Xavier GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS XAVIER du MAINE, AND I'M AN INTERN IN THE OFFICE FOR DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING, AND IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU TO THE HARVARD CULTURE LAB INNOVATION FUND VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE. A FEW HOUSEKEEPING NOTES TO GET US STARTED. FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT ATTEND, THIS EVENT IS BEING RECORDED, WHICH WILL INCLUDE ALL OF YOUR PUBLIC CHAT MESSAGES. TO HELP THE ZOOM RUN SMOOTHLY FOR EVERYONE, WE ASK THAT YOU KEEP YOUR MICROPHONES ON MUTE, UNLESS SPEAKING, AND TURN OFF YOUR CAMERAS, UNTIL LATER WHEN WE WILL GO INTO BREAKOUT ROOMS. YOU SHOULD ALSO FEEL FREE TO SHARE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS IN THE CHAT AT ANY TIME. ALSO, PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT IS BEING LIVE CAPTIONED. TO GET US STARTED, WE'RE FIRST GOING TO HEAR FROM HARVARD'S INAUGURAL CHIEF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION OFFICER, DR. SHERRI ANN CHARLESTON. Sherri THANK YOU, XAVIER. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. IT'S SUCH A PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU ALL TODAY. I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING TIME TO BE WITH US AND TO JOIN US AS WE LAUNCH THIS YEAR OF THE HARVARD CULTURE LAB. AS SOME OF YOU HAVE HEARD ME SAY BEFORE, ACHIEVING INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE AT HARVARD WILL ACTUALLY REQUIRE ALL OF US. IT IS NOT A SINGULAR RESPONSIBILITY, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL DO TOGETHER. AND AS SUCH, OUR OFFICE ATTEMPTS TO SERVE AS A CATALYST FOR INNOVATION ON CAMPUS THROUGH THE CULTURE LAB. AND SO, WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO YOU THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN THE TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULES TO PARTNER WITH US AS WE LAUNCH ANOTHER ROUND OF FUNDING FOR THE HARVARD CULTURE LAB INNOVATION FUND. WE ARE SO EXCITED TO SEE WHAT UNIQUE SOLUTIONS YOU'LL DESIGN AND HOW YOU'LL HELP CONTRIBUTE TO THE UNIVERSITY'S JOURNEY TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE. I'D BE REMISS IF I DID NOT SAY WE RECOGNIZE THE EXCEPTIONALLY DIFFICULT YEAR THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED, THAT WE'VE ALL EXPERIENCED, AND WE'RE JUST SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU'VE TAKEN THE TIME TO PARTNER WITH US, TO CHANNEL YOUR ENERGY TOWARDS THE FUTURE, TO HELP US TO CREATE CHANGE, AND ULTIMATELY, TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON THIS CAMPUS AND TO MAKE THIS UNIVERSITY A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE CAN THRIVE. SO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVESTMENT IN ITS CONTINUOUS COMMUNITY AND IN ITS CONTINUOUS EFFORTS TO BUILD COMMUNITY. SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT BACK OVER TO THE TEAM. Xavier THANK YOU, DR. CHARLESTON. SO, WE ARE SUPER EXCITED TO DIVE INTO THE INNOVATION FUND PRESENTATIONS, AND WE'RE GOING TO START WITH AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FUND AND APPLICATION PROCESS BY PROJECT MANAGER JAINABA SECKAN. AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR 20 GRANT RECIPIENTS WHO ARE GOING TO BE JOINING US TODAY, WHO WILL SHARE THEIR PROJECTS RIGHT AFTER. Jainaba GREAT! THANK YOU SO MUCH, XAVIER. AGAIN, WELCOME, EVERYONE. WE'RE SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ALL HERE, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. CHARLESTON, FOR THOSE WELCOME REMARKS. SO, MY NAME IS JAINABA SECKAN. I AM A PROJECT MANAGER IN THE HARVARD OFFICE FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. AND ONE OF MY PRIMARY ROLES IS HELPING TO ADMINISTER AND MANAGE THE HARVARD CULTURE LAB INNOVATION FUND. TODAY I'LL BE WALKING YOU ALL THROUGH -- I'M JUST GOING TO MOVE THIS. OKAY. I'M NOT SURE HOW TO HIDE THAT. TODAY I'LL BE WALKING YOU ALL THROUGH JUST THE INS AND OUTS OF THIS PROCESS, USEFUL INFORMATION THAT YOU'LL WANT TO KNOW. I'M EXCITED TO INTRODUCE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER OUR APPLICATION TRACKS. WE'LL TALK ABOUT STAGES OF INNOVATION, WHERE YOU ALL MAY BE IN YOUR IDEATION PROCESS. WE'LL TALK THROUGH REVIEW CRITERIA SO THAT YOU HAVE A CLEAR AND TRANSPARENT SENSE OF HOW YOUR APPLICATIONS WILL BE JUDGED. