California State University, Fullerton Academic Sponsor of MECA
The Multicultural Education Conference in Anaheim (MECA) welcomes California State University, Fullerton as an Academic Sponsor with two presentations by CSUF Distinguished Faculty Member Dr. Ding-Jo Currie and CSUF Dept. of Educational Leadership Associate Professor Dr. Eugene Fujimoto.
Dr. Ding-Jo Currie will be speaking on “Multicultural Leadership in Unity” on Sunday, August 20th, 2017 from 9:15 am to 10:00. Leadership within the diverse multicultural contexts is easier said than done. This presentation will focus on the frameworks, principles, and practice of effective multicultural leadership. Using unity in diversity as a central theme, participants will build on practical leadership skills and competencies for leaders at all levels. Dr. Ding-Jo H. Currie’s career includes 30-plus years in the California Community College system with six additional years in the California State University system. Ding-Jo retired in 2011 from Coast Community College District where she served as Chancellor. She also served as President of Coastline Community College prior to her Chancellor role. Currently Ding-Jo is serving as Distinguished Faculty at CSU Fullerton and devotes herself in full time leadership development work. Having served in many key national leadership roles such as Board Chair of American Association of Community Colleges, Board member of American Council on Education, Ding-Jo is still active on many national and local boards such as Air War University Board, Manchester University Board, Emperor College Board, El Veinto Board, President of Lingnan Foundation, and many more. Ding-Jo is well known for her passion and expertise in innovative education, distance learning, leadership development, international education, economic development, entrepreneurial endeavors, and the list goes on. Among numerous outstanding accomplishments, she has received awards such as Women Helping Women Awards, Who’s Who in International Executives, SBA District Director’s Awards, Outstanding Chinese American Scholars, etc. She is known as a visionary leader and a unity builder.
On Sunday, August 20th from 11:15 am to 12:00 pm, Dr. Eugene Fujimoto will speak on “Teaching for student equity: Deepening our asset-based practice in the classroom.” With the current state of education in the U.S., a renewed focus on historical and existing educational inequities based on race, class and gender are more important than ever. It is encouraging that there appears to be interest in moving away from deficit understandings of such inequities, toward more asset based frameworks. How can we effectively include asset-based approaches in the college classroom that can help us to move toward more equitable student outcomes? How can we avoid inadvertently perpetuating dominant, deficit perspectives in the name of equality for all? Is it possible to work from emphasizing student “strengths”, while using a problem-focused pedagogy? This presentation/discussion examines the integration of “hope” (Duncan-Andrade, 2009); critical pedagogy (Freire, 1968); and Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005) to more deeply understand asset v. deficit-based approaches to teaching and learning. Dr. Eugene Oropeza Fujimoto is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at California State University Fullerton. He earned his Ph.D. in educational policy studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.A. in applied behavioral science from City University, and B.A. in psychology from University of California-Santa Barbara. His research includes critical analysis of leadership in higher education, efforts to close racial achievement gaps, and the hiring of diverse faculty. He has worked for over 25 years in higher education in equity, diversity, and affirmative action and has taught in ethnic studies, organizational leadership, instructional leadership, and organizational theory. He most recently presented his work at the American Educational Research Association and the Critical Questions in Education Conference. He is motivated by the sacrifices of his Issei and Nisei ancestors and his children Lia, Yoshie, Isamu, and Marcos, who embody hope for the future.