In this interactive keynote, Dr. Sumun L. Pendakur (Sumi) will dive into a multi-part framework for the way we approach our work, as educators and as designers of the learning environment. Blending story and skill-building, the talk explores the possibilities of imagining and taking action, in ways that transform practices and the experiences of students, faculty, and staff, inside and outside the classroom:
- Transforming practices in practically strategic ways to more radically center equity-mindedness, to confront deficit-minded thinking about students, and to integrate more intentional self-examination, in order to counter blind spots that impact teaching and advising.
- Transforming the educational journeys of those who experience minoritization and marginalization so that their needs, experiences, and assets are centered; leveling the inequitable playing field of higher education in every way we can; removing unnecessary barriers and obstacles to full inclusion and student success.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Pendakur serves as the Chief Learning Officer and Director of the USC Equity Institutes at the USC Race and Equity Center, dedicated to advancing racial justice in higher education and other sectors. Sumi held roles as the Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Harvey Mudd College and as the Director for USC Asian Pacific American Student Services.
The body of her work focuses on helping campuses, non-profits, and other organizations build capacity for social justice and racial equity. Sumi is a scholar-practitioner, whose research interests and publications focus on Critical Race Theory, Asian American and Pacific Islander students, change agents, and institutional transformation. She is also the co-editor of Student Engagement in Higher Education: Theoretical Perspectives and Practical Approaches for Diverse Populations (3rd edition) (2019).
She has held leadership positions in the professional associations for her field and presented her original research at NASPA, ACPA, NADOHE, NCORE, and ASHE. Sumi was recently re-appointed to the Board of Directors for NADOHE, the national chief diversity officers' organization. She has served as Faculty Coach for the AAC&U’s TIDES (Teaching to Increase Diversity and Equity in STEM) Institute.
Dr. Pendakur was named one of the top 35 women in higher education in 2019 by “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education" magazine.