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE JUDGING PROCESS, WHICH INCLUDES TWO ROUNDS. AND THEN WE WILL HEAR FROM OUR INCREDIBLE CULTURE LAB INNOVATION FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS WHO WERE AWARDED JUST LAST YEAR. SO, THE CULTURE LAB IS DESIGNED TO AWARD GRANTS TO HARVARD STUDENTS, STAFF, FACULTY AND POSTDOCS. IN TERMS OF OUR GRANT FUNDING, WE AWARD GRANTS ANYWHERE FROM THE RANGE OF $5,0 TO $15,0, AND WE ALSO DO ACCEPT PROPOSALS THAT ARE REQUESTING GRANTS OF $25,0 OR MORE. SO, IF YOU CAN MAKE THE CASE AND YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE AN INNOVATION THAT REQUIRES THAT AMOUNT OF FUNDING, THEN WE ABSOLUTELY WILL TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. SO, THAT'S OUR GENERAL SORT OF FUNDING RANGE. SO, THE QUESTION THAT WE RECEIVE MOST OFTEN IN OUR INBOX IS THIS QUESTION AROUND ELIGIBILITY. SO, TO BE CLEAR -- AND I'M HAPPY TO GO INTO GREATER DETAIL DURING OUR Q&A PORTION -- THIS GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITY IS AVAILABLE TO ALL HARVARD STUDENTS, STAFF, AND FACULTY. AND IN TERMS OF OUR FACULTY, STAFF, POSTDOCS AND ACADEMIC PERSONNEL, WE DO REQUIRE THAT YOU HAVE A FULL-TIME APPOINTMENT AND THAT IF YOU ARE FACULTY OR STAFF THAT YOU ARE BENEFITS-ELIGIBLE. AND THAT CRITERIA IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR PRIMARY APPLICANT, SO THAT IS THE PERSON WHO IS SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION. YOU CAN CERTAINLY HAVE CO-APPLICANTS WHO MAYBE ARE HARVARD AFFILIATES OR HAVE A PART-TIME DESIGNATION. BUT THE TEAM SHOULD BE COMPRISED OF ALL HARVARD FOLKS. AND THIS DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU CAN'T HIRE AN ADVISOR OR CONSULTANT IF YOU DO RECEIVE FUNDING, BUT FOR THE PRIMARY PROJECT TEAM, EVERYONE MUST BE A HARVARD AFFILIATE, BUT THE PRIMARY APPLICANT HAS TO HAVE A FULL-TIME APPOINTMENT. AND IN TERMS OF STUDENTS, WE DO REQUIRE THAT YOU ARE, AGAIN, FULL TIME, DEGREE-SEEKING, UNDERGRADUATE OR GRADUATE STUDENT. AND WE ALSO ARE LOOKING FOR TEAMS. SO YOU MUST APPLY WITH AT LEAST ONE OTHER PERSON OR MORE. AND WE REALLY ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO THINK ABOUT BUILDING, YOU KNOW, CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS, TEAMS THAT ARE COMPRISED OF STUDENT, STAFF, FACULTY, POSTDOCS. WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY. SO, AS YOU'RE BUILDING OUT YOUR TEAMS, THINK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT VOICES AND PERSPECTIVES THAT YOU CAN PULL IN TO THE PROCESS. IF YOU HAVE A SORT OF COMPLICATED AFFILIATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY, MAYBE YOU'RE PART-TIME OR YOU'RE NOT CLEAR ABOUT YOUR POSTDOC STATUS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL US IN THE INBOX, AND WE WILL WALK YOU THROUGH THE GUIDELINES FOR YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION, BECAUSE WE DO RECOGNIZE IT'S DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE. SO, THIS YEAR, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO INTRODUCE APPLICATION TRACKS. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE TRYING FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND THIS WAS REALLY IN AN EFFORT TO RESPOND TO THE ESPECIALLY CHALLENGING YEAR THAT WE EXPERIENCED. WE WANTED TO BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT CREATING AN OPPORTUNITY AND AN AVENUE FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO CHANNEL THEIR ENERGY AND IDEAS INTO ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN TOP OF MIND FOR US. SO, WITH THAT IN MIND, WE WORKED WITH MEMBERS OF THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION LEADERSHIP COUNCIL TO IDENTIFY APPLICATION TRACKS FOR THIS YEAR AND IDENTIFYING A