Mansfield University Home PageFrederick Douglass was a former slave who became a distinguished orator, journalist, author, and statesman. After gaining his freedom, Douglass traveled throughout the North giving abolitionist speeches in many cities and towns, including Wellsboro, PA, in 1871.
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The Frederick Douglass Institute at Mansfield University promotes programs that will enhance the learning experience at Mansfield University and help students develop an understanding and appreciation of human dignity and diversity. By presenting and cultivating the spirit of Frederick Douglass's teachings to our campus community, we hope to encourage and produce leaders who are well prepared and predisposed to active participation in the advancement of a democratic world. |
Recent Events: Fall 2009
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Mansfield University and the Frederick Douglass Institute are committed to promoting equity and advancing diversity to create a more welcoming environment for Mansfield, its community, and the region. This fall FDI furthered that goal by working with Mansfield’s First Year Experience Program to bring author Francis Bok to campus. The freshman summer book was Bok’s Escape From Slavery, and Mr. Bok spoke on our campus on Sept. 3, 2009. Bringing Francis Bok to Mansfield has been yet another step in the process of spreading awareness and thereby contributing to an environment of equality through understanding at Mansfield. |
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Past Guest Speakers/Performers
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Fall 2004: Julian Bond
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News
PASSHE FDI Collaborative
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2010 Request for Proposals (RFP) Pennsylvania Department of Education Lifelong Learning Grant Purpose This request for proposals seeks university proposals for initiatives that stimulate and promote further research on the life and times of Frederick Douglass, research on effective multicultural studies in the classroom, and for establishing professional workshops designed to create innovative pedagogies from PASSHE faculty that focus on issues related to equity and inclusion. The request also aims to attract responses that build on key programs that have been successful in promoting diversity on each PASSHE campus. Funding Funding support will be considered and determined on a case-by-case basis. Generally, Eligible Academic Programs Projects from all academic disciplines are eligible. Collaborative proposals involving two or more System Universities are particularly encouraged. In collaborative proposals, one University must be the lead applicant and letters of commitment from the other collaborating Universities must be included. The collaborating Universities must have an active role in the project. This grant will support the following types of projects: 1. Curriculum development (including revision or upgrades) related to diversity 2. Professional Development Workshops 3. Research Projects related to diversity For a complete RFP, click here: Collaborative RFP For more information, contact the MU FDI Director, Lynn Pifer lpifer@mansfield.edu |
Student Scholars
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First and foremost FDI is represented by its student scholars. A recipient of the FDI scholarship and African American Minor, Abby Glen, presented her paper, “The Impact of Social Death on Ethnic Identity in America,” at the FDI Undergraduate Conference at Bloomsburg University on April 17, 2009. This year the funding sources that we usually depend on for student scholarships dried up due to the economic downturn. However, Mansfield’s FDI Steering Committee remains committed to supporting scholarships for excellent students. Committee members donated $900 to ensure that we can continue our scholarship tradition. This year Krista Hutcherson, Kimberlee Blocker, and Miki Endo received Douglass scholarships for their academic excellence and their commitment to diversity on the M.U. campus. These new FDI scholars were honored at the multicultural recognition banquet on April 25, 2009. |
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Studying Abroad
FDI has joined with Bloomsburg University to promote an exchange program to the University of Buea in Cameroon, Africa. This summer two Mansfield students, Kathë Scott and Ashley Wallis, studied abroad for a month, taking classes such as The Geography of Africa, Gender and Development in Sub-Sahara Africa, Environmental Geology, and Non-Western Literature: African Women and Their Stories. Plans for a 2010 summer trip to Cameroon are already underway.
Faculty Scholarship
Two Mansfield faculty members: Dr. Denise Seigart, Robert Packer Health Science, and Dr. Janice Purk, Sociology; attended the PASSHE Faculty Weekend Writing Retreat this summer at Toftrees Golf Resort and Conference Center in State College, PA, an event funded by the Frederick Douglass Collaborative. The purpose of the Faculty Writing Retreat is to provide a dedicated block of time for participants, who are women or are from an underrepresented ethnic or racial group, to advance a scholarly project intended for presentation or publication. It took place on July 30 – August 2, and our participants received daily writing support and attended professional development workshops by accomplished professionals.
Get Involved
From the representation of our scholars, the opportunities to go abroad, the promotion of diversity through collaborative scholarship, to offering classes from visiting professors, FDI is promoting equity through diversity. For more information about going abroad to Africa in the summer of 2010 or to learn how you can become involved in FDI, contact our director, Dr. Lynn Pifer.