Juliana Mosley, PhD, chief diversity officer and community relations officer at Chestnut Hill College will present a virtual Zoom webinar at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, titled “Making the Unconscious Conscious . . . Through Cultural Humility” as part of Salus University’s Orientation Week for new students.
The purpose of orientation is to familiarize students with the standards of the University and their particular programs, as well as offer advice on making the most of their Salus experience. Orientation Week is designed to introduce students to important resources critical to their personal and academic success. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Orientation Week will be virtual.
Dr. Mosley will be among the virtual speakers. In the current state of affairs, given all that has been going on in the country and the world, many people are struggling with the concept of race and social injustice, she said.
Among the reasons people struggle, she believes, is because they are not conscious of their world view, their own biases and their own identities.
“What I’m challenging people to do is think about this as a very conscious process,” said Dr. Mosley. “Think about who you are, your identities, how they have shaped your world view. And, recognize that if you come to a space and place with all of your experiences and your world view, all of your baggage, that every time you encounter someone else, they are bringing something very similar.”
She said there needs to be a conscious state of mind about this interaction and how it’s going to be affected because of who we are, our world view and how we see things.
“Cultural humility is one concept that I really believe in and employ to help people with this process,” she said.
There are three tenets to cultural humility, according to Dr. Mosley: (1) Self-examination and lifelong learning; (2) Fixing or shifting the power imbalances that exist in every interaction; (3) Partnering in a way that we hold our institutions accountable.
Although this approach is important to all students no matter what institution they attend, Dr. Mosley said Salus students may find it particularly useful as they are being prepared to enter the healthcare world.
“We know that the fallout of this pandemic will move years beyond where we currently are. And, even when these students graduate, they’ll still be dealing with the after effects,” she said. “And, one of the things that this pandemic has revealed is the great disparities that exist based on race and on socio-economic status.”
Salus students, she said, are being positioned to understand the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in a way that has become interwoven in their entire curriculum experience and that they buy into in terms of who they will be as healthcare professionals.
In addition to her duties at Chestnut Hill College, Dr. Mosley serves as a consultant, having presented at more than 70 regional or national conferences and institutions, providing training and development workshops in leadership transition, strategic planning, student development, and diversity (race, gender/sexual orientation, and religion).
She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education from Ball State University, a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Teacher Leadership with concentrated studies in Urban Education, and a PhD in Educational Leadership, both from Miami University.
“I just hope that students will come with an open mind,” she said about her Salus Orientation Week presentation. “Be willing to try it on for size. It just might feel good once you put it on.”