PRIORITY THEME EACH YEAR ACTUALLY HELPS US BUILD STRONG COHORTS THAT ARE ABLE TO COLLABORATE AND CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER WHEN THEY HAVE SOME COMMONALITY IN THE PROJECTS THAT THEY ARE PURSUING. SO, STARTING WITH RACIAL JUSTICE, WE ARE INVITING APPLICATIONS AND PROPOSAL THAT ADDRESS ISSUES OF RACISM AND PROVIDE SOLUTIONS FOR ADVANCING RACIAL JUSTICE ON OUR CAMPUS. AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RACIAL JUSTICE IN ITS SIMPLEST TERMS, IT'S THE PROACTIVE REINFORCEMENT OF POLICIES, PRACTICES, ATTITUDES, AND ACTIONS THAT PRODUCE EQUITABLE POWER, ACCESS, OPPORTUNITIES, TREATMENT, IMPACTS AND OUTCOMES FOR ALL. AND YOU CAN FIND THIS DEFINITION, ACTUALLY, IN OUR DIVERSITY GLOSSARY THAT'S AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE. BUT AGAIN, IT IS OPEN TO YOUR INTERPRETATION IN TERMS OF HOW YOU SEEK TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES, BUT WE JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A SORT OF STARTING POINT ABOUT HOW TO THINK ABOUT THE SPECIFIC APPLICATION TRACK. NEXT UP, WE HAVE MENTAL HEALTH. AS YOU ALL KNOW, AS WE MENTIONED, THIS HAS BEEN AN ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT YEAR, AND OUR UNIVERSITY HAD ACTUALLY ALREADY BEEN ENGAGING IN DEVELOPING A REPORT WITH THE TASK FORCE ON MANAGING STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. SO WE HAVE REALLY GREAT DATA THAT'S RECENTLY BEEN RELEASED. AND SO, WE CERTAINLY INVITE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT DATA AND SEE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU HAVE SOLUTIONS THAT ARE ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES THAT CAME THROUGH FROM THAT REPORT. WE'RE ALSO REALLY LOOKING FOR PROPOSALS THAT PROVIDE SOLUTIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY IMPACTING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, BUT YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY WELCOME TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS THAT ARE ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF ANY AND ALL HARVARD COMMUNITY MEMBERS, INCLUDING STUDENTS, STAFF, FACULTY, POSTDOCS AND ACADEMIC PERSONNEL. AND THEN IN TERMS OF REBUILDING COMMUNITY, THIS IS REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE AND REIMAGINING OUR CAMPUS COMMUNITY AND CULTURE ONCE WE ARE HOPEFULLY ONE DAY BACK ON CAMPUS. I THINK IT WILL BE A JOURNEY AND A PROCESS FOR US ALL TO SORT OF REACCLIMATE TO BEING IN COMMUNITY ONCE AGAIN. AND MAYBE YOU HAVE SOME CREATIVE IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO HELP US FOSTER THAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY, ONCE AGAIN, DEAL WITH SOME OF THE TRAUMA MANY OF US MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED DURING THIS TIME AND JUST REALLY GET CREATIVE ABOUT CREATING INTENTIONAL CONNECTIONS ON OUR CAMPUS. AND THEN, OF COURSE, YOU ARE CERTAINLY WELCOME TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL BASED ON THE TOPIC OF YOUR CHOICE, AS LONG AS IT'S ALIGNED WITH THE GOALS AND MISSION OF THE FUND, OF COURSE. WE ARE LOOKING TO ADVANCE A CULTURE OF BELONGING. WE ARE LOOKING TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES AROUND DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING. AND SO, IF YOUR PROJECT IDEA FALLS WITHIN THOSE CATEGORIES, THEN YOU ARE CERTAINLY WELCOME TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL. SO, WE FIND IT HELPFUL TO HELP PEOPLE THINK ABOUT WHAT STAGE OF INNOVATION THEIR PROJECT IS IN. SO, I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH THE FOUR STAGES THAT OUR FUND IS -- THE FOUR STAGES OF PROJECTS THAT OUR FUND IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT. SO, STARTING WITH START-UP. SO, IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA THAT IS SIMPLY SWIRLING IN YOUR HEAD AND IT IS VERY MUCH JUST AN IDEA, YOU ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION. SO, THE START-UP STAGE IS A VERY LIMITED TEST OF AN IDEA THAT'S EXPECTED TO GENERATE LEARNING. IT USES THE SMALLEST SET OF FEATURES, ACTIVITIES