstrate a breadth of EDI work that will benefit the entire campus community.”

Bonifacio (women and gender studies) plans to examine equity in international graduate students’ education and training at the U of L. She will analyze current policies, practices and training to determine the gaps that may exist for international graduate students from different faculties. In addition, her project will explore the outcomes of these gaps in policy and practice and recommend strategies to create a more integrated equity framework for international graduate students.

“Equity in international graduate education and training at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is a critical point of enquiry as a comprehensive university,” says Bonifacio. “I seek to examine equity towards international graduate students as a thrust in governance, administration, support and programming. In addition, I will explore gaps in policy and practice across faculties, perceived outcomes through student consultations and create a pilot EDI training module. I will also offer recommendations for a more integrated equity framework.”

Dixon’s (education) project is designed to support the presence of new voices on campus and beyond and to link the U of L’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion within academic work of all kinds.

“As an EDI scholar, the project I am undertaking aims to shed light on the lived experiences of women in the academy who self-identify as Black, Indigenous and Women of Colour (BIWOC),” says Dixon. “Given our current national and international socio-political milieu, I strongly believe this work is warranted and timely. This award will afford me the opportunity to create a culturally safe space for racialized women — who are often silenced, dismissed, excluded, underrepresented, misrepresented, and/or misunderstood in the academic discourse — to share their stories.”

Golsteyn’s (biological sciences) project, called EDI Pharm, will help students connect scientific and

traditional knowledge into their view of nature. His goals include formalizing a research program for Indigenous students that uses Blackfoot plant names and standard scientific approaches in equal measure. He also plans to build awareness of the program by reaching out to youth in southern Alberta.

“Through our research on the chemicals from plants in the Prairie to Pharmacy Program, we have learned that our classical scientific approach provides an incomplete view,” says Golsteyn. “There are other ways to view our natural world that cannot be taken; they must be offered, earned and shared. My research laboratory embraces this approach of investigating nature and I’m working to ensure it’s sustainable and accessible to all U of L students.”

UNews - Sandra Dixon

PUBlic Professor Series talk examines inequity of representation with Dr. Sandra Dixon

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U of L names its first Equity, Diversity and Inclusion scholars

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