Speaker Information:
Dian Squire
Part of the Dean's Diversity Lecture Series.
In a neoliberal era with heightened racial tension, universities must examine the ways that they not only include communities of color, but fundamentally reshape their organizations to support the holistic learning and development of that growing racial campus diversity. In the wake of material instances of white supremacy, it is no longer
acceptable to provide statements of support, minor policy changes, or conduct another campus climate survey. The evidence is clear; U.S. colleges and universities are built upon historical roots of racism and white supremacist normativity and they need to be changed. Through the exploration of three frameworks, Dr. Dian Squire will help students, faculty, and staff work toward racial justice. Attendees will leave with a “toolbox” to (re)frame the way that they examine 1) current institutional organizations as shaped by their white supremacist histories, 2) international graduate admissions infused with neoracist and neoliberal action, and 3) student, faculty, and staff of color campus activism solidarity as dissolved by white supremacist racial wedge. By exploring the formation of universities and providing two contemporary manifestations
of whitenessy, one can more easily name and deconstruct oppressive systems in order to reconstruct just and liberatory opportunities.
Dian Squire is a visiting assistant professor in the student affairs program.
Prior to starting at Iowa State University, Dian was a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Denver’s Interdisciplinary Research Institute for the Study of (in)Equality (IRISE). Dian’s research focuses on issues of diversity, equity, and justice in higher
education. He particularly focuses on access to graduate education and the
experiences of diverse graduate students. He utilizes organizational perspectives
to help explain individual behavior and experience in order to transform organizational structures to support equity and justice. He also writes on student activism, racial justice, campus institutional change, and critical praxis in student affairs.
Sponsor:
College of Education and OCCRL