Temple University
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership (IDEAL) embodies Temple University's commitment to sustain and nurture a strong inclusive campus community, capitalizing on its demographic diversity to inspire meaningful engagement across identity groups in all their various forms. IDEAL advances its mission through programming, professional development, training, recruitment, advocacy and dialog in collaboration with internal and external partners.  By promoting cross-cultural awareness and understanding, multiculturalism, cultural competency, and community building as well as celebrating difference, Temple affirms the educational value and benefits of diversity, equity, and social justice.

The Intergroup Dialogue, Real Talk Series, provides faculty, administrators, social service professionals, community leaders and activists an opportunity to participate in intergroup dialogues with professionals from the Mid-Atlantic region on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and class. The Intergroup Dialogue Facilitator Training Institute prepares university employees, as well as colleagues from other universities, and outside corporations and organizations, to facilitate intergroup dialogues within their departments, organizations, and institutions. Intergroup dialogues are a means of engaging faculty, administrators and staff in better understanding race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and class. The Certificate in Diversity Leadership is jointly sponsored by IDEAL and the College of Education. The certificate is open to Temple students and employees, as well as outside professionals interested in advancing their knowledge and skills in diversity facilitation. The certificate is comprised of four graduate courses co-taught by Novella Keith, Temple University associate professor of Urban Education, and Charles Rojzman, an internationally known consultant and creator of Transformational Social Therapy (TST). The Transformational Intergroup Race Dialogue facilitates intergroup learning by bringing together a small racially diverse group of individuals to share their thoughts, feelings and emotions about race in the U.S. The dialogue allows participants to better understand race and racial identity on structural and institutional levels, and helps them explore their own racial identity. The Black-Jewish Dialogue facilitates intergroup learning between people of African descent and people who identify as Jewish. While Black and Jewish people share a common history of oppression in the U.S., American racism has limited the formation of viable, long-standing, and continuous alliances. The Transformational Intergroup Gender Dialogue facilitates intergroup learning by bringing together 10-12 men and women to share their thoughts and feelings about gender, sexism, male-female identity and relationships in the U.S, as well as explore their own gender identity. The dialogue helps individuals better understand their own obstacles for teaching, leading and communicating with diverse groups based on gender.

FY2017