Each year, UD's Center for the Study of Diversity (CSD) offers small grants to support faculty research, analysis and public scholarship projects in a wide range of disciplines, including the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.
April Veness, one of the three 2016 CSD grant recipients, is forming a research partnership with the AAP to study its students' experience with the program and their unique relationship with the University community at large.
Veness, associate professor of geography, which is housed in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, received a research grant for her project “The Importance of Place: A Pilot Project Comparing UD Students' Experiences on the Wilmington, Dover, Georgetown and Newark Campuses.” With this project, Veness aims to examine how location, physical setting, social milieu, place knowledge, and place and people connections shape a student’s college experience on UD’s separate campuses. Current and former AAP students from UD’s four campuses will serve as research liaisons and collaborate with students in Veness’ geography capstone course on the project.
In addition to Veness, two other researchers were awarded grants by the CSD: Lindsay Naylor, assistant professor of geography, for her project titled “Food Geographies and Food Justice: Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in the Newark Food System,” and Lynnette Young Overby, professor of theatre in the College of Arts and Sciences, for her project titled "Arts for Social Change."
By awarding the annual grants, "[T]he center aims to facilitate wider understanding of the social and academic impacts of diversity, and to inform and support diversity practices within our community," said James Jones, director of the CSD.
"In 2016, we sought proposals that are exclusively focused on diversity, equity and inclusion in the context of the University of Delaware, and that support and advance the core values, principles and practices outlined in the 'Inclusive Excellence: Action Plan for Diversity at UD," Jones said.
—Excerpted from UDaily article by Karen B. Roberts; photo by Kathy Atkinson.