POSSIBLE TO TEST A HYPOTHESIS. SO, THESE SORTS OF IDEAS AS EARLY STAGE AS THEY ARE, CAN BE REALLY IMPACTFUL, AND WE CERTAINLY LOOK TO SUPPORT THEM. SO, DON'T FEEL THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A FULLY BAKED PROJECT OR EXISTING PROTOTYPE OR EXISTING PILOT ALREADY UNDER WAY. WE WELCOME PROJECTS AT THEIR EARLIEST STAGES. THEN WE HAVE THE TRANSITIONAL PHASE. SO YOU MIGHT HAVE A SMALL-SCALE IMPLEMENTATION OF AN IDEA THAT'S ALREADY UNDER WAY. MAYBE YOU HAVE A PILOT GOING IN ONE SCHOOL OR UNIT OR A SELECT HANDFUL OF SCHOOL OR UNITS. AGAIN, WE WELCOME PROPOSALS THAT ARE IN THIS TRANSITIONAL PHASE. PERHAPS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO SCALE THIS EFFORT BEYOND ITS CURRENT STAGE. THEN WE HAVE MATURE IMPLEMENTATION. SO THIS IS A SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT THAT'S SEEKING TO EXPAND AND BRING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO A CROSS-SCHOOL OR CROSS-UNIT GROUP. SO IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT MAYBE HAS BEEN UP AND RUNNING FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND AGAIN, YOU'RE LOOKING TO GO THAT EXTRA STEP FURTHER, YOU HAD SOME SUCCESS ALREADY, WE CERTAINLY WELCOME YOUR PROPOSAL AND WOULD BE INTERESTED AND INTRIGUED IN BEING ABLE TO HELP YOU GO TO THOSE NEXT STEPS. AND THEN WE HAVE SCALING FOR IMPACT. SO, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, A SUCCESSFUL LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INNOVATION THAT'S SEEKING TO BROADEN ITS REACH AND IMPACT BY SUPPORTING ITS APPLICATION IN NEW SETTINGS. SO, IN THE APPLICATION, WHEN YOU GO TO THE UNIVERSITY FUNDING PORTAL, WE WILL HAVE -- YOU WILL BE ASKED TO IDENTIFY WHICH STAGE OF INNOVATION YOUR PROJECT IS IN, AND THIS HELPS US ON THE BACK END, IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO BUILD OUT A COHORT EXPERIENCE THAT WILL BE SUITED TO THE NEEDS OF YOUR DIFFERENT PROJECT STAGES AND AREAS, RIGHT? SO, IF WE HAVE START-UP PROJECTS, THEY'RE GOING TO NEED A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SUPPORT THAN SCALING FOR IMPACT PROJECTS. SO WE WANT TO HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT THE NEEDS OF OUR PROJECTS ARE SO THAT WE COULD SUPPORT THEM DURING THEIR FUNDING YEAR. AGAIN, THIS INFORMATION AND THE DETAILED EXPLANATION IS AVAILABLE WITHIN THE APPLICATION AND ON53.0 OUR WEBSITE, AND I'M HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT IT FURTHER IN JUST A MOMENT. SO, YOUR APPLICATIONS WILL BE REVIEWED BASED ON THE DEGREE TO WHICH THEY REFLECT THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CRITERIA. SO, STARTING WITH ALIGNMENT. HERE, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR PROJECTS THAT ALIGN WITH OUR UNIVERSITY PRIORITY OF ACHIEVING INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE BY UNIFYING OUR NETWORK OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, BELONGING, AND ANTIRACISM INITIATIVES, AND WE ACTUALLY PROVIDE A SLIDE ON THE WEBSITE AND WITHIN THE APPLICATION THAT YOU CAN LOOK TO THAT PROVIDES DEFINITIONS OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, BELONGING, ANTIRACISM AND INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE SO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT IT IS WE MEAN AND WHAT IT IS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE SAY WE'RE SEEKING ALIGNMENT, RIGHT? SO, YOUR EFFORTS, YOUR PROJECT SHOULD BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO HELPING US ADVANCE IN ANY OF THOSE SPECIFIC AREAS. SO AGAIN, THOSE DEFINITIONS AND A DETAILED OVERVIEW IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD IN THE APPLICATION FORM AND ON OUR WEBSITE. NEXT WE HAVE INCLUSIVE DESIGN. SO, THESE ARE PROPOSALS THAT APPLY INCLUSIVE DESIGN PRINCIPLES TO THEIR PROJECT TEAMS, INCLUDING ADHERENCE WITH THE DIGITAL ACCESS POLICY THAT WAS RELEASED BY THE UNIVERSITY. SO, WE REALLY ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO BE THINKING ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY FROM THE ONSET. THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW