Welcome to WOCAP
The Women of Color in the Academy Project (WOCAP) is a campus-wide faculty network at U-M that supports scholarship focused on understanding the experiences of women of color in the academy and advocacy work to address the challenges and issues faced uniquely by women of color in the academy. To advance this scholarship and advocacy work, WOCAP provides professional development and a supportive and inclusive community that includes writing retreats, weekly writing sessions, bi-annual dinners, and other networking and professional development opportunities. WOCAP is open to all faculty who support or are actively engaged in this work.
Vision Statement
Achieving a university where all women of color faculty experience success, leadership, visibility and representation at all levels of governance.
The campus-wide WOCAP faculty steering committee would like to extend an invitation to participate to all instructional track faculty who support or are actively engaged in scholarship or advocacy work focused on the experiences of women of color in higher education. Together, we can call attention to structural barriers and promote solutions to enhance the success of women in color in academia.
Contact wocapinfo@umich.edu for additional information about WOCAP.
Steering Committee
Audrey G. Bennett, Professor of Art & Design and Communication and Media, University Diversity & Social Transformation Professor, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, LSA, Department of Communication and Media
Maria Castro, R C Schneider Collegiate Professor, Professor of Neurosurgery and Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Medical School
Patricia Coleman-Burns, Assistant Professor Emerita of Nursing, School of Nursing
Youngju Ryu, Associate Professor of Modern Korean Literature, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and Director of the Nam Center for Korean Studies
Hitomi (Tomi) Tonomura, Professor of History, Women’s and Gender Studies, and American Culture, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Robin Wilson, Associate Professor of Dance, School of Music, Theatre and Dance
Camille Wilson, Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership & Policy
Robin Pankey, Program Coordinator
Shirley Verrett Award
This award honors the late Shirley Verrett, a U-M Professor who “would have walked the world over for her students.” Ms. Verrett was a James Earl Jones Distinguished University Professor of Voice at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance and an internationally acclaimed opera singer with over 40 roles during the course of her illustrious four-decade career. She was one of the pioneering leaders in the generation of Black opera singers and her legacy continues to pave the way for female artists from diverse backgrounds.
Award Details
The Award recognizes a faculty member whose work–teaching, performance, scholarship or service–supports the success of female artists from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds. The nominee must be within the “Art” field as broadly defined to include literary, visual, and performance arts (e.g. poetry, photography, painting, dance, theatre).
Established by the Office of the Senior Vice Provost in 2012, the award carries a $5,000 prize and is available to all tenured/tenure-track faculty, clinical faculty as well as lecturers at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Criteria for the Award
- Demonstrated support and mentorship of female artists at U-M from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds
- Examples of innovative diversity and inclusion impact outcomes on U-M departments or schools
- Evidence of leadership or advocacy on behalf of female artists within the wider University community or within specific “Art” fields or the artistic community nationally
Past Winners
2022-2023Amy Stillman
Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of American Culture and Music; Director of Native American Studies Program, former director of Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program, Professor of Music in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance2021-2022Ashley Lucas
Professor of American Culture, English, and Latino Studies in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, Residential College, Professor of Theatre & Drama, Penny Stamps School of Art & Design, and American Culture at the University of Michigan. Former Director of the Prison Creative Arts Project and current Director of the Latina/o Studies Program2019-2021Daniel Washington
Professor of Voice, School of Music, Theatre and Dance2018-2019Tiffany Ng
Assistant Professor of Carillon and University Carillonist2017-2018Naomi André
Associate Director for Faculty, Residential College, and Associate Professor, Afroamerican and African Studies, the Residential College, and Women’s Studies2016-2017Anita Gonzalez
Professor of Theatre & Drama, School of Music, Theatre & Dance2015-2016Professor Emeritus George Shirley
Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Emeritus Professor of Voice, School of Music, Theatre & Dance2014-2015Professor Emerita Lorna Goodison
English Language and Literature, Afroamerican and African Studies2013 - 2014Professor Charles Oyamo Gordon
English Language and Literature, School of Music, Theatre2012 - 2013Professor Robin Wilson
Department of Dance, School of Music, Theatre and Dance2011 - 2012Professor Glenda Dickerson
Department of Theatre and Drama, School of Music, Theatre and Dance
Faculty Resources
The resources on this web page may be informative for people who are interested in the mission and activities of WOCAP. WOCAP is not responsible for, nor does it control, the content of the websites listed below. The resources listed on this web page may be updated periodically.
