School of Education
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity, inclusion, and access to higher education are three of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education’s highest priorities. The Student Diversity Programs Office houses several programs and initiatives that serve K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students.

Graduating students tossing their hats up in cheer.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Today, University of Wisconsin–Madison rests in the ancestral land of the Ho-Chunk Nation. We as a state university respect the inherent sovereignty and unique legal status, as affirmed and set forth in state and federal law, of the First Nations.

Aaron Bird Bear leading First Nations walking tour and holding a piece of paper.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

The School of Education offers a variety of resources, services, and programs to international students studying at UW–Madison.

Student looks closely at top of bookshelf.

AMERICAN INDIAN CURRICULUM SERVICES

The American Indian Curriculum Services Office provides School of Education faculty, staff, and students with information about Wisconsin’s American Indian history, culture, and tribal sovereignty.

Omar Poler holding graphic of WI state as he talks to a surrounding group.

OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

OURR is a focal point for the personal and professional development of students of color in the School of Education.

Office of Undergraduate Recruitment and Retention program students and staff stand together.

COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAM

The College Access Program (CAP) is a three-week summer enrichment residential program for first-generation college students or students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

College Access Program students bonding and playing activities on a field.

SUMMER EDUCATION RESEARCH PROGRAM

The Summer Education Research Program (SERP) gives underrepresented undergraduate students interested in graduate school the opportunity to conduct independent research guided by a faculty mentor.

SERP Scholars present their final project.

Student Diversity Programs Staff

Aaron Bird Bear

Assistant Dean; CAP Director; ​Ed-GRS Coordinator; SERP Director

Despite my Mandan and Hidatsa Nation ancestors calling the central plains home for thousands of years, I have lived in 11 states, including the East Coast, Gulf Coast and West Coast, and the mountains of Colorado. I am a futbol fan and traveled around Brazil and Canada for the last two World Cups. For local travel, I highly encourage everyone to find the 13th Floor of our Educational Sciences tower for amazing hidden views of these wondrous lake shores humans have called home for 12,000 years. I received my graduate degree from the School of Education at UW-Madison.

Jerry Jordan

Recruitment & Retention Specialist

Jerry Jordan is a Racine native and a graduate of UW-Whitewater where he earned his undergraduate degree in Art as well as a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Art Education. He is currently an academic advisor/college recruiter in the School of Education.

Sa Seng Xiong

Recruitment & Retention Specialist

Sa Seng is a first generation college student and he emigrated from a refugee camp in Thailand at the age of fourteen. Sa Seng formerly served as an Admissions Counselor for nearly six years where he reviewed and made decisions on applicants applying to enter UW-Madison, coordinated campus visits, attended college fairs, and visited many high schools throughout the ​state of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Sa Seng is currently working as an Advisor and Recruiter in the School of Education and during his spare times he enjoys playing badminton and watching movies.

Omar Poler

Interim American Indian Curriculum Services Consultant

Omar Poler is the Interim American Indian Curriculum Services Consultant in the School of Education. An enrolled member of the Mole Lake Sokaogan Ojibwe Nation, Omar holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In his current positions, Omar supports pre-service and in-service teachers' integration of the history, culture, and tribal sovereignty of the 12 American Indian nations of Wisconsin into their instruction, as well as teaches graduate students in the UW-Madison Information School after co-creating the Tribal Libraries Archives and Museums (TLAM) program in the iSchool.

Christopher Barnes

Ed-GRS Project Assistant; CAP Coordinator

Christopher is a 2nd year Doctoral student in Educational Leadership and Policy and Analysis (ELPA). Christopher’s research interest are in college satisfaction and the identity development of students from underrepresented racial groups at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI). Prior to coming to SDP, Christopher served as a Residence Hall Director at Texas State University and a College Advisor for the Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program (PEOPLE) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Professor Alberta Gloria

Ed-GRS Advisory Board Chair; Professor with the Department of Counseling Psychology

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