Presidential Initiative - WMU Professional Development Institute
Building Cultural Communication Competencies
The 2026 PDI application is now closed. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by Mid-March.
The office of Institutional Equity, in partnership with the Offices of Academic Affairs and Diversity and Inclusion, will hold the seventh "WMU Professional Development Institute: Building Cultural Communication Competencies", Tuesday, May 5 to Friday, May 8, 2026. A presidential initiative and the first of its kind in southwestern Michigan, this Professional Development Institute (PDI) features a 30-hour curriculum (3 ½ days) that utilizes intercultural communication concepts and theories to promote the development of cultural competencies central to cultivating an inclusive, diverse workplace. The focus is on providing a comprehensive professional development opportunity for WMU employees interested in gaining the necessary knowledge, skills, and motivation to facilitate culturally-relevant learning activities in and outside of the university classroom. The PDI was recognized by the University with a 2022 Excellence in Diversity Award.
Dr. Mark P. Orbe, Professor, School of Communication and Institutional Equity Faculty Fellow will be the facilitator for the PDI. Designed as a “train-the-trainers” workshop, the Institute works to empower and develop participants to effectively manage cross-cultural communication, implement diversity and inclusion programming, and facilitate different professional development opportunities in various university contexts. The curriculum includes low, moderate and high level experiential learning exercises followed by theoretically-informed facilitation processing which can be replicated and/or adapted to diverse audiences. Specific learning outcomes include:
- Engage participants in multimodal learning activities to create a heightened awareness of how historical, social and structural dimensions affect contemporary inter-group relations;
- Equip participants with the necessary knowledge, resources, support and internal networks to provide equity, diversity, and inclusion programming across WMU;
- Empower participants in the co-creation of individual professional development goals related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access; and
- Enhance existing individual and organizational resources in the building of cultural competency capacity toward the development of a campus model for future sustainability.
Employee recruitment and selection
Equity and Implicit Bias Training for Administrative Searches
Information and training schedule available at wmich.edu/provost.
The Bias-Free Hiring Quick Reference Guide is a supplemental resource for search committee members who participate in one of the Implicit Bias training for Search Committees or an executive level search committee training session. The guide is not a replacement for participation in the training. TURNER CONSULTING GROUP INC. has granted our organization permission to share this information in support of our educational and professional development efforts for search committee members.
Bias Free Hiring Guide
Awareness and harassment prevention training courses
Faculty, Staff and Student Employees
All faculty, staff and student employees have access to online training modules on diversity and preventing and reporting all forms of discrimination, harassment and violence.
Vector Solutions Courses
The following courses are currently available to all faculty, staff, administrators and student employees:
- Clery Act Overview- This course is designed to educate college faculty and staff about the legal requirements mandated by the Clery Act. Topics covered include the importance of this legislation, campus security authorities' reporting responsibilities, the elements of the Annual Security Report, and timely warning and emergency notifications. This course is required for Staff.
- RespectEdu: Preventing Harassment and Discrimination- With separate modules for supervisors and non-supervisors, these comprehensive courses demonstrate how various forms of harassment impact individuals and institutions, while clarifying the rights and responsibilities of all employees in creating a safe, respectful workplace.
Courses will save your progress if you need to stop and return later. Human Resources automatically provides access to new employees.
To start learning now:
- Log into goWMU
- In the App Section "For Faculty and Staff", select the "Awareness and Prevention" App
- Once logged into Vector Solutions, select "Extra Training" from the main menu on the left toolbar, then "Campus Prevention Network"
- Select the course title
For assistance, contact Human Resources at hr-training@wmich.edu.
Students
All students have access to online training modules on diversity and preventing and reporting all forms of discrimination, harassment and violence.
Vector Solutions Courses
- AlcoholEDU for College, This course centers authentic student-driven narratives to explore key topics such as supporting peers in recovery, understanding the short and long-term effects of alcohol and substance use, and the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of abstaining and/or reducing the use of these substances while in college. Required for first year students (including transfer students). Recommended for all students.
- AlcoholEdu Ongoing Education, Ongoing alcohol and substance abuse prevention training for students. Recommended for all upper-level students.
- Belonging and Community, Concepts such as inclusion, influence and authority, access, identities, and communication are covered as well as strategies related to ally behavior, self-care, and creating inclusive spaces. Recommended for all students.
- RespectEdu for College, Provides college students with an overview of creating and maintaining healthy and informed relationships and sexual interactions. Topics include: defining consent, avoiding assumptions, managing rejection, being a good bystander, seeking support and resources, and others. Required for first year students (including transfer students).
- RespectEdu for Graduate Students, Provides students with a comprehensive overview of how to navigate healthy relationships and interactions while in graduate school. Topics include: health boundaries, interpersonal dynamics between colleagues, students and advisors, health sexual interactions and relationships, consent, rejections bystander intervention and others. Recommended for all graduate students.
- RespectEdu Ongoing: Healthy Relationships, Ongoing training that emphasizes healthy relationship skills, tactics for bystander intervention among close friends, and survivor empathy. Recommended for all upper-level students.
To start learning now:
- Log into goWMU
- In the App section "For Students", select the "Awareness and Prevention Training" App
- Once logged into Vector Solutions, select "Extra Training" from the main menu on the left toolbar, then "Campus Prevention Network"
- Select the course title