Grand Rapids Community College held its third and final forum on May 6 for the Vice President for People, Culture and Equity position with finalist Brian Davis who shared his view on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and the theories within these programs.
All three candidates were given a prompt that stated, ”What is your vision for substantive transformation and expansion at GRCC around creating an inclusive culture, equity and belonging.” Davis opened his forum by focusing on the word “transformation” and how that plays a role in education and why he was drawn to GRCC.
“As you (faculty and educators) do curriculum development, we look at student outcomes and we look at what are students are expected to do,” Davis said. “…and what drew me to this position was the vision statement that you have here at GRCC.”
Davis currently serves as an educational consultant with the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators and co-leads the Horizon Leadership Academy program. He has 13 years of experience in the K-12 as the former Superintendent of Holland Public Schools.
He described his life growing up in a small rural and predominantly white community and that as a “white cis male,” he needed to have a better understanding of the discrimination against minority groups. He later explained how an individual’s background and experiences shape how they interact with the community around them.
“…We begin to understand our social identities and who we are from an individual perspective, a little about who I was and my background in sharing that, that’s our values and belief systems, our feelings, how we were raised, our lived experiences,” Davis said. “They shaped my identity in who I am and how I learned to interact with others. Once I do that, I can begin to interface with others across the community and have those interpersonal relationships.”
When talking about the current state of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs across the country, Davis talked about the increasing restriction on books and curriculums and told a story of two superintendents who were fired after the community pushed back on DEI work.
“I think you protect the work of DEI offices by demonstration of the change that comes as a result of it,” Davis explained when asked about protecting DEI offices and programs. “…How are we going to collect data, interim benchmarks over time that demonstrate growth on what students feel in terms of a sense of belonging, what faculty feels as a sense of belonging, how individuals feel represented…So I think being able to demonstrate any position is based upon the results that come from that and being able to focus on the outcomes is going to be very important.”
Sophia Brewer, a librarian for GRCC’s Learning Resource Center, asked Davis to speak on policies that he had created rather than ask questions and talk about the theory of DEI.
“Throughout your presentation and even in answering questions, a lot of what I’m hearing is theory (and) more questions about what the problem is,” Brewer said. “…So I would like to hear more about what you’ve created, more about what you could do and far less questions because we have plenty of questions.”
Davis shared a curriculum that he helped develop for the Horizon Leadership Academy, which is an alternative pathway program to help students with a master’s degree receive a central office endorsement or administrator certificate instead of pursuing a doctorate.
While Davis explained that the curriculum was developed around intersectionality and microaggressions within the classroom, he didn’t explain the results of how this program benefited the institution.
After the question portion of the forum ended, Davis asked the room what the Vice President for People, Culture and Equity position meant to them. When no one came forward, Brewer explained that part of this silence is a bigger issue in GRCC’s community and restated her.
“I believe GRCC has tremendous potential,” Brewer said. “That’s why I was looking for results, what have you done and what have been the results? Because I’m tired of talk, I’m tired of people who come in and say they know what to do and know how to do it and have all the questions in the world, but what we need is action…You asked a great question, it is just that we haven’t seen it done yet.”
This position is part of GRCC’s President Charles Lepper’s plan to have more direct DEI roles on campus. The first is the Director of Woodrick Center of Inclusion and Multicultural Affairs, which is more focused on student affairs and the Vice President for People, Culture and Equity position will oversee human resources and work directly with Lepper.
Davis was one of three candidates along with Marsha Lindsay and Nygil Likely. Lepper said he hopes to have this role filled sometime in early June.