ADVANCE
Resources for faculty on mentoring guidelines and career advising. In addition, resources for diverse recruitment and retention, as well as climate issues and leadership development. Reports on UM faculty equity, institutional diversity, and university policies and practices.
Faculty Ombuds
The University Faculty Ombuds provides information, options, impartial review, and help in resolving conflicts, and they offer feedback and recommendations for system change to senior administration. Each school/college also has their own Ombuds.
Office of the Provost
Academic Policies for Faculty (see “Faculty Information” section) including faculty handbook, promotion guidelines, university family-friendly policies, joint academic appointments, dual career program, and use of research and discretionary accounts.
U-M’s institutional membership to the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) allows all U-M faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students to take advantage of the resources offered by the NCFDD for free. For more information and instructions on how to sign up for a FREE sub-account under U-M’s institutional membership, please visit this website: https://odei.umich.edu/national-center-for-faculty-dev-and-diversity
Emergencies/Critical Incidents
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)Free short term and crisis counseling for students on the 3rd Floor of the Michigan Union. They have a counselor on duty for walk-in emergencies. Some tips/faqs for dealing with students here www.umich.edu/~mhealth/faculty.html
Dean of StudentsCritical incident management–student emergency outside of the academic setting; Dean of Students office will coordinate services and support.
Department of Public Safety (DPS)Campus police. If in doubt, CALL 911 from any campus phone, or 734-763-1131 for non-emergencies.
OmbudsGood place to refer students to if they are having a problem or conflict involving the University and don’t know how to proceed – or if you are trying to avoid escalating a problem into a serious conflict.
Psychiatric Emergency ServicesUniversity of Michigan Hospital’s Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) provides emergency/urgent walk-in evaluation and crisis phone services available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for people of all ages. 734-936-5900
Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC)The crisis line (734-936-3333) is available 24-hours a day and is staffed by professionals, who provide confidential crisis intervention, information and referral services to survivors of sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, sexual harassment and stalking.
Classroom Issues
Academic IntegrityGeneral resources about plagiarism and cheating; each school/college has different policies for dealing with academic integrity:
- Engineering
- LS&A
Guidelines for dealing with student grade grievances in LSA and Engineering; generally starts with the instructor, and then to the department before moving to the College level.
- Engineering
- LS&A
If you have a student who needs accommodations in the classroom, SSWD is the office that works with students to determine (and receive) needed accommodations.
Financial Issues
Center for the Education of Women+ (CEW+)CEW+ offers emergency funding available for current U-M Ann Arbor campus students; grants are for unforeseen/emergency situations. Students must make a (free) appointment to see a counselor to determine eligibility.
Financial AidLoans, grants/scholarships, work-study, as well as special funding such as: emergency loans for international students, child care subsidies.
Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows
- Academic and Staff HR Services
Provides advice and consultation primarily to academic administrators, but also to faculty, particularly with regard to graduate student appointments
- Benefits Office
UM Benefits Office info, which is applicable to “Research Fellows” who are employee trainees of UM. (Between 10-15% of UM’s postdocs are classified as scholar trainees because of the way they are funded. Most scholar trainees are eligible for the same benefits as employee trainees; see PACWI Memo on Postdocs pages 2 and 4)
- Mentoring Others Results in Excellence (MORE)
Resources for faculty who are mentoring graduate students
- PACWI Recommendations for Postdocs
Includes recommendations and resources for postdoc appointments, including a checklist for hiring and onboarding new postdocs. Recommended reading for faculty and new postdocs. Also a link to the University’s Standard Practice Guide (SPG) for Research Fellows.
Ann Arbor City Guide
Includes info on schools, neighborhoods, religious and cultural centers, local government – Publishes a monthly magazine Ann Arbor Observer which should be delivered to all Ann Arbor residents for free arborweb.com/subscribe.html#volorder
Campus Maps and Transportation
With lots of links that will give you information about the Ann Arbor area as well
Events on campus
Michigan Road Scholars
A unique opportunity to meet other faculty and learn about the State of Michigan on a one-week road trip across the state. Applications are due annually in early December.
University Musical Society (UMS)
Connects audiences with performing artists from around the world in uncommon and engaging experiences.
