The Inclusive Excellence Summit provides a space for staff, faculty and student leaders to be in community and conversation on key DEI topics, institutional priorities, and concrete strategies, tools and resources for everyone to play a part in maintaining progress toward our shared goals.
Award-winning investigative reporter who covers civil rights and racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine and the Knight Chair in Race and Journalism at Howard University where she is the founding director of the Center for Journalism & Democracy.
Learn MoreThe Unearthing Towson’s History Project is an interdisciplinary collaborative effort that centers students as researchers and interpreters and connects alumni and the wider community to the university. Inspired by efforts at other American colleges and universities to come to terms with a legacy of racial inequality in American high education, a team of Towson University researchers has begun a multi-year project to investigate and publicize this institution’s exclusionist past and its ongoing efforts to diversify. The project is a collaboration between the Albert S. Cook Library Special Collections and University Archives, the Department of History, and the Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity with the support of the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost. Unearthing Towson's History Project is a member of the Universities Studying Slavery.
This session will focus on how the power of investigative journalism requires foundational argumentation skills to help uncover the hidden truths to amplify voices often left out of dominant narratives. These outcomes impact how the public receives and interacts with the information, which creates public discourse that seeps into interpersonal relations. This session will highlight how journalists like Nikole Hannah-Jones use storytelling to challenge systems of inequality, elevate marginalized perspectives, and hold institutions accountable. Throughout this session, attendees can expect to get theoretical understandings of how to engage in investigative journalism, apply these approaches pragmatically through confronting the truth via debates, and then explore the meaning despite opposition.
Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and the Director of the Public Communication Center (PCC).
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Director of Debate and Lecturer in the Department of Communication Studies
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Chair and Professor in the Department of Mass Communicatons
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The Economic Impact of Recent Executive Orders on DEI
Executive orders on diversity, equity, and inclusion have far-reaching effects on education, employment, and business practices. This session will unpack the economic implications of recent federal directives, including their influence on workforce development, funding streams, and organizational strategy. Participants will engage in dialogue on how institutions can adapt while maintaining their commitment to equity and inclusion.
This interactive session uses experiential activities and equity-focused games to spark conversation about bias, privilege, and systemic inequities. By “playing” through real-world scenarios, participants will gain new insights into the complexities of diversity and inclusion work. The session emphasizes collaboration, reflection, and practical strategies for applying lessons learned to everyday contexts.
Coordinator for Bias Education and Advocacy in the Office of Inclusive Excellence Education and Support
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Viewpoint diversity is described as the mutual tolerance of differing perspectives, which is argued to enrich intellectual communities by preventing groupthink and stagnation, while promoting progress and innovation. This concept is often discussed in academia and business and is seen by proponents as vital for intellectual progress, innovation, and a better understanding of complex issues.
Program Graduate Director of Instructional Leadership and Professional Development
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