Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the following members of the GMercyU conference planning committee :
• Jaimie Bowen , Associate Professor and Program Director , Master Teacher and Special Education
• Desiree ’ Caldwell , Assistant Professor , Master Teacher Program
• Tatiana Diaz , Assistant Vice President for Diversity Equity , & Inclusion
• Carol Etlen , Associate Professor and Program Director , Masters in Education Administration and founder of the Diversity , Equity , and Inclusion in Education conference
• SoYoung Kang , Coordinator , Center for Teaching and Learning
• Peggy Rosario , Assistant Professor , Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and conference chair
• Maria Warnick , Assistant Professor , Public Health Program
This conference would not be possible without the support of the following :
• Mary Sortino , Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs for providing funding support .
• William DeBuono , Administrative Assistant , School of Business and Education for providing administrative support .
• GMercyU Marketing team for their assistance in promoting the conference .
• GMercyU IT team for providing technical oversight for the Zoom sessions and recordings .
Statement on Diversity , Equity & Inclusion ( DEI )
Gwynedd Mercy University ’ s core values of integrity in word and deed , respect for the dignity of all people , service to society , and social justice in a diverse world , place inclusive excellence at the center of our daily work and relationships as a Catholic , Mercy university . Inclusive excellence recognizes that to advance our mission successfully , we must value , engage , and include the rich diversity of all the members of our community .
In seeking to live this commitment faithfully , we must first acknowledge how we are continuously influenced by the collective history of systemic inequity in society at large , despite our commitment to inclusivity . We must learn from our failures and build upon our successes to work toward a more inclusive institution that is rooted in Mercy .
To achieve this , our community must meaningfully internalize this work of transformation ; it will require all to engage in collaborative implementation that strategically integrates inclusion and radical mercy into the curriculum , co-curriculum , administrative structures , practices , decision-making , and culture .
Land Acknowledgment
We recognize and acknowledge that Gwynedd Mercy University stands on the Indigenous territory known as “ Lenapehoking ,” the traditional homelands of the Lenape , also called Lenni-Lenape or Delaware Indians . These are the people who , during the 1680s , negotiated with William Penn to facilitate the founding of the colony of Pennsylvania . Their descendants today include the Delaware Tribe and Delaware Nation of Oklahoma ; the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape , Ramapough Lenape , and Powhatan Renape of New Jersey ; and the Munsee Delaware of Ontario .
Consistent with the University ’ s commitment to Diversity , Equity & Inclusion , we will continue to develop our understanding of the historical and current experiences of all Native peoples .