RIT Professor Creates Space for Sister Scholars to Connect | October 2023
Katrina Overby, assistant professor in the School of Communication, hosted the inaugural Sister Scholars Connect: Black Women Faculty Writing Retreat last month at RIT’s Tait Preserve. Overby joined the RIT faculty after taking part in the Division of Diversity and Inclusion’s Future Faculty Career Exploration Program in 2018.
The writing retreat brought 30 Black women faculty and graduate students together to spend a day focusing on their individual scholarly research. They came from RIT, the University of Rochester, St. John Fisher University and Lemoyne College. Before meeting in-person, they had a virtual pre-retreat workshop to plan out their writing goals. It was facilitated by Dr. Jervette Ward, associate professor and newly appointed director of Black Studies at The City College of New York (CCNY).
Overby says, “The writing retreat was truly a refreshing, reaffirming and rejuvenating experience that each of our sister-scholars strongly expressed they needed at this moment. Each of us needed time away from our respective responsibilities to make measurable progress on our current research goals and projects and to be in community with each other.” She added, “Our retreat kicked off with a centering and breathing exercise led by Kristen Hocker, assistant professor of Clinical Nursing at the University of Rochester, to hold space and honor the collective power of being together in community, productivity, and joy.”
The retreat was made possible through the Connect Grant award from the AdvanceRIT office, which supports faculty career advancement for women faculty at RIT. Co-sponsors included RIT’s Office of the Provost and School of Communication and the University of Rochester’s Frederick Douglass Institute.
Overby serves as Principal Investigator (PI) on the grant, with a team of five Co-PI’s from a variety of departments at RIT: Makini Beck (CLA and School of Individualized Studies), Nickesia Gordon (CLA/School of Communications), Sarah Sarchet (NTID Science and Mathematics), Blessing Emerenini (COS School of Mathematics and Statistics), Nonhle Channon Mdziniso (COS School of Mathematics and Statistics) and Graduate Assistant, Sheetal Pandey (School of Communication). The senior project mentor is dt ogilvie, professor in Saunders College of Business, who delivered the group’s charge for the day and words of wisdom.
Overby says, “Our project mentor, dt Ogilvie, reminded our sister-scholars about the mission and purpose of the day: make progress on scholarship and build lasting connections within our new community and sister-scholarhood. We believe and understand that it is necessary for Black women scholars to have safe and supportive spaces to be vulnerable and to celebrate their achievements, discuss challenges, and to strive for collective academic productivity. I am so grateful that our team has a shared vision, a shared mind, and a shared purpose.”