COMMITTEE ON MULTICULTURAL CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Notes from Meeting of
16 November 2010
The third meeting of the Committee on Multicultural Curriculum Transformation was held on
Tuesday, November 16, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. in Altgeld 203.
Present
Virginia Cassidy, LaVerne Gyant, Michael Gonzales, Murali Krishnamurthi, Barbra Johnson,
Liping Guo, Elvia Arriola, Robin Moremen, William Goldenberg, Judy Santacaterina, Connie
Fox, and Rachel Stade.
Announcements
Dr. Moremen and Dr. Gonzales reminded the committee that they will be on sabbatical during
the spring 2011 semester.
Minutes
The minutes from October 19, 2010 were approved with no changes.
Institute Planning
The committee began planning and scheduling for the 2011 institute. The themes of workshops
were discussed at length and confirmed. The tentative schedule for the 2011 MCT institute is as
follows:
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Monday
o Welcome
o Student and Faculty demographics
 Demographics of students in addition to faculty demographics will
provide NIU faculty with a nice over view of the campus, in addition to
understanding the demographic trends.
o Student panel
o Small group orientation
o Keynote reception for Dr. Maurianne Adams
Tuesday:
o Keynote speaker presents all day
o Small groups
Wednesday:
o Gender
o Sexual identity
o Disability and physical ability
 Physical ability was added to this panel. It involves body image and how
it impacts student’s learning experiences.
o Small groups
Thursday:
o Race/ethnicity
o Video: Mirrors of Privilege
2
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Dr. Moremen will speak on how she implements this video in her classes
and will share the assignments her students complete to show how this
video can be implemented in the classroom.
o Small groups
Friday:
o Interdisciplinary STEM and underrepresented groups
 The committee discussed the importance of making this panel appealing to
everyone at the institute (business, art, etc).
o Past participants panel
o Pairing of past participants
 This allows the participants an opportunity to share ideas with one another
and identify what they can do in their courses.
o Certificate presentation by Provost
o Institute evaluation
The committee discussed videotaping the institute sessions. Bad lighting in the rooms of the
student center was one main reason why videotaping has stopped, in addition to the fact that
the tapes are never really watched again once the institute is over. The idea of taping Dr.
Adams presentation was suggested if proper lighting was available. Perhaps streaming the
videos online would also help get the word out about MCTI.
The social class panel was eliminated with the hope that it will be integrated into all of the
other panel topics (gender, sexual identity, etc).
In order to encourage more faculty to apply for the institute, the committee discussed sending
the call for participation to all chairs, saying there are only a certain number of slots left, with
the hope that they will encourage faculty to apply before the Dec. 3rd deadline. Also, sending
a personal invitation to the new faculty members at NIU may also encourage them to apply to
the institute.
“Homework” for January’s meeting:
1. Brainstorm list of presenters for each panel in the institute, as well as small group facilitators.
2. E-mail sub goals to the GA, Rachel, and bring them to discuss pre/post assessment.
3. The GA is to send an update e-mail to the committee once all applications for the institute are
submitted.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:22 a.m. The next meeting is scheduled for January 18, 2011,
from 10:00-11:30 in Altgeld 203.