Twenty-five Clemson University employees became the first to earn the Division of Inclusion and Equity’s Strategic Inclusive Excellence Certificate (SIEC) during a ceremony at the Madren Conference Center and Inn on October 19. The SIEC program was created to help faculty, staff and graduate students develop the skills needed to advance Clemson’s equity, diversity and inclusion.
“Due to COVID, it took almost two years for the first cohort to complete all of the modules for our inaugural Strategic Inclusive Excellence Certificate,” said Lee Gill, chief Inclusion officer and special assistant to the president for inclusive excellence. “These 25 individuals demonstrated a considerable determination to gain new insights into the importance of inclusive excellence at Clemson. The learning outcomes also provided an awareness of the richness of our differences and the strengths of our commonalities. We salute Clemson’s newest ambassadors as we all continue to work together, making Clemson University a better place.”
The SIEC program is part of a long-term plan recommended by the history task force and adopted by Clemson’s Board of Trustees in 2016 to develop a comprehensive set of actionable recommendations for how the University can better tell its complete history in a way that is “forthcoming, accurate and beneficial.”
The program supports the University’s strategic plan and is based on the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) guiding principles for access, student success and high-quality learning.
The first employees to receive the SIEC are:
Kristin Goodenow CBSHS
Rooksie Noorai Biological Sciences
Denise Boyter Application Services
Ann Marie Alexander Corporate Partners & Strategic Initiatives
Brad Jones Biological Sciences
Dorothy Canfield Application Services
Anna Lee McTeer Biological Sciences
Aaron Bunch Wildlife and Fish Biology
Shauna Hines-Farmer Cooperative Education
Claire Dancz Watt Family Innovation Center
Susan McKenzie Reeves Watt Family Innovation Center
Holly Vaughan University Housing
Tara Weekes Clemson University Libraries
McKenzie McNamara Student Health Center
Darlene K. Fink Application Services
Jessica L. Serrao Clemson University Libraries
Cierra Townson Counselor Education
Jessica Owens Academic Success Center
Laura Love Biological Sciences
Marjorie Campbell CCIT Internal Operations
Rebecca Nelms CCIT Internal Operations
Angel Perkins formerly with South Carolina Botanical Gardens
Kimberly Williams CCIT Customer Support
Chrystal Everson CCIT Internal Operations
Kim Carter Gantt Multicultural Center
More about the University’s Strategic Inclusive Excellence Certificate (SIEC)
The SIEC is based on academic research in organizational leadership development, behavioral and social sciences and education. The interactive curriculum features real-life best practices from various organizations and uses case studies, videos, personal reflections, scenario analyses and group discussions.
The workshops give participants the opportunity to:
- explore their backgrounds, identities and cultures,
- earn foundational concepts related to diversity, equity and inclusion,
- identify equitable practices and policies to promote success for all students, faculty and staff, and
- build interdisciplinary relationships to enhance inclusive excellence.
The SIEC is a three-semester experience. The certificate requirements for entering participants are:
- Semester One: 101 Core Workshop and three Elective Workshops
- Semester Two: 201 Core Workshop, two Elective Workshops and one Elective Experience
- Semester Three: 301 Core Workshop, two Elective Experiences and Capstone Campus Action Project
Interested?
Faculty, staff and graduate students interested in earning the SIEC can register through Tiger Training.