AAPIs@Oakton

A heartfelt sign-off to AAPIs@Oakton. This episode reflects on five years of COMPASS, Oakton College's first AANAPISI grant —from cultural events and student success initiatives to amplifying AAPI voices across campus and beyond. The grant may be ending, but the community and legacy continue.

To learn more about the Asian American Repository, visit https://researchguides.oakton.edu/asianamerican

To learn about COMPASS, check out https://www.oakton.edu/life-at-oakton/diversity-at-oakton/aanapisi.php

We're continuing our conversation with Dr. Janet Oh, Senior Director of Institutional Research at Cal State Northridge. In this episode, we discussed data disaggregation and its significance related to Asian American & Pacific Islander student success.

In this episode, we're diving into the world of Institutional Research — or IR. We sat down with Dr. Janet Oh, Senior Director of Institutional Research at Cal State Northridge. We talked about her journey into IR, what it means to be data-informed rather than data-driven, and how faculty, staff, and administrators can become stronger partners and allies with their IR colleagues.

We are wrapping up our chat with Oakton Staff. In this episode, we reflect on the impact of the AANAPISI program at the college and share our hopes and dreams for the AAPI community on campus.

What does it mean to be Asian American? For many of us, the answer isn’t simple. In this episode, we sat down with Oakton College staff to explore how their identities were shaped by growing up in immigrant families, navigating expectations, and finding a sense of belonging.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Clyne Namuo, the president of Joliet Junior College. Dr. Namuo shares his leadership philosophy and journey to community college presidency as an Asian American Native Hawaiian in the Midwest.

In celebration of Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) week, we interview Dr. Robert A. Underwood, a former member of the U.S. Congress (D-Guam, 1993-2003) and president of the University of Guam (2008-2018). He shares the origin story behind the designation, the significance of the AANAPISI program, and strategies to elevate the AANAPISI status in the U.S. higher education landscape.

In 2002, Dr. Underwood introduced H.R. 4825 to create an AAPI-serving institution designation to be housed in the U.S. Department of Education, along with other Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) Programs. The introduction of H.R. 4825 paved the way for the establishment of AANAPISI program in 2007.

In 2021, Illinois became the first state in the country to pass a measure requiring K-12 public schools to teach at least one instructional unit of Asian American history. The episode will discuss the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act and the importance of learning Asian American history.

Credits: 

CBS Chicago (Producer), (2021, July 10). Illinois Public Schools to be required to teach Asian American History [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17dfA1ziJlk

WGN News (Producer), (2021, July 9). Pritzkers signs laws requiring Asian American history to be taught in Illinois schools [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7__obNGzC9E

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum [Webinar Host], (2022, May 10). Teaching equitable Asian American community history [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4kkDc_2SlI&t=403s

This month, we connect with the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Oakton College. In this candid conversation, we sit down with members of the MSA to explore their experiences and challenges as Muslim students navigating higher education.

We're continuing our conversation with Dr. Anthony Ramos, Chief of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging Officer at Elgin Community College. In this episode, we explore our challenges doing DEI work uplifting Asian American students in the Midwest and the importance of the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).