The Intercultural Development and Education to Action (IDEA) Institute

The IDEA Institute is a year-long program enabling faculty and staff to deepen intercultural learning and development to expand critical consciousness in their current work. Participants will complete the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI©), create a personalized development plan, and engage in development sessions and experiential learning activities to advance their intercultural learning, competencies, and practices.

Participation in this cohort experience will culminate in individual projects directly related to participants’ functions on campus, Unit 1 goals, or performance appraisal goals. Participants will receive an IDEA Institute Completion Certificate upon completing all Institute requirements.

Program Components

Participant Information

The IDEA Institute is open to Elon faculty and staff members. Ideal participants include:

  • Early- or Mid-career Faculty and Staff with Leadership Aspirations: Colleagues who are ready to expand their critical consciousness and use intercultural insights to shape their current or future leadership roles, particularly in decision-making related to curricular or co-curricular inclusive excellence initiatives.
  • Faculty and Staff with Unit-Specific Goals: Individuals who are seeking intentional support in aligning their intercultural learning with specific goals tied to their department’s inclusive excellence initiatives, or their own performance appraisal or Unit 1 objectives.
  • Staff and Faculty Working with Student Leaders: Colleagues committed to enhancing their ability to support Elon’s diverse student population, fostering a sense of belonging and well-being inside and outside the classroom.
  • Staff and Faculty Engaged in Intra/Interdepartmental Collaborations: Those who want to strengthen their ability to recognize biases and appropriately adapt behaviors while collaborating across cultural differences within or across departmental projects and initiatives.
  • Faculty and Staff Seeking Community: We know that engaging in inclusive excellence and DEI work can be both rewarding and challenging. This program offers a supportive community for individuals passionate about developing their intercultural competencies who are looking for space to reflect, share, and apply new insights within their professional roles.

The goal of the IDEA Institute is to create a dynamic, supportive cohort that will learn and grow together while making a lasting impact in their work at Elon.

IDEA Institute Application

This year, the IDEA Institute is excited to welcome a cohort of 10 dedicated faculty and staff members. Applicants accepted into the Institute are committing to yearlong involvement (September 2024 – August 2025).

Applications for the ’24-’25 AY must be submitted by or before noon on Thursday, September 5, 2024.

24-25 AY Timeline
  • Apply for the IDEA Institute: Wed. August 21- Thurs. September 5
    • Submit responses to the following items in 2 pages or less (12 pt. font, single spaced) or a maximum of 1000 words:
      1. What motivates you to participate in the IDEA Institute, and how do you envision the institute impacting your work and personal growth?
      2. What specific goals do you have for deepening your intercultural learning and expanding your critical consciousness through this program?
      3. Can you describe some challenges you face where successfully navigating cultural differences is crucial? How do you currently address these challenges?
      4. Reflecting on your experiences, what are some common situations where cultural differences have presented challenges, and how have you managed them?
      5. Share your experiences with previous diversity, inclusion, or intercultural learning efforts. Were these initiatives successful or unsuccessful, and what factors contributed to their outcomes?
  • Selected participants are notified and invited to complete the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI©): Mon. September 9- Fri. September 13
  • Group Orientation: Wed. September 18 (Time TBD, based on application responses)
  • Fall ’24 Group Development and Education Sessions: (Wednesdays; Time TBD, based on application responses)
    • September 25
    • October 9
    • October 23
    • November 6
    • November 20
    • December 4
  • Spring ’25 Project Development and Mastermind Sessions (Days and Time TBD, developed by Cohort)
  • Reflection Retreat:  Week of May 28, 2025
  • Summer ’25 Check-In: (Days and Time TBD, developed by Cohort)
  • Presentation and Graduation: August 2025