TO APPLY INCLUSIVE DESIGN TO AN EVENT OR A WEB APPLICATION OR APP OR ANY OTHER THING THAT YOU'RE DOING. AND WE HAVE INCREDIBLE RESOURCES ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY, FROM OUR UNIVERSITY DISABILITY RESOURCES OFFICE, THE ACCESSIBLE EDUCATION OFFICE, HARVARD WEB PUBLISHING HAS REALLY GREAT RESOURCES. WE REALLY WANT FOLKS TO BE THINKING ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THEIR PROJECTS AS ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE. THEN, OF COURSE, INNOVATION. WE WANT TO SEE, YOU KNOW, PROPOSALS AND IDEAS THAT ARE TAKING A UNIQUE OR DIFFERENT APPROACH. SO, WHAT ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL IS INNOVATIVE OR NEW AND WILL BE, YOU KNOW, A GAME-CHANGING EFFORT? AND THEN, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WE'LL WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR PROJECT CAN HAVE SOME MEASURABLE IMPACT, SO BE CLEAR ON THE ONSET ABOUT WHAT METRICS YOU'LL BE MEASURING THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SUCCESS OF YOUR PROJECT AND BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT IMPACT, WHAT TANGIBLE IMPACT IT WILL BE HAVING ON OUR UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY. THEN, OF COURSE, WE HAVE ONE HARVARD. WE ARE REALLY LOOKING TO BUILD A CULTURE OF COLLABORATION AND CONNECTION. AND SO, WE REALLY ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO BUILD TEAMS THAT INCLUDE OR IMPACT AND MAKE SURE OF FACULTY, STUDENTS, STAFF, POSTDOCS, AND TEAMS EXHIBITING CROSS-SCHOOL AND CROSS-FUNCTIONAL OR MULTIDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION WILL BE ESPECIALLY VALUED. THEN WE HAVE PROMISING PRACTICE. SO, THESE ARE EFFORTS, YOU KNOW, PILOT EFFORTS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE A UNIVERSITYWIDE IMPACT AND/OR CAN BE SHARED WITH OTHER SCHOOLS AS A PROMISING PRACTICE. SO AGAIN, IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO DO A SMALL-SCALE PILOT OR IMPLEMENTATION IN ONE LOCALE, IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY AND A WAY FOR YOUR PROJECT, YOUR INNOVATION, TO BE SCALED ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY? THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE CERTAINLY LOOKING FOR. AND THEN, OF COURSE, CONNECTION TO CAMPUS. SO, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR PROPOSALS THAT WILL HAVE A DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY, TO THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY AND INFLUENCES THE UNIVERSITY'S TRAJECTORY TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE AND HIGHLIGHTS A PERSISTENT CHALLENGE WORTH SOLVING. SO, I THINK AS HARVARD COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WE'RE OFTEN VERY COMFORTABLE ABOUT THINKING ABOUT HOW WE CAN WORK TO IMPACT THE WORLD. WE WANT TO HELP BRING ALL OF THAT GREAT INGENUITY AND IDEAS AND CURIOSITY AND FOCUS AND HARNESS THAT ATTENTION AND BRING IT TO OUR OWN CAMPUS AND OUR OWN CULTURE. SO REALLY BE THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU CAN IMPACT HARVARD UNIVERSITY SPECIFICALLY. AND THEN OUR PRIORITY THEME. SO, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE'VE INTRODUCED APPLICATION TRACKS. SO, WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR IDEAS THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH THESE APPLICATION TRACKS. AND SO, THAT'S RACIAL JUSTICE, MENTAL HEALTH AND REBUILDING COMMUNITY. AND OF COURSE, YOU ARE ALSO WELCOME TO SUBMIT PROPOSAL WITH A TOPIC OF YOUR OWN CHOICE.THOSE WILL STILL ABSOLUTELY BE CONSIDERED. SO, THERE ARE TWO ROUNDS OF JUDGING IN THIS PROCESS. SO, IN ROUND ONE, WE INVITE A REVIEW COMMITTEE MADE UP OF STUDENTS, STAFF, FACULTY AND POSTDOCS FROM ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY WHO WILL JUDGE YOUR APPLICATIONS BASED ON THE REVIEW CRITERIA THAT WE JUST DISCUSSED. THAT GROUP, THE FIRST ROUND REVIEW COMMITTEE WILL HELP US BRING THE APPLICATION POOL DOWN TO ABOUT MAYBE 13 OR 14 FINALIST PROJECTS. THOSE FINALIST PROJECTS WILL THEN BE INVITED TO A VIDEO PITCH COMPETITION. FINALIST TEAMS WILL RECEIVE COACHING FROM OUR TEAM ON HOW TO DEVELOP THEIR VIDEO PITCHES FOR THE FINAL ROUND AND HOW TO, YEAH, PITCH THEIR PROJECTS TO THE FINAL ROUND JUDGES, WHO ARE MADE UP OF SENIOR LEADER ADMINISTRATORS. AND THEN FROM THERE, THE TOP PROPOSALS WILL BE SELECTED, ANYWHERE FROM SIX TO TEN PROJECTS WILL BE SELECTED AND GRANTED FUNDING. