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STAFF KUDOS: Taylor presents at Dream 2021

By Diana Fedinec

Dr. Jacqueline TaylorCongratulations to Dr. Jacqueline Taylor, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Retention & Student Success, who served as a plenary speaker at the virtual “Dream 2021” Achieving the Dream Annual Convening, Feb. 16-19, 2021.

Dr. Taylor’s session, Fostering Teaching & Learning Excellence: Creating Inclusive, Relationship-Rich, Culturally Responsive Learning Experiences for Student Success, highlighted multiple perspectives from theory, research, and practice to document the essential role of relationships between faculty and students in engaging the whole student for learning and success.

Joining Dr. Taylor for her Feb. 17 session were: Dr. Laura Rendón, Professor Emerita at the University of Texas-San Antonio and Dr. Peter Felten, Director of the Center for Engaged Learning, Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning, and Professor of History at Elon University.

“I was honored to serve on the Achieving the Dream Teaching & Learning Plenary and to represent Southwest as an ATD Leader College and recent Bellwether Award winner,” Dr. Taylor said. “It meant so much to me as an educator in higher education to be able to help lead conversations and authentic actions around equity and inclusion and social and economic justice. This is my passion. I am equally excited to help cultivate culturally responsive teaching and learning practices that truly transform students’ lives and our community.”

Dream 2021Dr. Taylor shared her insights on her and fellow Title III Inclusive Design for Equity in Academic Success (IDEAS ) Equity & Inclusion Practitioner program team members’ work to redesign the student experience at Southwest and how IDEAS is helping to close equity and opportunity gaps for students. In October 2018, The U.S. Department of Education awarded the college $2.1 million through the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) to fund the IDEAS program for a five-year period.

For more information about the IDEAS program, contact Dr. Taylor at jstaylor@southwest.tn.edu.