Lessons from the Past: Dr. D-L Stewart Presents at Annual Cynthia Senn Johnson Institute
Every year, the College of Education’s Educational Leadership Department hosts the Cynthia Senn Johnson Institute. This fall semester, the event was highlighted with a keynote presentation delivered by Dr. D-L Stewart, Professor in the School of Education at Colorado State University. Dr. Stewart’s address, “A Call to Action: Changing Demographics and Inclusive Learning in Higher Education” focused on learning from the past in order to provide context and frame our future decisions. By examining the experiences of Black collegians between 1945 and 1965, the presentation demonstrated how colleges and universities were unprepared for minoritized students then, and remain unprepared for them now. Lessons from Dr. Stewart’s study were shared, highlighting the importance of how practitioners must examine how others are being structurally and systematically excluded, and the need to reimagine those structures.
Though this event convened in a virtual modality this year, engagement was a critical part of the day with small breakout discussions facilitated by alumni and current students in the Student Development in Higher Education program.
In addition to serving as Professor in the School of Education at Colorado State, Dr. Stewart also serves as Co-Coordinator of Student Affairs in Higher Education, Co-Director of CSU Initiatives for the Race and Intersectional Studies for Educational Equity (RISE) Center, and is affiliated faculty in the Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research, also at CSU.
The Cynthia Senn Johnson Endowment, which supports this annual event, promotes progressive social change in higher education by nurturing a community of scholar practitioners, providing them with opportunities to reflect on their practice, and engage with colleagues who are committed to advancing student access, equity, and success for first-generation students and those from under-resourced communities across a diverse, multicultural landscape.
