Minnesota State Wire

Anoka-Ramsey Community College and aligned college Anoka Technical College welcomed Brandyn Woodard as their Vice President of Equity and Inclusion in the spring of 2021. In the new position for the colleges, Woodard provides strategic leadership for the institutions in the advancement and implementation of college-wide goals to create diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning and work environments.

Woodard says he believes the success of that work will come from a collaborative community effort.

"I want folks to know that I want to be in partnership with them. I want to collaborate with them," he said. "I, single-handedly, will not fix anything. We, collectively and individually, can.

"I am grateful for all the people who have been at the institutions who've been doing the work prior to my arrival who laid the foundation for this moment to be happening and I'm really excited to continue working with them and continue moving forward."

Building BRIDGES

A key way this work will come to life is through the colleges' strategic diversity plan, structured around a framework tied to themes of Belongingness, Restoration, Inclusion, Diversity, Growth, Equity and Sustainability (BRIDGES). This plan is the result of many listening sessions, feedback from faculty and staff and 17 virtually-held workshops with employees at Anoka-Ramsey and Anoka Tech during the spring 2022 semester.

Throughout the 2022-2023 academic year, faculty and staff have focused on deepening their collective understanding of the impact belongingness has on our community.

The sense of belonging is the degree to which students, employees, and community members feel connected to the institutions via our intentional and unintentional everyday behaviors, policies and culture. It is the experience of mattering or feeling cared about, accepted, respected, valued and important to the campus community, and it is critical for retaining all students, employees and community members-particularly those from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) and other historically underserved communities.

The connection between a sense of belongingness and success for students and employees alike is well-documented. Through workshops and in conversations, large and small, members of the Anoka-Ramsey community are working toward creating an environment that invites all to feel welcomed, valued and accepted.

Building Belongingness at Anoka-Ramsey

Alumni and members of the broader Anoka­Ramsey community are key stakeholders in the college's BRIDGES work. We invite you to learn more about our work at AnokaRamsey.edu/BRIDGES.

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This feature appeared in the Winter 2023 Anoka-Ramsey Community Newsletter. View a full PDF version of this story and additional pieces.

Original source can be found here.