COMMITTEE ON MULTICULTURAL CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Notes from Meeting of
21 September 2010
The first meeting of the committee on multicultural curriculum transformation was held on
Tuesday, 21 September 2010, at 10:00 a.m. in Altgeld 203.
Attendance
Amy Levin, Virginia Cassidy, Michael Gonzales, Devaki Rau, Barbara Johnson, Liping Guo,
Jane Rose Njue, Robin Moremen, William Goldenberg, Judy Santacaterina, and Connie Fox.
Announcements
Dr. Gonzales and Dr. Levin announced that Sandra Cisneros will be speaking at NIU on October
6th, 2010. This event is sponsored by a number of campus organizations, including the Latino
Resource Center, the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, Women’s Studies, the
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and the Provost’s Office. Dr. Gonzales also informed the
committee about the Lincoln Lecture sponsored by the history department. Professor Ramon
Gutierrez from the University of Chicago will be speaking on "Thinking About Race in a PostRacial America: From Plessy v. Ferguson to Barack Obama," on October 28, 2010, at 7 p.m., in
Altgeld Auditorium. Both of these events will be posted on the announcement page of the MCT
website.
Dr. Moremen notified the committee that she is leaving on sabbatical for the Spring 2011
semester. She still wants to participate in the institute, but wondered if a different representative
should take her place on the committee during the spring semester. As a whole, the committee
agreed that it would be better for Dr. Moremen to remain on the committee and attend meetings
when she is available so that she will be prepared to take part in the institute. Dr. Gonzales also
informed the committee that he is on sabbatical for the Spring 2011 semeste, but his plans still
need to be finalized. He also expressed a desire to participate in the institute in May.
Minutes
The minutes from April 20, 2010 were approved with no changes.
Institute Planning
Levin described the summer institute for new members on the committee. The institute will be
held from May 16-20 from 9-4pm each day. Activities include workshops, presentations, and
small group discussions which are usually led by CMCT members. Each participant also creates
or revises a course to include multicultural content. The institute is open to all faculty members,
instructors, and instructional SPS staff, and it is offered every other year. A $1,000 stipend is
offered to participants not on 12 month contracts once the institute is over and presentations have
been given.
The committee discussed the selection of a keynote speaker for the institute. Dr. Moremen
shared with the group the list of potential candidates drafted in the April meeting. The
committee agreed that E. Ethelbert Miller and Ruby Payne should be removed from the list of
potential candidates. Dr. Moremen suggested that Tim Wise be considered as an option.
Ultimately, the committee decided to ask Maurianne Adams to be the keynote speaker for the
2011 MCT Institute. Barbara Love was chosen to be the back-up speaker if Maurianne Adams is
unable to attend.
The importance and need for assessment of the institute was discussed, as the Provost is eager to
see assessment results. The designated sub-groups from last year are to e-mail the graduate
assistant the final versions of their assessment protocols. Implementation of the assessment
measures will be a topic of discussion at the next meeting.
Levin talked about different ways to promote MCTI and generate interest in multiculturalism,
especially during the off years when the institute is not being held. Ideas proposed by Levin and
other committee members included:
-Bringing in a speaker during off years
-Offering an institute that meets at regular intervals during the academic year
-Creating a book by collecting transformed syllabi, as well as having former keynote
speakers submit essays
-Establishing a forum for small groups in order to share what participants have done to
transform their courses since the institute
-Encouraging participants to present to/inform their departments about the courses they
have transformed
-Post a video of fall presentations online
-Start a blog to share reflections on the institute
Finally, Dr. Levin stressed the importance of staying up to date on multicultural theory. The
institute itself is based on theories of multiculturalism that were popular in the mid-1990s;
nevertheless, it is important for committee members to be familiar with current thinking,
especially if they present at the institute. All committee members are therefore encouraged to
send Dr. Levin references for or articles on multiculturalism they have read in the last two years.
These materials will be shared on Blackboard as part of the effort to keep committee members
current on multicultural issues.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 a.m. The next meeting is scheduled for 19 October, 2010
from 10:00-11:30 in Altgeld 203.