Q&A with Mina Shin on DEI Foundations
March 5, 2024 - Michale Coffey and Mina Shin
Dr. Mina Shin joined the Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, or IDI, in August 2022 for an inaugural role as DEI learning development specialist and DEI Foundations project manager. DEI Foundations is MSU’s university-wide online educational program on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, required for all Spartans, including students, staff and faculty. Shin led the development of a new, MSU-specific, fully tailored e-learning experience for the campus community. The program launched in March 2024 and incremental rollout will continue to the end the year.
Can you tell us about yourself?
I am a versatile Ph.D. with diverse work experiences and a unique career path, swinging back and forth between theory and practice. Developing a new DEI Foundations, which more than 64,000 Spartans will take, was a massive undertaking for one person but this job was a perfect fit to me. I have educational backgrounds in language, literature, humanities, advertising, film and media. I applied all these skills in this project as a creative storytelling of our Spartan experience.
My work experiences at MSU for the past 15 years as a College of Arts and Letters faculty member and International Studies and Programs academic specialist also helped me develop skills and knowledge in teaching, advising, curriculum development, professional development training and international education. I applied this experience to the DEI Foundations development so the wide spectrum of learners find the course easy, fun, enjoyable, relatable and relevant.
What was DEI Foundations and what about it have you been working to revamp?
When the DEI course became a requirement in 2020, IDI outsourced it to a subscription-based service. The generic DEI course developed by the external company didn’t work well for the Spartan community. Dr. Patricia Stewart, director of education and development programs in IDI, who facilitated the program from its inception, identified growing needs and interests for an educational model reflective of MSU’s diversity and unique environment. I was brought in to develop a new course from scratch. The goal was to develop a shared understanding of our institution’s commitment to DEI.
The course not only introduces key DEI concepts, skills and practices but also includes MSU-specific knowledge, context and experiences. It features photos and videos of Spartans. I believe it’s huge progress to have our own DEI educational program, and it will be a totally different e-learning experience. I hope people approach this course with an open mind and curiosity. This shared learning will help strengthen our sense of belonging.
What has been your process for engaging the campus community?
I designed the entire development process as a collaborative project and engaged with the community. While brainstorming ideas and developing course design, I contacted many stakeholders including student groups and many different types of employee groups to understand their needs and wants. I invited people to every stage of development, from writing to testing and feedback sessions. The progress was presented at many venues, where individuals and relevant units provided expertise to review and improve the content.
I interviewed fellow Spartans and produced videos featuring students, staff and faculty. Engaging with the community was not an easy process and took a long time. But it was the right thing to do and totally worth it. I am so thankful for those people who directly and indirectly got involved and participated in this project. The project would not have been complete without their input and engagement. The full acknowledgment is available on our course webpage.
What is your vision for the future of DEI Foundations?
Countless revisions were made before launch, but there is still room for improvement. I had to adhere to many restrictions, such as the course length. I want to remind people that it is a 60-90-minute introductory course, hence its name, “Foundations.” I couldn’t include everything I initially planned and hoped for. DEI Foundations is an ever-evolving and growing project. If this is the DEI Foundations 1.0 version, there will be Foundations 2.0 and 3.0 in the future.
It’s also a starting place for learning more. I want to encourage people to explore MSU’s additional learning opportunities offered by IDI and other units on campus.
What are some takeaways you are hoping this work receives?
I want to ask these questions: What motivated you to come to MSU? What is your dream? What can you do to make our institution a place of belonging and inclusion? What can MSU do better to support our community?
We are here because we chose MSU to study or work. We all want positive experiences in this institution so we can get closer to our dreams and aspirations. We can’t do this without respecting each other for our differences and experiences. I hope this new DEI Foundations course resonates with many Spartans. It reflects our commitment and Spartans’ will to make positive changes for one another.
For more information on DEI Foundations, visit inclusion.msu.edu/education/dei-foundations.