On February 1st, 2022, the College of Communication and Information hosted EDI in Action: A Dialogue with Former CCI Students. This panel, moderated by Dr. Davis Houck, provided a space for CCI alumni to discuss their experiences at FSU and their vision for the college’s progression.
This panel was the first of its kind at CCI, and Dr. Houck explained that, “We want our recent high achieving and diverse alumni to help us shape the future and do that work. We also need to take a hard look and an honest look at our past to see where we can improve in and out of the classroom.”
The high achieving alumni Dr. Houck mentioned include Fabeanne Collins (’09, M.S. Media/Communication Studies), Dr. Pablo Correa (’18, Ph.D. Communication Theory), Ariana Davis (’18, B.S. Information Technology), and Dr. Lars Stoltzfus (‘21, Ph.D. Mass Communications, PSU & ’14, M.A. Media & Communication Studies, FSU).
During the discussion, panelists were asked to share about some of their most formative experiences at FSU. “I think about Mark Zeigler and the power of having teachers and professors who see something in you that you may not see in yourself, who push you…so that they are helping to bring out the best in you,” said Collins. Dr. Stoltzfus shared that, “Having that undercurrent of support, not just for what we did in the classroom but [also] what we did outside of the classroom, was just phenomenal. It shaped not only what I wanted to be in college, but how I wanted to interact with the world around me in every single situation.”
The panelists also discussed their ideas of how CCI could progress in the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Dr. Stoltzfus suggested an increase in both the number of professors who come from diverse backgrounds as well as the number of professors whose expertise lies in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Correa agreed stating that, “It really would help students to be able to see someone that looks like them past that finish line.”
During the panel, CCI Interim Dean Stephen McDowell thanked panelists and attendees for their participation and stated that, “Everything we do is a step forward and a step that we’re going to learn from.” Overall, the panelists and attendees seemed extremely pleased with the discussion and eager to participate in similar events in the future.
To learn more about the College of Communication and Information, visit https://cci.fsu.edu/