National Building Coalition Institute (NCBI) DEI Training Commences  

NCBI Training.

On January 11, twenty-two members from the Seton Hall community participated in the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) three-day train-the-trainer program, which was sponsored by the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. Members included but were not limited to faculty, staff, and administrators from the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Diplomacy & International Relations, School of Health & Medical Sciences, University Advancement, Office of EEOC & Title IX Compliance, Human Resources, University Libraries, Office of the Provost, and Student Services.  

NCBI is a nationally recognized, award-winning program that earned The Nelson Mandela Award for outstanding international work fighting racism. The U.S. Department of Education has also cited NCBI's work on college campuses as a national "best practice," and awarded it the rating of "excellent" for educational significance, quality, usefulness, and replicability.

The partnership with NCBI aligns with Goal 4 of the University's Strategic Plan, Harvest our Treasures, which aims to further cultivate and nurture a trusting and collaborative Seton Hall community that educates and empowers all its members to advance equity, inclusion, and social justice on campus and in the wider world. The train-the-trainer program affords community members the skills to lead further inclusion and equity initiatives in their areas of the University, exponentially expanding our efforts. 

Goal 4 seeks to cultivate cross-divisional partnerships, improve communication across campus, and help Seton Hall strive to be a more equitable, inclusive, and just community. This goal involves community training and development to increase cultural competency by building strong and effective partnerships and collaboration. 

Dr. Monica Burnette, Vice President of Student Services and co-chair of the DEI Committee, shared, "At Seton Hall, we strive to make sure that diversity, equity, and inclusion is not just a phrase or a checkbox. The NCBI principles of hope, healing, allyship, empowerment, change, and respect resonate with our mission, are committed to the whole person, and are dedicated to the common good while demonstrating empathy, critical self-examination, and positive action. Thank you to Lori Brown, Majid Whitney, Ghana Hylton, and Jennifer Manzella for coordinating this training program." 

Dr. Jonathan Farina, Interim Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Assessment & Professor of English, thanks all these Seton Hall community members for their dedication of time and energy to this important effort: “We know everybody has lots of demands on their time, so we were so happy to have these 22 busy faculty, administrators, and staff dedicate three January days before the semester to creating a more equitable and inclusive campus community. We look forward to supporting their efforts leading workshops and other initiatives across campus.” And, Farina adds, “We encourage everyone to follow the lead of these NCBI participants by participating actively in some of our many campus efforts to promote equity, belonging, social justice, and inclusive teaching. Allies participate."

The DEI Committee encourages you to meet the Seton Hall NCBI trainers and learn more about other DEI initiatives by attending the official opening of the Campus Inclusion and Community Space on Thursday, February 2, at noon. The learning space will promote belonging, collegiality, and collaboration among students, faculty, and staff with shared interests in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus and beyond.

For more information about the DEI Committee, visit the website or email dei@shu.edu. 

Categories: Education