teachingincolor's podcast Chavella Pittman

At the start of every term, like a lot of faculty of color, I have a feeling of dread. But this past July, I decided to do something different, and I had the calmest start of term of my entire academic career. I want to share my secrets with you in this episode so you too can develop a strategy for a better start of the term. I encourage you to listen right to the end, because I share something that may surprise you (not to mention the juicy bit about my boyfriend I drop in the middle!)
 
Need some additional resources on why it’s so important to develop a better strategy to start your term?
The Overlooked Minefield
https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2021/04/16/teaching-issues-can-be-among-biggest-obstacles-retaining-bipoc-women-faculty
 
Workplace stress and discrimination effects on the physical and depressive symptoms of underrepresented minority faculty
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32926523/ 
 
Want more info on retaining faculty of color? Diversity/Inclusion in Teaching? Sign up here. 
 
And lastly - I am serious---reach out via email (chavella@effectivefaculty.org) or set up a time to chat to put together a plan for a smoother start for your academic term.
 

Mistakes Universities Make When Trying to Retain Black Faculty: Part Four
In this series, we are going to talk about the mistakes universities make when they are trying to retain Black faculty; why it matter (especially now); and what you can do right now (as in today) to change it.



Part Four
In the fourth and final episode of this series (you can listen to part one here) I talk about the fourth big mistake that campuses are making that is driving away their Black faculty. This one is really rant-worthy. 
I’ll talk about how institutions can avoid this mistake, and an important resource – see below – to help BIPOC faculty deal with the problem in the meantime.
 
Please contact me if you need support at your campus – chavella@effectivefaculty.org
 
I hope you enjoy this series. Please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

Mistakes Universities Make When Trying to Retain Black Faculty: Part Three
In this series, we are going to talk about the mistakes universities make when they are trying to retain Black faculty; why it matters (especially now); and what you can do right now (as in today) to change it.



Part Three
In the third episode of this series (you can listen to part one here) I talk about the third big mistake that campuses are making that is driving away their Black faculty. It happens right at hiring, and it immediately communicates that we are going to have to face challenges without institutional support.  
I’ll talk about how BIPOC faculty can deal with this mistake, and how allies and administrators can deal with (and prevent) this mistake.
 
Please contact me if you need support at your campus – chavella@effectivefaculty.org
 
I hope you enjoy this series. Please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

Mistakes Universities Make When Trying to Retain Black Faculty: Part Two
In this series, we are going to talk about the mistakes universities make when they are trying to retain Black faculty; why it matter (especially now); and what you can do right now (as in today) to change it.
 
 
Part Two
In the second episode of this series (you can listen to part one here) I talk about the second big mistake that campuses are making that is driving away their Black faculty. And it’s something that only surprises allies – Black faculty, you’ll be nodding your head the entire time.
I’ll talk about what the problem is, why it is a problem, and what you can do about it. I’ll also talk about a recent high profile example of failing to retain Black faculty, and how it plays out on campuses every day.
Please contact me if you need support at your campus – chavella@effectivefaculty.org
 
I hope you enjoy this series. Please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

In this series, we are going to talk about the mistakes universities make when they are trying to retain Black faculty; why it matter (especially now); and what you can do right now (as in today) to change it.
 
Part one
We are exhausted, we are over it. Campuses say they are down for doing antiracism work, but they are ignoring a large part of the problem. Let’s discuss how institutions are ignoring an important part of campus climate and work life for diverse faculty and it is costing them exceptional faculty
 
Please contact me if you need support at your campus – chavella@effectivefaculty.org
 
I hope you enjoy this series. Please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

In the third and final part of my interview with a successful woman of color humanities professor, we continue our discussion about the disconnect between the stated intent of campuses to deal with anti-Blackness, and their treatment of their own Black faculty, as well as about finding hope and solutions to make the situation a little more bearable. 
 
Finding hope
We are finding strategies to keep moving forward to be successful. But this will also hopefully help people know that they aren’t alone and inspire them to push forward, or also leave institutions when necessary. 
Trusting yourself. Leaning on the community and stand on the other shoulders that exist. Helping other women of color avoid the same barriers, because I have already done that.
How do you find community?
There can be guilt and shame in sharing so you can build community – you have to be vulnerable and risk telling people what is happening for you.
It’s also important to acknowledge that hope is not required in this moment and there is no need to fake it. Having community to commiserate with is enough sometimes. 
Research says people are leaving because of things related to teaching. Allies – listen: we are leaving because of hostile climates around teaching, regardless of scholarly productivity.
It is important to remember that it is empowering that institutions have shown their hands – you now have some of the unwritten rules, and you can tell someone else those unwritten rules. 
Additional resources:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/10/21/scholars-talk-about-being-black-campus-2020
I hope you have enjoyed this three part series. If you missed any of the episodes, please check them out at https://teachingincolor.libsyn.com/. Stay tuned for our next episode of Teaching in Color!
 
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