News

The Association of American Colleges and Universities has added Southern Illinois University Edwardsville among 13 institutions to host Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers. An initial group of 10 institutions was selected by AAC&U in 2017.

“AAC&U is thrilled to partner with these outstanding institutions on our way to establishing 150 centers across the country to ensure that higher education is playing a leadership role in promoting racial and social justice,” said AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella.

In partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation effort, AAC&U works with higher education institutions across the country to develop self-sustaining, community-integrated TRHT Campus Centers. Organized around the five pillars of the TRHT framework—narrative change, racial healing and relationship building, separation, law, and economy—the Centers seek to prepare the next generation of leaders to confront racism and to dismantle the belief in a hierarchy of human value. 

The 13 newly added institutions are:

• Adelphi University (N.Y.)
• Andrews University (Mich.)
• Big Sandy Community and Technical College (Ken.)
• Dominican University (Ill.)
• George Mason University (Va.)
• Marywood University (Penn.)
• Otterbein University (Ohio)
• Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
• Stockton University (N.J.)
• University of Arkansas–Fayetteville
• University of California, Irvine
• University of North Carolina Charlotte
• University of Puget Sound (Wash.)

Institutions were selected based on their vision for their TRHT Campus Center, the demonstrated commitment of leaders on campus and in the community to the goals of the TRHT framework, and their ability to provide evidence for the need of a TRHT Campus Center in their community. AAC&U will provide strategic direction to the TRHT Campus Centers with the support of the TRHT advisory committee, a network of national advisors and experts. 

The SIUE TRHT Campus Center team will be comprised of Jessica Harris, PhD, interim assistant provost and associate professor in the Department of Historical Studies; Bryan Jack, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Historical Studies; Kathryn Bentley, associate professor of theater performance in the Department of Theater and Dance, artistic director of SIUE’s Black Theatre Workshop and director of Black Studies; Connie Frey Spurlock, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Sociology and director of SIUE’s Successful Communities Collaborative; Elizabeth McKenney, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Psychology; and Courtney Boddie, PhD, director of SIUE Counseling Services.

During the pre-proposal period, the SIUE team made connections with potential community partners whose current activities are aligned with the goals of the TRHT effort: NCCJ St. Louis, the I Am East St. Louis Foundation and the City of East St. Louis Mayor’s Office. During the next year, the SIUE TRHT Center team will seek out additional partners on campus and in the community to advance the mission of the campus center.

In June 2020, teams from the 13 newly selected institutions will return to AAC&U’s annual Summer Institute on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Centers to refine their transformative action plans. At the Institute, participating teams will be mentored by leaders from the original TRHT Campus Centers during topical workshops and consultation sessions. In addition, teams will practice designing and co-facilitating Rx Racial Healing Circles, an integral component of the TRHT framework.

TRHT Campus Centers will join colleges and universities across the country to mark the fourth annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The NDORH is an opportunity for people and organizations to come together in their common humanity and take collective action to create a more just and equitable world.

“Given the growing divisions in our country, the launch of thirteen additional TRHT Campus Centers reminds us of the possibilities for healing and unity in our society,” said Tia Brown McNair, AAC&U vice president for diversity, equity, and student success and TRHT Campus Centers executive director.  “We must focus our efforts on preparing the next generation of leaders to dismantle the misguided beliefs and actions that promote a hierarchy of human value.”

About AAC&U 

AAC&U is the leading national association dedicated to advancing the vitality and public standing of liberal education by making quality and equity the foundations for excellence in undergraduate education in service to democracy. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises 1,400 member institutions, including accredited public and private colleges, community colleges, research universities, and comprehensive universities of every type and size. For more information, visit www.aacu.org.

 Photo (L-R): Courtney Boddie, director of SIUE Counseling Services; Elizabeth McKenney, associate professor in the Department of Psychology; Jessica Harris, interim assistant provost and associate professor in the Department of Historical Studies; Connie Frey Spurlock, associate professor in the Department of Sociology; Kathryn Bentley, associate professor of theater performance in the Department of Theater and Dance; and Bryan Jack, associate professor in the Department of Historical Studies.