Community and Inclusivity in CAL

This year, the Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Karina Kline-Gabel, has focused on building relationships with current CAL students representing BIPOC student communities. She established a Student Diversity Council, which made recommendations to the Dean that emphasized how to balance academics, advocacy, and leadership while maintaining boundaries and practicing self-care.

Kline-Gabel also organized a Latinx student leadership trip in May to celebrate our CAL and university student leaders. The group attended a cultural dinner and theater production in Spanish, and met with Marvin Figueroa, Director of Intergovernmental and External Affairs for the Department of Health & Human Services, and Melody Gonzales, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Education Equity, Excellence & Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.

Latinx student leaders on a trip to Washington, D.C. with Karina Kline-Gabel, Assistant Dean.

On a university level, Kline-Gabel orchestrated a community collaboration to host All Are Welcome, part of a JMU Admissions virtual event. She and Melinda Wood, Director of Admissions, also organized an admitted student drive-thru to strengthen relationships with local student applicants. JMU faculty enthusiastically welcomed students who attended and offered special JMU swag to get them excited for the fall.

Kline-Gabel also helped establish the first Global Citizens Community Scholarships, a university-wide effort to help local Harrisonburg students attend JMU with renewable scholarships starting this fall.

Newly admitted students attending a drive-thru event to welcome them to JMU.

Photo by Lucia Gabel