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT. AND SO, JUST A FEW KEY DATES TO KEEP IN MIND. SO, WE'RE SO GLAD THAT YOU ALL TOOK THE TIME TO JOIN US HERE TODAY, BUT WE WILL ALSO BE OFFERING GROUP OFFICE HOURS IN THE COMING WEEKS. AND SO, WHEN WE SEND A FOLLOW-UP EMAIL AFTER THIS EVENT, WE'LL INCLUDE THOSE REGISTRATION LINKS SO THAT YOU CAN JOIN US FOR A MORE INTIMATE Q&A SESSION AND RECEIVE AS MUCH SUPPORT WITH YOUR APPLICATION PROCESS AS POSSIBLE. APPLICATIONS DO CLOSE IN APRIL. WE WILL HAVE OUR VIDEO PITCH COMPETITION IN MAY, SO BY THAT POINT, THE FINALISTS WILL HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED, THEY WILL HAVE HAD SEVERAL WEEKS TO PREPARE THEIR VIDEO PITCHES, AND THEN WE'LL HOST THE PITCHES IN MAY, AND THEN WE WILL ANNOUNCE OUR WINNERS IN JUNE. AND NOW, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO INTRODUCE TO YOU ALL SOME PROJECT TEAMS THAT WERE FUNDED LAST YEAR, SO YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT THE TYPE OF IMPACT THEY'VE HAD ON OUR CAMPUS. SO, I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF INTRODUCING THE RACE RESEARCH AND POLICY PORTAL PROJECT TEAM, THE NEXTGEN INITIATIVE AND UNDOCUVERITAS. FOLLOWING THEIR BRIEF PRESENTATIONS, WE WILL THEN HAVE FIVE MINUTES FOR Q&A, AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK ME QUESTIONS OR ASK THE PROJECT TEAMS QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR APPLICATION PROCESS AND THEIR FUNDING YEAR TO DATE. SO, I AM GOING TO STOP SHARING NOW AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO KERRI RATCLIFFE FROM THE RACE RESEARCH AND POLICY PORTAL TO SHARE MORE ABOUT THEIR PROJECT. Kerri: GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. I'LL BE SHARING A SCREEN HERE. HOPEFULLY, THAT WORKS. I AM KERRI RATCLIFFE, AND I AM A BIT OF A PINCH HITTER TODAY FOR THE TEAM WHO WERE ALL IN OTHER OBLIGATIONS. THEY COULDN'T MAKE IT THIS MORNING, AND THEY'RE SORRY ABOUT THAT. BUT I'M A COLLABORATOR WITH THE INSTITUTIONAL ANTIRACISM AND ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT, WHICH IS HOUSED WITHIN THE SHORN SEEN CENTER AT THE KENNEDY SCHOOL. WE REFER TO OURSELVES AS IARA. IARA IS LED BY OUR FACULTY DIRECTOR, DR. KHALIL GIBRAN MUHAMMAD AND DR. MIRIAM ASCHKENASY AND LEAD RESEARCHER ERICA LICHT. IARA WAS FOUNDED TO USE RESEARCH AND POLICY TO PROMOTE ANTIRACISM AS A CORE VALUE AND INSTITUTIONAL NORM. AS PART OF THE WORK, IARA WANTED TO CREATE A RESOURCE TO INFORM STUDENTS, FACULTY, RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS ON WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T WORK IN ORGANIZATIONAL ANTIRACIST CHANGE. WITH THE HELP OF THE CULTURE LAB AND INSPIRATION FROM THE GENDER ACTION PORTAL AT THE WOMEN IN PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAM, WE WERE ABLE TO DESIGN AND LAUNCH THE RACE RESOURCE AND POLICY PORTAL, RRAPP, IN OCTOBER 2020. RRAPP IS A FREE ONLINE RESOURCE DEDICATED TO SUMMARIZING AND PROMOTING RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS ON DIVERSITY, RACIAL EQUITY, AND ANTIRACIST ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE IN PRIVATE, PUBLIC, AND NON-PROFIT FIRMS AND ENTITIES. THIS RESOURCE HELPS CHANGE-MAKERS LEARN AND FIND THE TOOLS THEY NEED. BY BUILDING AND MAINTAINING THIS PORTAL AND PROVIDING PRACTITIONERS EASY ACCESS TO SIGNIFICANT MATERIALS, WE HOPE TO INCREASE THE REPRESENTATION OF THIS WORK IN THE CLASSROOM, STUDENT WORK, EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM, ORGANIZATIONS, AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT. SINCE OUR START ON THE PROJECT LAST SPRING, WE'RE ABLE TO FRAME OUT THE STRUCTURE FOR RRAPP, HIRE A WEB DESIGN TEAM, AND BEGIN TO POPULATE