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Professionalism, Power, Privilege, and Presence: Faculty Identity Under the Influence of Whiteness
Posted by anne.grey
Presenter: Martha Bailey.
Summary
In this presentation, Martha Bailey invites faculty to examine how ideas about professionalism, authority, and faculty identity can be shaped by Whiteness. Many educators develop their understanding of what it means to be a professional through educational and workplace environments where dominant cultural expectations may be treated as neutral or universal.
The session asks participants to look more closely at those expectations and consider how they influence the ways faculty understand their roles, communicate, and show up in learning environments. Even when instructors are committed to inclusive and student-centered teaching, unexamined ideas about professionalism and appropriate behavior may still influence their practices.
Participants are encouraged to reflect on their own professional identities and consider where assumptions connected to Whiteness may be present. This process is approached as an opportunity for continued learning rather than a search for perfection. Reflection can help faculty become more aware of how power, privilege, identity, and professional expectations interact in higher education.
The session also encourages faculty to consider culturally informed and trauma-informed approaches to their work. By remaining curious about their own identities and practices, educators can continue developing more inclusive, responsive, and student-centered approaches while allowing room for growth, grace, and self-acceptance.
Presentation Slides: Professionalism, Power, Privilege, and Presence: Faculty Identity Under the Influence of Whiteness Presentation Slides
Presentation Outcomes
- Consider how ideas about professionalism in higher education may be influenced by Whiteness and dominant cultural expectations.
- Reflect on how professional identity, power, privilege, and personal experiences can influence the ways faculty approach teaching and relationships with students.
- Identify assumptions about what a faculty member or higher education professional is expected to look like, sound like, or value.
- Examine how unrecognized aspects of Whiteness may remain present even within inclusive and student-centered teaching practices.
- Consider culturally informed and trauma-informed approaches that can strengthen responsive teaching and student-centered practices.
- Approach professional growth as an ongoing process of reflection, learning, grace, and self-acceptance.
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