Engaging Faculty in Group-Level Change for Institutional Transformation

J. Kasi Jackson, Ph.D. Director, WVU ADVANCE Center; Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies. Sharing information and resources, Kasi nudges the WVU ADVANCE Team out of their comfort zone and into action. Amena O. Anderson, Ph.D. Assistant Director/Assistant Professor, WVU ADVANCE Center. Amena brings a critical higher education leadership perspective to the Team and guides equity-promoting professional development opportunities. Lisa M. Dilks, Ph.D. Director of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Professor, Sociology. Lisa, utility player extraordinaire, translates data into formats that help the Team measure the impact of their work. Maja Husar Holmes, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Public Administration. Maja’s expertise in organizational facilitation shaped the Team’s initial work. An integrationist, Maja glues the Team to their core principles and emphasizes action. Christine E. Kunkle, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Communication Studies. Christy’s magnetic approach to engaging with people and ideas and her scholarship on intergroup communication drive the successes of the Team. James J. Nolan, Ph.D. Professor and Chair, Sociology. Jim’s scholarship generates change in individuals and groups. Showing empathy, listening intently, and enriching others are at Jim’s heart. Melissa Latimer, Ph.D. Associate Provost, Faculty Development and Culture; Professor, Sociology. Melissa is a Jedi Master Team Builder. As a listening leader, Melissa synthesizes every members’ contributions. Additional Contributors Malayna Bernstein, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Director, Learning Hub, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. Powerful and empowering, Malayna collaboratively designed and facilitated the Change Agent Course for faculty and staff. Susana Mazuelas Quirce, Ph.D. Education Senior Research Analyst. With a holistic and human approach to solving educational challenges, Susana combines practical intelligence with a systematic skill at finding information. Presha E. Neidermeyer, Ph.D. Professor, WVU, Business and Economics. Presha brings a feminist leadership perspective to the Team. Presha is compassionate, practical, and amplifies the Team’s value.

Introduction: The WVU ADVANCE Team—Harnessing Group Energy Part I: Centering Group-Level Processes to Drive Institutional Transformation in Higher Education 1. Centering Group-Level Change Processes: An Elixir for Dual Agenda and Intersectional Approaches 2. Group Psycho-Emotional Dynamics as Central to Effective Institutional Change: Connecting Individual and Whole-Institution Approaches 3. Group Psycho-Emotional Dynamics within Academic Departments: The Structure, Process, and Impact of Dialogues™ Part II: Two Models for Group-Level Change: Dialogues and the Change Agent Course 4. Experience of Dialogues™: Facilitator and Participant Responses to Implementing the Theory of Change 5. Application and Adaptation of Dialogues™ in Various Group Psycho-Emotional Dynamic Contexts 6. The Academic Change Agent Course: A Transforming Initiative 7. Cognitive Learning Moved to Affective Action: Academic Change Agent Identity as an Outcome of the Change Agent Course Part III: The Route Forward to Achieve Institutional Transformation 8. Dialogues™ and the Change Agent Course in Concert: Transferability of Change Models 9. Dialogues™ and the Change Agent Course as Sensemaking Projects: Applications in Three Contexts 10. Types of Change Processes: Reimagining and Transforming the Academy Conclusion: Moving Forward with Hope