Amy Aldridge Sanford

This qualitative study explains how people made sense of their co-constructed ethnic and racial identities after receiving direct-to-consumer genetic test results for the first time. Three themes surfaced (e.g., searching for deeper belonging, grappling and negotiating identity, and mitigating race and ethnicity) from journal entries and a focus group interview. The authors assert that there is a place for both science and stories in identity development; race and ethnicity are seen as cultural and scientific; and the introduction of unexpected identities is disruptive and sensemaking happens in conversation. Furthermore, the authors argue for longitudinal studies to discover the impact of genetic tests on identity over time.

Professional development in U.S. higher education was operationalized with sabbatical leaves for 150 years but has rapidly evolved through five ages since then – from conference attendance during the Age of the Scholar (1950s-60s) to the centrality of centers of teaching and learning in today's Age of the Networker (2000s-2010s). It continues to be influenced by everchanging professoriate and student populations, beginning with the introduction of the GI Bill and in the mid-20th century to the modern dependence of contingent faculty. Over the years, tenure lines have decreased, more students work full time, lawmakers and other stakeholders are more critical of colleges and universities, and students are less prepared academically but are more savvy with social justice. Faculty developers must carefully consider all of these matters when planning for the old standbys (e.g., new faculty orientation, navigating course management systems) and looking to what is needed for the future (e.g., accessible design, self-care, legislative mandates).

Amy Aldridge Sanford, immediate past president of the Central States Communication Association, shares parting thoughts as her term on the organization’s executive committee comes to an end. A self-identified well-intentioned white ally, she admits to recent mistakes made in her personal journey to a raised consciousness regarding racial and ethnic oppression. Sanford challenges members of CSCA, particularly folx from privileged spaces, to radicalize their journeys of consciousness by embodying the courage necessary to challenge the status quo, especially when it comes to the business of faculty hiring and graduate admissions. The author argues that increasing diversity in the latter will only improve the diversity of the former, which is necessary if faculty and academic administrators in the United States are ever going to be truly reflective of the demographics of the undergraduate student population in modern colleges and universities. Sanford expresses appreciation to the dozens of CSCA members who practiced courage and discomfort during her presidency, including the organizers and participants of the inclusive conference spaces video project, the difficult conversations faculty learning community, and the family friendly task force initiative.

The researchers engaged in a qualitative analysis (using journaling and focus group methodology) of the communicative behaviors of Hispanic students with White institutional members at a medium-sized, Southwest HSI. Utilizing Co-Cultural Theory and Elaborative Coding analysis, the authors mapped how Hispanic students narrated their co-cultural communication and reasoning (i.e., why they engage in one strategy rather than another). The findings show that, although Hispanic students used almost all co-cultural strategies, their responses were clustered primarily around assimilationist strategies – indicating that they engage in a high degree of self-monitoring and self-censorship when interacting with White institutional members in an HSI. These results suggest that even when Hispanic students constitute a large or majority part of the institution’s population, they still feel the need to engage in behaviors that navigate White norms. The study concludes by examining the findings for co-cultural theorizing as well as providing insights for instructors who wish to engage in inclusive teaching practices.

The Impostor Phenomenon (IP) has recently reappeared in popular culture as a result of the bestseller Lean In. IP asserts that many successful people feel like frauds that will be discovered in time. Twenty-nine women in leadership were interviewed in this qualitative study, and it was discovered that the majority of them do not have impostor feelings. Their confidence can be attributed to strong relationships with mentors, romantic partners, and other women in leadership.