CEP Newsletter: May 2025

A Note from Your Chair

“A wishbone will never suffice where a backbone is required.” (Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington) 

Above, I offer some simple words of encouragement for the good people from good people that motivate me everyday. 

Be well. Be community. Be real! Dr. Croom 

A PRE-CONFERENCE IN TWO PARTS

Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 8:30am-5:15pm Mountain/Denver Time (Tentative) – Virtual Pre-Conference Colloquium via Zoom

There will be a virtual event with a traditional structure inviting attendees to present research and scholarship on issues of race, ethnicity, and racism and the relationship of race, ethnicity, and racism with other systems of oppression, domination, and violence. In short, the Virtual Colloquium will feature sessions, presenters, discussants, and chairs as we have been socialized to share academic work (i.e., the norm).

Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 8:30am-6:45pm Mountain/Denver Time (Tentative) – In-Person Pre-Conference Forum at Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel

Our in-person convening will be dedicated to “tending to our roots” as scholars, as parents, as students, as organizers, as activists, as artists, etc. We are so much more than the academy and our in-person Pre-Conference Forum will be dedicated to reminding us of our power, beauty, and brilliance through conversations, laughter, and self-reflective activities with the intention of nurturing community and solidarity with one another. 

 The CEP Pre-Conference Committee and CEP Executive Committee will coordinate the agenda for this day. As such, proposals are not being accepted for the in-person forum. We will share more in the coming months and the full agenda will be released in later summer.

TENDING TO OUR ROOTS: JOY, ART, AND COMMUNITY

The theme of CEP’s Pre-Conference is “Tending To Our Roots: Joy, Art, and Community.” Historically, CEP has been deliberately a counter space to think, consider, and prioritize what we, as ethnically and racially minoritized people, care and carry with us: our communities, celebrating the experiences and developments of those with whom we co-create knowledge with and for. Through our research and scholarship, we have collectively created impactful and culturally-sustaining approaches to address the harm and needs of our communities. This is the work we have dedicated our scholarship towards, which is personal and political.

However, this year, in alignment with the conference theme, the CEP Pre-Conference will be engaged differently. We want to honor the dedication of CEP and our communities by providing both a virtual counter-space celebrating and honoring our work as well as providing an in-person convening to nurture and nourish ourselves through joy, art, and community. We hope you accept our invitation to, in the words of our ASHE President, “move outside the frame and color outside the lines” as we curate a space that celebrates and honors who you are, where you come from, and what you dream of. 

CEP Executive Committee: What Has The Executive Committee Been Up To?

Since Fall 2023, Dr. Ekpe has offered graduate students free professional development opportunities semesterly. These opportunities have enhanced graduate students' journeys and created spaces for graduate students to grow academically, mentally, and socially. Congratulations to Dr. Ekpe on her fourth consecutive graduate student development. Read more here.

Dr. Moody Marshall successfully defended her dissertation, "But Then You Remember Your Purpose": A Phenomenological Exploration of Black Undergraduate Women’s Critical Purpose Development at a Predominantly White Institution, on March 18. She was also selected as the NC State College of Education’s Graduate Student Commencement Speaker. Read more here. 

At the recent NASPA Annual Conference, Dr. Brittany Smotherson participated in the sponsored panel "Inspiring Global Student Affairs Research." Dr. Smotherson shared insights from her dissertation research exploring the perceptions, experiences, and impact of U.S. Black women studying abroad in Ghana. Alongside fellow scholars, she discussed the growing importance of global research in student affairs, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities of expanding academic work beyond U.S. borders.

On May 1, 2025, Dr. Natasha Croom was promoted to the rank of (full) Professor at Clemson University. We are so proud of you, Dr. Croom, and appreciate all you do for the CEP community. Congratulations!! 

CEP Leadership

To learn more about CEP Leadership, please click here.