Dr. Samuel Museus discusses culturally engaging campus environments at UHWO

Group photo

From left to right: Dr. Samuel Museus, Dr. Manulani Meyer, Sarah Sur, Dr. Melissa Saul and Tiana Henderson.

On July 6, UH West Oʻahu faculty and staff came together to learn about the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) Model from Dr. Samuel Museus, associate professor of higher education and director of the culturally engaging campus environments project at Indiana University. The CECE Model was developed as the result of research on racially diverse populations on college campuses and outlines nine key indicators that characterize campus environments that are positive, engaging, empowering and validating for racially diverse, low-income, international and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and ally students. Museus discussed how

  • education equity – where all students have equal opportunities to thrive
  • a focus on transformation – maximizing the extent where staff and faculty can create the optimum campus environment
  • a common vision – the creation of a concrete vision around which University faculty and staff can mobilize
  • a focus on inquiry and evidence  – understanding the importance of research and assessment in facilitating CECE activities and creating rubrics to use in guiding institutional transformation

are important principles when committing to the creation of a culturally engaging campus environment.

UHWO faculty and staff participated in small group breakout sessions and were asked to brainstorm ways the CECE model could inform work at the University. Dr. Manulani Meyer discussed how creating a culturally engaging campus environment at UH West Oʻahu supports the University’s mission as an indigenous-serving institution. She emphasized Auamo Kuleana, “collective transformation through individual excellence,” and how all faculty and staff may move forward together to achieve transformation.

The workshop was sponsored by the UH West Oʻahu PIKO Project and coordinated by UHWO Library Director Sarah Sur. View more photos on the UHWO flickr page.

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Image courtesy of Julie Funasaki Yuen