NEWS EDITOR – ASHTON JEFFERS
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT 4, 2023
This fall semester, St. Mary’s University welcomed Stella Silva, Ph.D. Dr. Silva started at St. Mary’s on Aug. 7, 2023, and has already begun partnering with different groups and programs on campus that promote discussions of diversity, equity and inclusion. Dr. Silva will succeed Sheri King, Ph.D., who retired on May 31, 2023, and who served St. Mary’s as the inaugural Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This semester started strong with different opportunities for community engagement and involvement with events on campus that are important to recognized national holidays and celebrations like Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month and St. Mary’s Marianist Foundation.
The Office of Inclusive Excellence began in 2021, upholding efforts to support, cultivate and highlight the inclusive atmosphere that St. Mary’s campus fosters. The Office of Inclusive Excellence continues to engage in building community while combining Catholic and Marianist values and understanding the value of having different cultures and traditions present in a learning setting of a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). The Office of Inclusive Excellence (IE) participates and plans important events of discussion and cultural engagement on campus, and provides online and campus resources that help students navigate in an educational environment and, eventually, in the workforce.
Dr. Silva has 27 years of experience in Texas higher education roles, in both teaching and administration, having a lot of experience working with students, and is prepared to take on a role in IE. She values bringing different experiences and backgrounds to the table and knows its potential in a learning environment. “As a Catholic Marianist University, inclusive excellence is innate to our value system, specifically, in support of justice and peace, and seeing ourselves as part of a larger familia that supports each other,” Dr. Silva stated when asked about why it’s important to have IE on a college campus. “It is important that inclusive excellence opportunities are available for St. Mary’s as a community so that we can consistently acquire, enhance and practice our inclusive excellence skillset. This involves engaging with each other productively even when we may not agree, increasing our level of cultural awareness to respect and celebrate cultural similarities and differences, and being able to see each other as children of God who are all welcomed at the Marianist table,” Dr. Silva continued.
Having previously served students and campus communities at the University of Texas of San Antonio, Palo Alto College and Texas State University, Dr. Silva is wellversed in student affairs, event planning and coordination, demonstrated by her serving on one of the panels during the Hispanic Heritage Month kickoff event, covering topics of ongoing research and what it means to be an HSI. Dr. Silva looks forward to participating in more conversations about IE and how it applies to a wide range of disciplines and day-to-day experiences. “I hope to continue to spend time meeting and discussing with faculty, staff and students, ways to enhance inclusive excellence initiatives that are already in place, plus developing ways to implement new innovative inclusive excellence initiatives,” Dr. Silva stated about future IE programming and opportunities to be involved on campus.
Dr. Silva spoke about her excitement for future IE experiences and opportunities on campus and how to balance the needs of the St. Mary’s community through IE. “After almost two months serving as the Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence (IE), I can honestly say that I am thoroughly enjoying my experience here at St. Mary’s,” Dr. Silva stated. “Everyone has been so kind and helpful, and I am learning so much. However, before proposing new programming ideas I am engaging in the important process of gathering information about inclusive excellence needs across the institution and identifying areas [where] IE can be effective and impactful. This involves meeting with as many members of the St. Mary’s familia as possible through one-onone meetings, attending faculty and staff gatherings, student organization meet-andgreets, and doing a lot of listening.”
Dr. Silva is not alone in representing IE on campus. Students, faculty and staff participate in the culture-making experiences around St. Mary’s and continue to find ways to work with each other to make these events successful in ways that individuals can learn from and enjoy in a safe and open environment. “Inclusive excellence is important in the world today and more specifically here at St. Mary’s because it is used as an overarching framework for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility,” Dr. Silva shared about the continuing need for IE in modern setting. “It is necessary because it allows for the potential for all members of the St. Mary’s Familia to experience feeling welcomed, valued, and a sense of belonging. As a chosen ‘home away from home’ for our students and ‘an extension of home’ for faculty and staff, it is very important for St. Mary’s as a community to provide inclusive excellence experiences that allow for building a skill set grounded in love, compassion and empathy. These are all qualities needed to engage positively with people around us and even sometimes with people who think differently than we do. As children of God, we all deserve to be treated with respect and consideration. With this in mind, practicing inclusive excellence helps us reach this higher level of humanity.”
For more information on the Office of IE resources and events, visit the Inclusive Excellence page on St. Mary’s University’s official website.