General
MCard DiscountsYou can get discounts on everything from airport parking to cell phone plans with your MCard
Hair and Beauty
Brow Art 23at Briarwood Mall (next to California Pizza Kitchen); eyebrow threading
Mark Nine320 Miller, Ann Arbor 604-0211
Nessa specializes in natural black haircare and styles
561 North Hewitt Road, Ypsilanti 434-6419
Popular daycare options
Community Day CareNot-profit preschool, with sliding scale tuition
Gretchen’s House7 Centers in Ann Arbor with infant care, some with transportation to aftercare from some elementary schools
UM Early Childhood Programs4 Centers in Ann Arbor, serving different ages–including infant care–and schedules
YMCAPreschool and transportation to aftercare from some elementary schools)
Running a household
What’s CookingPrepared meals delivered to your home, or pick up locations around town
History
The Women of Color in the Academy Project (WOCAP) has a rich grassroots history that began in the summer of 1994 with conversations among a group of diverse and passionate faculty, staff, and administrators across U-M schools, colleges, and units.
These conversations focused on the structural barriers facing women of color in the academy and solutions to enhance their success that ultimately led to a joint proposal submitted to the Office of Academic and Multicultural Affairs by the Center for the Education of Women and the U-M Women’s Studies Program.
The proposal was approved with co-funding from OAMA and the Office of the Vice President for Research to develop WOCAP, currently supported by the Office for Diverasity, Equity and Inclusion and the Office of the Provost.
Adapting to change has been a part of WOCAP’s history, but its core values have remained unchanged as a campuswide network that supports scholarship focused on understanding the experiences of women of color in the academy, and advocacy to address the challenges and issues they uniquely face.
While more than two decades have passed since the Women of Color in the Academy Project was created at the University of Michigan, the need to reduce feelings of isolation, stigmatization, and to foster an inclusive community continues to be a priority.
This emerged as a theme in the U-M Faculty Campus Climate Survey on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that was conducted in 2016.
While 74 percent of U-M faculty said they are satisfied with the campus climate, underrepresented faculty, particularly women of color, continue to experience the campus climate as unsupportive and unwelcoming.
Providing a deeper understanding of the survey findings are WOCAP members’ responses to an inquiry at the group’s 2019 dinner celebration: “What does it mean to be a Women of Color faculty, lecturer, research scientist, research fellow, or postdoctorate?”
“It means working longer and harder to be seen, heard, and taken seriously.”
“To constantly struggle to be visible and included.”
“The power of being powerful in the midst of being invalidated; never forgetting I have a purpose and I will not be dissuaded.”
In its 27th year — 25th-anniversary events were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic — WOCAP has grown exponentially from a handful of members meeting in their individual homes over potlucks to more than 300 members across a variety of schools and departments, and more than 100 faculty and administrators having served as Steering Committee members.
Upcoming Events
Past Events
Sampling of Past WOCAP Events
- WOCAP Overnight Writing Retreats
- Shirley Verrett Tribute and Awards Presentations
- WOCAP Academic Promotions Celebration
- WOCAP Fall Welcome Dinners
- WOCAP Spring Celebration Dinners
- WOCAP WRITEins
- “Advancing Together” March 2011 Conference with a keynote address by Dr. Nancy Barcelo, President of Northern New Mexico College, and breakout sessions featuring faculty from across the UM campus. Topics of discussion included:
- Promising Practices for a Diverse Campus
- Considering Leadership Positions
- Academia and Community Engagement
- Promotion from Associate to Full Professor
- Balancing Work and Personal Life
- Mentoring for Junior and Mid-Career Faculty
Sampling of Past WOCAP Projects
Professionals of Color Connect
A networking event in the summer of 2010 for area professionals, featuring the performances of 3 UM faculty members: renowned jazz pianist Geri Allen, bassist Robert Hurst, and dancer Robin Wilson.
“State of Women of Color at the University of Michigan Address”
Held in the Winter of 2008, the purpose of this panel of speakers was to spark dialogue within the university community about the state of recruitment, retention, and promotion of women of color faculty across ranks, departments, and units. We hoped to develop interventions that will lead to the successful recruitment and retention of women of color, as well as improve classroom environments, departmental climates, and service contributions.
Through My Lens Video Project
The video project “Through My Lens” was completed in the fall of 1999. The video was produced to capture the experiences of women of color faculty at U-M as a part of a broad undertaking to create a dialogue that would lead to promoting reform in the recruitment, retention, and overall satisfaction of women of color faculty in academe.
The 27-minute presentation captures salient commentary by women of color faculty on such pertinent themes as campus climate, isolation/lack of community, balance issues between career and family, and recruitment/retention issues.
