Badger Diversity and Belonging: A Facilitated Dialogue

Given recent federal policy changes, many UW alumni have questions about the current and future state of student support at UW–Madison. Join fellow Badgers, Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association staff, and campus leaders in Chicagoland for a facilitated conversation about the student experience in the face of change.

First, join us for a reception to connect with fellow alumni, campus leaders, and Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA) staff before the main program begins. Then, hear updates on student belonging and inclusion efforts on campus as well as transitions in academic and scholarship programs. This will be followed by small-group discussions about how your identity impacts your relationship to the university and WFAA, and what you want to see from alumni engagement.

Please register by March 18.

Event Schedule

Speakers

Catherine Chan ’89, PhD’97 (she/her) is the assistant vice provost for high impact practices in the Division for Teaching and Learning at UW–Madison. Chan leads the development and implementation of impactful learning experiences that center evidence-based pedagogies and culturally relevant practices, thereby facilitating student flourishing and success. Currently, the four programs within her portfolio are the Center for Educational Opportunity, the Office of Experiential Learning, the McNair Scholars Program, and the Network for Development and Growth of Native Solidarity at UW–Madison. Chan is a two-time Badger alumna — she earned her B.S. in molecular biology and biochemistry and her PhD in cell and molecular biology — and is proud to have the opportunity to give back to her alma mater.

Raul Leon MIPA’07, PhD’10 (he/him) is the assistant vice provost for student engagement and scholarship programs in the Division for Teaching and Learning at UW–Madison. In this role, Leon supports and leads four iconic scholarship programs serving talented and high-achieving undergraduates. These programs include the First Wave Hip Hop and Urban Arts Program (housed in the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives), the UW Posse program, the PEOPLE Program, and the Mercile J. Lee Scholars Program. Dr. Leon earned two degrees from UW–Madison: a master’s degree from the La Follette School of Public Affairs, and a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the School of Education.

Fernie Rodriguez, PhD (they/them) is associate vice chancellor for student affairs at UW–Madison, where they lead a comprehensive range of programs and services designed to support student success and belonging on campus. They lead the UW’s student success and belonging portfolio, which includes the Center for Interfaith Dialogue, Gender and Sexuality Campus Center, McBurney Disability Resource Center, Multicultural Student Center, the Office of Inclusion Education, and University Veteran Services. They also support the First-Generation Badgers initiative. Rodriguez earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Texas–Austin, a master’s degree in higher education student personnel administration from New York University, and a doctorate in higher education from the University of Minnesota. Their dissertation, “Borderland Masculinities in Higher Education,” chronicled the lives of six first-generation Mexican American gay undergraduate men living along the U.S.-Mexico border. Rodriguez is a proud Mexican American, transfeminine scholar-practitioner from the border region of El Paso, Texas, and Juárez, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

Sarah Schutt (she/her) is the chief alumni officer for the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association and executive director of the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) — a role she has held since 2017. As the chief alumni officer, Schutt leads a team of 40 alumni relations professionals who welcome, inform, and connect a global community of more than 500,000 UW–Madison alumni, and work collaboratively across advancement to inspire support for the university. Schutt is active in the Council of Alumni Association Executives and serves on its board as membership chair. Most of her career in higher education has been at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Prior to joining WAA in 2001, she worked with outreach programming in the UW School of Education’s Wisconsin Center on Education and Work. Schutt started her career in student affairs and spent nearly 10 years working in residential life at several institutions, including UW–Madison. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Iowa and a master of science degree from the University of Minnesota–Mankato.

Additional Information

Boxed hors d’oeuvres will be available for guests observing the Ramadan fast, so that they may partake after sunset. Please inform us during registration if you would prefer this option.