Academic Initiatives

Academic Initiatives Affiliates

Faculty & Staff

INT 95 Presenters

Dr. Linda Adler-Kassner
Dr. Tamara Afifi
Irwin Appel
Dr. Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval
Dr. Carla D’Antonio
Dr. Samantha Davis
Jane Faulkner
Megan Fentress
Dr. Kathy Foltz
Dr. Ralph Gallucci
Dr. Gina Genova
Dr. Rebecca Greer
Dr. Margaret Klawunn
Dr. Don Lubach
Dr. Daniel Luna
Dr. David Marshall
Dr. Chris McAuley
Dr. John Park
Dr. Javier Read De Alaniz
Dr. Susannah Scott
Dr. Amit Shilo
Dr. Stuart Smith
Dr. Paul Spickard
Dr. Doug Steigerwald
Dr. Amber VanDerwarker
Eric Wilder
Kim Yasuda

Black Student Engagement Program mentors

Gene and Susan Lucas mentors

Faculty Nights speakers

Dr. Claudine Michel

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Claudine Michel holds a B.A. in Education from École Normale Supérieure, Université d'État d'Haiti and a M.A. and Ph.D. in International Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Michel is a Professor of Black Studies at UCSB and is a former Chair of the Department of Black Studies as well as a former Director of the Center for Black Studies Research. She also served as Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs in the College of Letters and Science. She is the author of Aspects Moraux et Educatifs du Vodou Haïtien and co-author of Etude Comparative des Théories du Développement de l'Enfant. She has co-edited a number of volumes, including Black Studies: Current Issues, Enduring Questions; The Black Studies Reader; Haitian Vodou: Spirit, Myth and Reality; Vodou in Haitian Life and Culture: Invisible Powers; and Brassage: An Anthology of Haitian Poetry. She is a former president of the Haitian Studies Association and has served since 1997 as editor of the only peer-reviewed journal on Haiti, The Journal of Haitian Studies. Dr. Michel is founding member of KOSANBA, A Scholarly Association for the Study of Haitian Vodou and a founding editor for KALFOU: A Journal of Comparative Ethnic and Relational Studies both housed at the UCSB Center for Black Studies Research.

Dr. Mark Shishim

Director

Dr. Shishim holds three degrees from UCSB, including a B.A. in Sociology, M.A. and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Organizational Theory and Policy. For the last ten years he has served UCSB as an educator, student affairs professional, applied researcher and collaborator. In 2008, he was a Getman award recipient for creation of the UCSB Wellness Program and UCSB Wellness Collaborative. He holds a teaching appointment in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education and at two other universities. On the national level, he has served as a speaker, panelist and working group leader for NASPA and ACHA.  Current campus initiatives include the UCSB Wellbeing Survey, Student Affairs Assessment Team, Mindfulness Curriculum Infusion, Gaucho FYI, I Heart UCSB, and the Michael D. Young interns.      

Charlene Macharia

Program Coordinator

Charlene is passionate about empowering students, especially first-generation college students and Black students, by connecting them with all the resources available to them in order to set them up for holistic success during their college career. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from UCSB and a M.A. in Education with an emphasis in Social Justice and Educational Leadership from Antioch University Santa Barbara. After working for UCSB Extension as a program manager for eight months she joined the Academic Initiatives staff team where she now coordinates the Black Resource Committee and oversees the Black Student Engagement Program. She also provides support for Clyde Woods Scholars, Promise Scholars and the Gene Lucas Undergraduate Research Program.

Chryss Yost

Marketing

Chryss Yost joined the Division of Student Affairs in June, 2013. She attended UCSB as a re-entry and transfer student. She majored in English and was part of the first group of students to participate in the Writing Program minor. While at UCSB she won awards for poetry, fiction, and business writing, before graduating with highest honors and distinction in the major. She has worked in high-tech and direct mail marketing, as well as spending time as a full-time freelance writer. She began working as at the UCSB Center for Black Studies Research in 2003, and served as managing editor for the Journal of Haitian Studies for eight years before moving to an artist position at UCSB Library.