THE SITE WITH RESOURCES. WE HIRED A DIVERSE TEAM OF FIVE TECHNICAL WRITERS, ALL CURRENT HARVARD STUDENTS, TO REVIEW ARTICLES, SUMMARIZE, CATEGORIZE, AND POST TO THE SITE. WE GROUP AND LINK RESOURCES TO HELP ORGANIZATION -- TO HELP ORGANIZE AND PROMOTE COMPLEMENTARY RESEARCH. THE SITE HAS BEEN VERY WELL RECEIVED BY RESEARCHERS AND APPRECIATED BY THE AUTHORS WE'VE FEATURED. WE'RE EXCITED AT HOW HELPFUL THE RESOURCE HAS ALREADY BEEN TO MANY USERS. WE'VE HAD MORE THAN 3,000 DISTINCT USERS ACCESS THE SITE AND 7,500 PAGE VIEWS JUST IN THE LAST FOUR MONTHS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD OUT THE SITE, ADDING ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AND CREATING MORE TOOLKIT RESOURCES. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO VISIT AND EXPLORE RRAPP AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. THE IARA TEAM IS HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE HARVARD COMMUNITY MAY HAVE TODAY OR IN THE FUTURE, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF APPRECIATION AND THANKS TO THE CULTURE LAB TEAM FOR SUPPORTING US IN THIS ENDEAVOR AND ALLOWING US A CHANCE TODAY TO SHOWCASE OUR PROJECT. THANK YOU. Jainaba: GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, KERRI. AND WE DEFINITELY ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO VISIT THIS PORTAL AND EXPLORE IT FOR YOURSELVES. AND NEXT, I AM HAPPY TO INTRODUCE AMANDA SHARICK AND SHANDRA JONES TO TALK ABOUT THE NEXTGEN INITIATIVE PROJECT. Amanda: THANK YOU, JAINABA, AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE ON THE CULTURE LAB TEAM FOR ALLOWING US TO SHARE OUR WORK. SO, MY NAME IS AMANDA SHARICK. I'M THE SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE GRADUATE COMMONS PROGRAM, AND I AM ALSO THE PROJECT LEAD FOR NEXTGEN, WHICH IS INCORPORATING OF TEN-PLUS PEOPLE WHO ARE ON OUR APPLICATION. AND SHANDRA JONES IS HERE AS OUR CURRICULUM DESIGN LEAD AND WILL BE TALKING IN JUST A SECOND. BUT REALLY, NEXTGEN IS A MULTIPLATFORM INITIATIVE THAT USES TECHNOLOGY, OUR ONEHARVARD WEBSITE, TO ALIGN, CONSOLIDATE, AND ENHANCE EXISTING SUPPORTS FOR NEXTGEN STUDENTS, THOSE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILIES TO EARN A DEGREE IN THE U.S. OR COME FROM UNDERSERVED, UNDERRESOURCED COMMUNITIES, SO THAT WHEN THEY ARRIVE AND THROUGHOUT THEIR TIME HERE AT HARVARD, THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO GO, WHETHER THEY'RE A COLLEGE STUDENT, A BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENT, A DIVINITY SCHOOL STUDENT. WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THEIR EXPERIENCE JUST TO SUPPORT THEIR EXPERIENCE IN AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM. SO, WHEN WE KIND OF PITCHED THIS PROGRAM, IT SHIFTED A BIT AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND MOVING TO A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT, WHEN WE REALIZED, NOT ONLY WAS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE A PLATFORM, BUT WE REALLY NEEDED TO FOCUS IN ON SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PROVIDING THE RESOURCES, WHO WERE SHAPING THOSE EXPERIENCES IN THE CLASSROOM. AND SO, WE WORKED WITH OVER SEVEN SCHOOLS, 20-PLUS DEPARTMENTS AND STUDENT ORGS TO HOST ABOUT 20-PLUS PROGRAMS, INCLUDING REALLY WONDERFUL RESOURCE SERIES WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE COUNSELING AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. I WANT TO SHOUT-OUT TO STEPHANIE DeSANTIS THERE AS WELL AS PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING EVENTS IN NATIONAL FOR NATIONAL NEXTGEN MONTH THAT YOU CAN READ ABOUT IN THE GAZETTE, THAT SERVED OVER 100 STUDENTS. