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Sherlene Ayala
Senior Director, Student Success and Educator Excellence, Center for Student Success and Educator Excellence, College for Education and Engaged Learning
- Office:
- University Hall 3119A
- Email:
- ayalas@montclair.edu
- Phone:
- 973-655-7635
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Specialization
Academic Affairs and Student Affairs administration with a focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Links
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Research Projects
Carrying the Weight : The Racialized Labor of Multicultural Center Directors of Color in Higher Education
Citation
Ayala, Sherlene Iris, "Carrying the Weight : The Racialized Labor of Multicultural Center Directors of Color in Higher Education" (2023). Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects. 1289.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd/1289
Abstract
Race-based cultural centers (e.g., Black Cultural Centers) were established on college campuses in the 1960s in response to the neglect experienced by Black students (Chessman & Wayt, 2016; Gorski, 2019; Gorski & Chen, 2015; Hurtado et al., 1998; Joseph & Hirshfield, 2011; Smith, 2008). During the multiculturalism movement of the 1980s, some institutions eliminated race- based cultural centers and established Minority Student Services (MSS) to support all historically marginalized students under a centralized center (Patton, 2011; Patton & Hannon, 2008). Since the establishment of these cultural centers, scholars reported that directors experienced institutional roadblocks (e.g., lack of funding) and resistance from faculty, staff, and students (Harris & Patton, 2017; Hypolite, 2022a; Jenkins, 2016; Marcy, 2004; Patton et al., 2019; Reid & Ebede, 2018; Stewart & Bridges, 2011). However, the presented scholarship continued to focus on single race-based cultural centers. Therefore, the goal of this dissertation study was to understand the lived experiences of multicultural center directors of color. A total of 16 multicultural centers directors completed interviews, and data were analyzed through Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Theory of Racial Tasks (TRT). Findings suggest that multicultural center directors of color are hired by institutions of higher education to carry out racial tasks. As a result, employee inequities in higher education remain. Implications for counselor education programs, senior administrators, and researchers are provided.
Mitigating the “powder keg”: The experiences of faculty of color teaching multicultural competence.
Citation
Ahluwalia, M. K., Ayala, S. I., Locke, A. F., & Nadrich, T. (2019). Mitigating the “powder keg”: The experiences of faculty of color teaching multicultural competence. Teaching of Psychology, 46(3), 187–196. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628319848864
Abstract
Teaching multicultural competence is a unique experience. Little is known, however, about the experiences of faculty of color teaching multicultural competence. In this phenomenological study, semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 faculty of color to explore their experiences teaching multicultural competence in counseling graduate programs and in the context of their universities. Five themes emerged including (1) dual threads of multicultural competence, (2) the most marginalized teach about diversity, (3) faculty of color go above and beyond (content) instruction, (4) challenges and benefits of teaching diversity courses, and (5) the impact of systems is powerful. These findings suggest that faculty of color experience teaching multicultural competence differently than their White counterparts and that these experiences have personal (e.g., burnout) and professional implications (e.g., tenure and promotion). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
Copyright
Holder: The Author(s)
Year: 2019