Joy Bostic brings a lifetime of learning and experience of community service to her role as the associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusive engagement for the College of Arts and Sciences, where she is focused on initiatives, policies and programs that increase diversity across the college.
As an out-of-the-box-thinker, Bostic has been successful bringing forth solutions to Case Western Reserve almost from the time she first stepped on campus in 2007. One of her priorities since assuming the role as associate dean is the importance of having faculty in the college who not only are the tops in their fields and areas of study but who also reflect the diverse population of our students and the community.
“I believe that recruiting new faculty that represent all of us is crucial to the success of the college,” Bostic said. “We developed new protocols for encouraging faculty that included those of different cultural and professional backgrounds to join our ranks.”
For example, over the last few years, she has worked with departments to identify and recruit 5 new faculty members through the university’s North Star Faculty program who are representative of underrepresented communities.
Bostic also embraces all that Cleveland and University Circle have to offer and has used it to bring people to the university. She believes that the diversity of the community acts as its own classroom.
“I lived in New York City for 14 years before I moved here and there really is no place like the diversity of University Circle,” she said. “There’s so much that I can do with my religious studies students. We can walk over to the Church of the Covenant, a Pentecostal church or a mosque.”
Raised to seek out justice and service
Bostic also serves as CWRU’s university marshal during commencement ceremonies
As a child, Bostic experienced first hand how a community can come together to lift up people in need. She learned first hand from family and those around her that you should support causes that help people who have been marginalized and left out of the community norms.
“Growing up in the Black church, my family and those in our circle were always participating in causes along racial justice and service,” she remarked.
There’s also a strong foundation beyond these formative years. Bostic is an ordained minister—which aided in her theological development around what it means to create a real community—and through her early work at the African American Task Force on Violence against Women, and the Barnard Columbia Rape Crisis Center/Anti-Violence Support Center in New York City, she developed leadership skills that provide her with the ability to work with others on identifying and finding solutions to the issues that create divisiveness in racial, cultural, religious and gender relations.
At CWRU, Bostic has served as program faculty in ethnic studies and in the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, and was the founding director of the African American studies program.
When it comes to what the university community can do to foster a more inclusive environment on campus, her biggest advice is to listen empathetically!
“When you have someone in your office or space, barriers will break down when we hear the voices of those different from us,” she said. “The personal exchange of ideas is very important, so if someone is availing themselves or you to them, those discussions lead to us understanding more and learning more.”
Bostic is happy to “listen” to those interested in learning more about inclusivity or those wanting to talk about community involvement.