Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Faculty Fellows
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Faculty Fellows
The Vice President for Mission Integration and Inclusion and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs invite interested faculty to consider participating in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Faculty Fellows program. DEI Faculty Fellows are provided a leadership development opportunity by working with the Vice President for Mission Integration and Inclusion to support initiatives committed to advancing DEI efforts at Molloy University.
DEI Faculty Fellows
Dr. Michelle Chamblin (she/her/hers) is a tenured professor in the School of Education and Health Services at Molloy University. Early in her career, she served as a Community Health Worker for Planned Parenthood during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, where she provided counseling to youth and closely supported pregnant teenage mothers. Her commitment to health care extended internationally when she joined the United States Peace Corps, serving in Sierra Leone, West Africa, with the Ministry of Health. There, she taught preventive health care in clinics, discovering education as a powerful tool for empowerment.
Upon returning to the U.S., Dr. Chamblin worked as a Foster Care Caseworker, Home Finder, and Parent Trainer, assisting families welcoming special needs children. To better support these children, she pursued a career in Special Education, earning credentials from Columbia University as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and Urban Fellow. Dr. Chamblin has since taught students across various grades (K-12), settings, and content areas and was later appointed as an administrator responsible for developing and implementing academic intervention services and supports for students with and without disabilities.
In 2003, Dr. Chamblin joined the faculty at Molloy University, where her professional focus has included special education, inclusive environments, and improving educational outcomes for all children. She is also a touring DEI facilitator and education consultant for Henry Box Brown: The Musical, leveraging theatre as a tool for moral reasoning and healing.
Dr. Chamblin earned an Ed.D. in Special Education and Administration, an M.A. in Special Education, an M.Ed. in Special Education Leadership, all from Teachers College, Columbia University, a B.S. in Communications from the City University of New York, and an A.A.S. in Graphic Arts from New York Technical College.
Dr. Chamblin’s greatest aspiration is to inspire others to become lifelong learners—especially her triplet daughters, who teach her something new daily.
During her fellowship, Dr. Chamblin works within the Center for Multicultural & Intercultural Affairs to support students.
Dr. Hia D
atta (she/her/hers) is a tenured Associate Professor and Program Director for the undergraduate and Ph.D. programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She has a master’s degree from All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (Mysore, India) and Ph.D. from The Graduate Center at the City University (New York, New York) in Speech, Hearing and Language Sciences. Following her doctoral studies, Dr. Datta completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Sackler Institute of Developmental Psychobiology at the Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York.
Dr. Datta teaches courses on neural basis of communication, aphasia and cultural linguistic diversity. Her research focuses on understanding brain processes subserving communication across the lifespan with a focus on multilingual and multicultural individuals using Event Related Potentials. Her recent publications have focused on speech perception in bilinguals and innovative interventions for those with aphasia.
During her fellowship, Dr. Datta is working with the Faculty Professional Center, leading initiatives and providing professional development opportunities related to anti-ableism, accessibility, and allyship.
Dr. Kimberly S. Engels (she/her/hers) is a tenured Associate Professor of Philosophy. She holds a PhD in philosophy from Marquette University. She teaches classes in contemporary philosophy, Native American, Latin American and Africana Philosophy, and ethics of disability.
Dr. Engels’ research focuses on bioethics, Indigenous philosophy, and philosophy of extraordinary encounters. She is the editor of The Good Place and Philosophy: Everything is Forking Fine!, co-editor of Westworld and Philosophy: If You Go Looking for the Truth, Get the Whole Thing, and co-editor of The Palgrave Handbook of Pop Culture and Philosophy. She is President of the North American Sartre Society and an Advisory Board Member for the Society for UAP Studies.
During her fellowship, Dr. Engels is helping conduct DEI curriculum audits for faculty, departments, and schools.
Terms
DEI Faculty Fellows serve one-year terms with one course reduction (i.e., 3 hours of load) per academic year (September 15th to May 15th); terms are renewable for an additional year based on progress towards goals and institutional needs. Schools that have DEI Faculty Fellows will receive funds as appropriate to cover the costs for courses where reassignments necessitate part-time faculty. DEI Faculty Fellows projects and terms are set by the Vice President for Mission Integration and Inclusion and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs annually.
Current Projects
- N/A
Who is Eligible?
- Full-time, tenured faculty at the associate rank or higher
Additional DEI Faculty Fellows Roles and Responsibilities
- Meet with other DEI Faculty Fellows and the Vice President for Mission Integration and Inclusion throughout the academic year
- Complete a year-end summary that includes a review of goals and objectives, including an assessment of the extent to which those goals and objectives were accomplished
Application Details
- Email a letter of interest and curriculum vitae or resume to Donald “DJ” Mitchell, Jr. at dmitchell1@molloy.edu by 5 pm on April 30 each year. Letters of interest should: 1) highlight the project of interest; 2) highlight the qualifications and/or experiences that make the applicant a strong candidate for the project of interest; and 3) share initial goals and objectives for the project along with proposed outcome and evaluation measures.
- Applicants must receive approval from their chair or program director and dean prior to applying. A brief email or letter of support should highlight the chair or program director and dean’s support of the applicant and acknowledge the need for course coverage during the DEI Faculty Fellow’s experience if necessary.
- DEI Faculty Fellows appointments will be finalized by May 15th each and begin the following fall semester.
- The Vice President for Mission Integration and Inclusion will provide letters of documentation to demonstrate efforts by DEI Faculty Fellows to support annual reviews and promotion and tenure processes as appropriate.