Prairie State Wire

Illinois Board of Higher Education issued the following announcement on Oct. 8.

With an increased focus on equity, the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) is announcing the newest group of Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI) students. The DFI program provides financial assistance to underrepresented students pursuing graduate and professional degrees at Illinois public and private institutions with a goal of increasing faculty of color at Illinois higher education institutions.

"The DFI fellowship has significantly contributed to my success in graduate school where it has allowed for numerous professional development opportunities, both inside and outside of the university," said Melissa Pergande, a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Many students echo that sentiment.

"We are thrilled to support these DFI fellows as they continue their education and prepare for a rewarding career in Illinois higher education," said Ginger Ostro, executive director, IBHE. "When we look at equity, we also look at diversity, and this program's goal is to prepare doctoral candidates from underrepresented groups for teaching positions in our colleges and universities, or in education-related positions within state government. Not only does this create opportunity for increasing faculty of color, we know this is important to college success for more students of color."

For fiscal year 2021, IBHE is using $1.456 million to support 103 fellows, who were chosen from 20 participating DFI institutions across the state. Of those fellows, 65 are continuing students and 38 are new recipients. The program has served nearly 600 students since the program began in 2004.

Arthur Sutton, deputy director of diversity and outreach, said, "This is a dynamic program  that encourages and supports underrepresented students to remain as faculty members in the state of Illinois. To support the program's success, we oversee various programs and activities that promote thesis and dissertation work for fellows and are in continuous communication with students and their institutional representatives about progress and achievement."

As a condition of the award, recipients agree to accept a teaching or staff position in an Illinois higher education institution or governing board, or an education-related position in a state agency, equal to the number of years the student was a participant in the program.

The DFI Act, enacted in 2004, authorizes the IBHE Board to appoint a DFI program board to establish policies and procedures to administer the program. IBHE staff provide the DFI program leadership and support.

New Fellows

Adler University

          Wuraola Sosina

          LaWanda McCraney

DePaul University

          Estrella Vargas

          Jesus Solano

Eastern Illinois University

          Ly'Jerrick Ward

Illinois State University

          Jacqueline Jouett

          Stacey Wiggins

          Jewel Woodard

Loyola University

          Fabio Duque

National Louis University

          Eric Edwards

Northeastern Illinois University

         Paula Sanchez-Garcia

         April Walker-Starr

         Karen Guadarrama

Northern Illinois University

         Sherry Franklin

         Andrea Jackson-Sagredo

Roosevelt University

         Christina Dupee

         Noemi Terrazas

         Maria Alvarez

         Yolanda Flowers

         Lynn Weishaupt

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

        Bryan Cotton

        Daniel VanOverbeke

University of Illinois at Chicago  

        Jessica Brito

        Hagar Hallihan

        Jacob Reed

        Yesenia Vargas

        Aide Hernandez

        Brian Osei-Badu

        LaShawn Evans

        Derick Anderson

        Juanita Calvo

        Benjamin Brown

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

        Marisol Jimenez

        Miche'le Johnson

        Melanie Marshall

        Bianca Lopez

        Brandi Smith

        Larry Washington

Returning Fellows

Aurora University

       Cameron Frazier

       Amber Floyd

Adler University

       Alexis Cameron

       Crystal  Murdock

       Andrea Stiles

Chicago State University

       Marcardo Thomas

DePaul University

       Belinda Green

       Andrew Calderon

Governors State University  

       Monica Teixeira

       Paulette Eason-Williams

       Michelle Williams

Illinois State University

      Caress Brown

      Rosalva Medina

      Tricia Rosado

      Jorge Sanchez

      DuJuan Smith

      Diana Soriano

      Jamillah Gilbert

Loyola University

     Papa Adams

National Louis University

     Rosanna Cordero

Northern Illinois University

     Sharazazi Dyson

     Brigitte Bingham

     Susana DasNeves

     Konya Sledge

     DaShae Rodriguez-Harris

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

     Chelesea Lewellen

     Kimberly Turner

University of Chicago

     Alejandro Flores

     Darnell Leatherwood

     Nova Smith

     Marion Malcome

     Elizabeth Davies

     Cashell Lewis

     Sophia Rhee

University of Illinois at Chicago

     Luz Acosta

     Anthony Pena

     Melissa Pergande

     Luz Torres

     Dwayne  Williams

     Deanna Ledezma

     Glenance Green

     Daniel Magers

     Nancy Toure

     Kara Simmons

     Sarah  Malone

     Rafael Moreno

     Ermus St. Louis

     Nancy Dominguez-Fret

     Ramona (Meza) Alcala

     Letrice Beasley

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

     Autumn West

     Juan Mora

     Susan  Ogwal

     Tiffany Harris

     Chequita Brown

     Ronald Threadgill

     Angel Velez

     Jessica Robinson

     Marielisbet Perez

     Jacqueline Guzman

     Alishia Alexander

     Anthony Sullers

     Nathaniel Stewart

     Amari Simpson

     Zam (Kendra) Nalubega

Original source can be found here.