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS WORK WE'RE ABLE TO DO AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO BUILD OUT THOSE RESOURCES. BUT MOST OF OUR TIME HAS BEEN SPENT ON A LOT OF ENERGY ON SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT NEXTGEN STUDENTS THE MOST OR HAVE THE MOST AMOUNT OF FACETIME, AND THAT'S FACULTY. AND SO, LEADING THIS EFFORT TO SUPPORT OUR FACULTY AND TEACHING STAFF IS OUR CURRICULUM DESIGN LEAD, SHANDRA JONES. AND I'M GOING TO TOSS IT TO HER NOW. Shandra:THANKS, AMANDA. HI, EVERYONE. I'M SHANDRA JONES. AND AS AMANDA SAID, I'VE BEEN THE FACULTY DEVELOPMENT LEAD AND OUR FOCUS HAS BEEN SUPPORTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RESEARCH-BASED AND RESEARCH-INFORMED BEST PRACTICES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING FOR NEXTGEN OR FIRST-GEN LOW-INCOME STUDENTS' SUCCESS. SO WE SPENT THE YEAR REALLY FOCUSED ON INITIAL INFORMATION-GATHERING, AS IS LISTED ON THE SCREEN, AND CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. THAT LED TO THE CREATION OF A DIGITAL TOOL KIT SPECIFIC TO FACULTY AROUND THREE PILLARS OF THEIR PEDAGOGY AND THEIR WORK WITH STUDENTS, AROUND ADVISING, AROUND TEACHING, AND AROUND HANDS-ON, ACTIONABLE STEPS THAT THEY CAN TAKE NOW THAT ALSO LED TO THE CREATION OF MODULE FACULTY WORKSHOP, WHERE WE HOSTED 23 FACULTY MEMBERS FROM HARVARD AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, WHERE WE WALKED THEM THROUGH, AGAIN, HANDS-ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PRINCIPLES THAT THEY HAD HEARD IN OTHER PLACES, LIKE VPAL AND THE HILT CONFERENCES. SO WE'RE EXCITED TO CLOSE THE YEAR REALLY FOCUSED ON BRINGING A LOT OF THE CONTENT WE'VE DEVELOPED AND HARNESSED INTO A DIGITAL PLATFORM THAT CAN BE USED AS A TYPE OF FACULTY IMPLEMENTATION COURSE FOR FACULTY. SO, I WILL STOP THERE, AND THANK YOU. Jainaba: GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, AMANDA AND SHANDRA. AND NOW I AM HAPPY TO PASS IT OVER TO OUR UNDOCUVERITAS TEAM, LED BY DIEGO, EMILY, AND DENISSE. Diego: THANK YOU SO MUCH. HI, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS DIEGO. I AM A SENIOR AT THE COLLEGE, AND TODAY JOINING ME ARE MY COLLEAGUES EMILY ROMERO AND DENISSE ROJAS, WHO ARE A PART OF THE UNDOCUVERITAS TEAM. SO, IN SHORT, UNDOCUVERITAS IS A VIRTUAL SUPPORT HUB FOR UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT STUDENTS AIMED AT FOSTERING COMMUNITIES, CENTRALIZING RESOURCES, AND CHANGING CAMPUS CULTURE FOR UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS AT HARVARD. OUR PROJECT SEEMS TO ADJUST THE LACK OF VISIBLE SUPPORT AND ALSO THE SENSE OF BELONGING FOR THIS COMMUNITY ACROSS ALL OF HARVARD'S VARIOUS SCHOOLS AND CAMPUSES. AND AS WE'LL SHOW YOU A PREVIEW IN JUST A SECOND, THE MAIN COMPONENT OF UNDOCUVERITAS IS AN ONLINE PLATFORM, WHICH KIND OF ADDRESSES THAT ISSUE IN CENTRALIZING CAMPUS INFORMATION AND ALSO BUILDING A COMMUNITY IN ORDER TO IMPROVE BOTH THE UNDOCUMENTED STUDENT EXPERIENCE AND THEIR EVENTUAL SUCCESS. SO, OUR PROPOSAL INCLUDED TWO COLLEGE STUDENTS, THREE GRADUATE STUDENTS AND THREE CAMPUS PARTNERS, WHICH ARE LISTED ON THE SLIDE. NOW I'LL PASS IT OVER TO EMILY FOR A BRIEF UPDATE ON OUR PROJECT. Emily: THANKS, DIEGO. SINCE RECEIVING THE HCLIF GRANT, WE HAVE WORKED WITH DEVELOPERS AND GRAPHIC ARTISTS TO DESIGN AND CREATE OUR ONLINE PLATFORM. IN THE FALL, WE CONDUCTED A PILOT PROGRAM WITH A SMALL GROUP OF STUDENTS TO TEST THE PLATFORM, AND ALSO WORKED WITH THE CHIEF SECURITY OFFICER AT HUIT TO ENSURE THAT OUR PLATFORM WAS SECURE TO USE. WE'VE ALSO IDENTIFIED CAMPUS PARTNERS SUCH AS THE OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES AND THE HARVARD IMMIGRATION REFUGEE CLINIC TO CONSOLIDATE EXISTING RESOURCES FOR THE UNDOCUMENTED STUDENT COMMUNITY AND TO CREATE UP-TO-DATE RESOURCE INFORMATION ON OUR PLATFORM. LASTLY, OVER 70 STUDENTS AND ALLIES HAVE REGISTERED TO JOIN. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND HERE'S THE HOME PAGE OF THE UNDOCUVERITAS PLATFORM. AS YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES HELP UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS ASK SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AND NAVIGATE VARIOUS RESOURCES. AND WE'RE SO EXCITED TO SEE OUR COMMUNITY GROW IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS. WE WILL BE IN THE REBUILDING COMMUNITY BREAKOUT ROOM, AND WE'RE REALLY HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANYONE HAS. THANK YOU. >>