Title: Moving from Academic Marginalization to Academic Advancement
Presenter: Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz

Description: Dr. Sealey-Ruiz will address the question: Does culture in higher education matter? Many would argue that not only does it matter, but it is integral to the academic success of students who are socially marginalized. Considering the promise of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in dismantling barriers to achievement, in this interactive Keynote, Dr. Sealey-Ruiz will ask Rider University faculty to:

Examine some of the cultural, institutional, personal, and social barriers students face.
Determine the cultural congruence of their institutions’ beliefs, practices, and policies with the needs of Rider’s most vulnerable students.
Plan practical approaches to creating a more culturally inclusive environment for their most marginalized students.

Biography: Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz (Ph.D., New York University) is an Associate Professor of English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Yolanda is former Research Associate with the NYU Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, and has worked for Business Week, The New York Times, and New York University in Marketing and Promotion positions. Her research interests include racial literacy development in urban teacher education (with a specific focus on the education of Black and Latino males), literacy practices of Black girls, and Black female college reentry students.

Presentation: Rider University- From Academic Marginalization to Academic Advancement through a Culturally Relevant Approach.Sealey-Ruiz.pdf