The perceptions of culture and their impacts on the learning process in our community are lacking. Students are not adequately taught the importance of intercultural competencies and cross-cultural communication. Dr. Rhianna Rogers launched the Buffalo Project to analyze where we are, where we are going, and to address these issues. In this episode of TST learn more about how cultural understanding across gender, race, ethnicity, class, and location affects communication.
More About Dr. Rhianna Rogers
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Bio: Dr. Rhianna C. Rogers is an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Coordinator of the Global Indigenous Studies program at SUNY Empire State College. She is an expert in cultural/ethnic studies, intercultural competencies and diversity education, cultural mediation, and virtual exchange programmatic development and implementation. Dr. Rogers is the Principal Investigator (PI) of SPEC/Buffalo Project, a grant-funded and award-winning, comprehensive, action-based diversity program focused on upskilling populations to inform solution-making efforts in college and community environments (2010-present). She was the Ernest Boyer Presidential Fellow at the Rockefeller Institute of Government - Center for Law and Policy Solutions (2019-2020), a Stevens Initiative/COIL Visiting Professor of Anthropology at the American University of Technology in Kaslik, Lebanon (2017-2018), and served two terms as the SUNY Empire State College Coordinator of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies (2017-2019 & 2014-2017). Dr. Rogers has been appointed to a variety of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leadership positions including, NY Board of Regents and the State Education Department Digital Equity Summits (2021), the Lumen Circles/Gates Foundation DEI Faculty Development Project (2021), the Kettering Foundation Civic Engagement and Deliberative Dialogue (US and International) Institute consulting team, the SUNY Empire Presidential Diversity Taskforce, the SUNY Empire DEI Council & PRODiGY Steering Committee, and she is an active member of the Racialized Faculty Caucus. She has won multiple awards for her innovative approach to teaching and learning, including, most recently, 2021 James William and Mary Elizabeth Hall Endowed Award for Innovation, the 2020-2021 & 2019-2020 SUNY Empire Provost Innovation Award, the 2018-2019 SUNY Explorations in Diversity & Academic Excellence Award (EDAE), and the 2017-2018 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Learn More About The Buffalo Project
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The Buffalo Project is a longitudinal participatory action research project based in Buffalo NY. For ten years (AY 2010-present), Buffalo Project data has been analyzed to discuss college students’ perceptions of culture and its impacts on the learning process to develop programming that is sensitive of the intersectionalities of our community.
The SPEC Collective
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SPEC is an open learning organization that empowers individuals to be catalysts for positive change. We provide mentoring, training, internships, and host events to help individuals from underrepresented backgrounds learn the essential skills required to build a sustainable career and make a positive impact in their communities.
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