DEI Common Read Kick-Off Recording Now Available

Did you miss the DEI Common Read Kick Off Webinar last week? The video is now available! Go to http://nvcc.hosted.panopto.com/ and click “Panopto.” Log in with your MyNOVA credentials and search “DEI.”

Hosted by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Student Life and the Library Council, the inaugural DEI Common Read is Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Watch the video to learn more about why this book was chosen and how all of NOVA can be involved in this activity.

Research shows that a common read within an organization is a high-impact practice that directly contributes to a sense of belonging for students, and also have a positive outcome for faculty and staff, too (Boff et.al, 2007; Ferguson, et.al, 2018; Nadelson & Nadelson, 2012; Strayhorn, 2012). Notice a familiar name in that citation? Terrell Strayhorn includes an endorsement of common reads in his book on sense of belonging for college students. Go to your campus library, fill out a quick survey and get your free copy of Just Mercy today!

Thanks to the invaluable prowess of Dr. Kim Grewe (NOVA Online, Instructional Designer/Professor), faculty and staff have access to a DEI Common Read Canvas Course chock full of resources like discussion guides, interview clips and lesson plans all organized by NOVA disciplines (swoon!).

Find the self-enroll link for faculty/staff here. 

After you self-enroll, go to the “Start Here” module that includes helpful links to begin, such as:

• Reading guide with dates, chapters and timeframes for readings (if you start the first week of September and follow the guide, you will finish before finals!)
• Processing Spaces calendar (facilitated by Sherrene DeLong from the Office of DEI and Erica Phillips from the Office of Wellness and Mental Health)
• FAQs about the DEI Common Read

We encourage NOVA faculty to use the DEI Common Read in your courses in whatever way you see fit over the course of the fall and spring semesters. Participation is totally optional.

Want to contribute to sense of belonging here at NOVA? This is one practical step you can take to pursue belonging for yourself and others in our community. If you have questions, or are interested in hosting a discussion group on your campus or online, please contact Sherrene DeLong (sdelong@nvcc.edu).

Submitted by:
Sherrene DeLong, DEI-Events Coordinator, SDeLong@nvcc.edu