September 18, 2017

Comings and Goings Update: Meet the New Assistant Director of the Teaching Excellence Program

Several people joined the Lewis & Clark community, and a few said a fond farewell. See the full list and get to know the New Assistant Director of the Teaching Excellence Program Daymond Glenn MEd ’03, EdD ’09.

Last month, Daymond Glenn MEd ’03, EdD ’09 returned to Lewis & Clark as the new assistant director of the Teaching Excellence Program. Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the program strives to create opportunities for collaboration and to provide assistance to faculty as they refine and share teaching practices with their colleagues.

As a visiting assistant professor, Glenn also teaches courses on critical hip-hop studies and contemporary African-American issues in urban America. Get to know him in this Q&A. 

Tell us a little about your background.

I am originally from NE Portland, Oregon (pre-gentrified NE Portland). I like to add the pre-gentrified qualifier because if you are newer to Portland, the social milieu of the NE Portland that shaped me was night and day from what it is now. Also, the Portland I grew up in, traffic was not a problem, and now traffic in the city is becoming unbearable.

I have an undergraduate degree in Social Science, and my master’s and doctorate are both in Education. Based on how I approached my academic preparation, I’m more of a cultural theorist, cultural anthropologist, and transformative institutional leader, meaning I like to frame complex social and cultural phenomena and understand the nuances and complexities of particular groups who have been shaped by life on the margins in institutions and society.

Professionally, I have held many teaching and administrative roles in higher education. For example, I’ve been a tenure track faculty member, Vice President of Student Affairs, and a Chief Diversity. As such, my broad professional experiences in higher education have prepared me to have a holistic approach to my work, and, because of my cultural studies and research interests, I intentionally make sure my work is grounded in the tenets of equity, justice, and community building.

As an alumnus of Lewis & Clark, what are you most looking forward to as a teacher here?

I am most looking forward to working with a community of faculty, staff, and students who value the life of the mind and place a high value on teaching, learning, and robust intellectual exchange within the context of a liberal arts education. I’m also looking forward to teaching some original courses I am developing, as it’s an honor to add to the canon of phenomenal courses that are currently being offered here on campus.

Describe the current trajectory of your scholarly research.

My research is concerned with how hip-hop culture can offer sites of hope, possibility, and resistance against the social and structural marginalization that Black males face in urban America. Additionally, my research is concerned with how mainstream hip-hop culture (i.e., rap music) has been coopted, commodified, commercialized, and corrupted by corporate elites who sell Blackness back to the consumer in a degrading, dysfunctional, and pathological form, which then becomes the baseline for how Black identity is formed, negotiated, understood, and reproduced in the larger public sphere.

What are your goals for the Teaching Excellence Program?

The Teaching Excellence Program (TEP) is already providing fantastic resources, support, and programs to the Lewis & Clark community, so my major goal is to help TEP continue the great work it is already doing. My next goal, if you will, is to use my higher education experience and background in the scholarship of teaching and learning to help TEP expand programs and to create innovative initiatives that are particular to the needs of the Lewis & Clark community. Lastly, I would love to help TEP become one of the premiere Teaching and Learning Centers in the Pacific Northwest, as I think we have the faculty and community to do it.

What music are you listening to in your car right now?  

Well, since I study hip-hop culture*, I’m usually listening to many contemporary hip-hop artists and groups, and I listen intently as if I’m reading a profound new text. However, if I had to narrow it down to only one album that has resonated the most with me lately, hands down it would be Jay Z’s new album 4:44.  

On Tuesday, October 3, Glenn will give a presentation titled “Critical Hip Hop Studies: Hope, Possibility, and Resistance” in Miller Hall, room 105. 

Comings and Goings update

Several people have joined the community recently, and some continuing employees have taken on new roles and responsibilities at Lewis & Clark:

Judy Asbury, director of marketing and communications, law school; Maya Baker-Freid, admissions counselor, CAS Admissions; Lauren Brown, interim admissions coordinator, CAS Admissions; Angela Buck, interim director, Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement; Michael Catlos, assistant forensics coach, Rhetoric and Media Studies; Ambrea Crawford, program manager, Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement and International Students and Scholars; Sally Galler, development assistant, Institutional Advancement; Joe-Barry Gardner, assistant director, Campus Living; Daymond Glenn, assistant director, Teaching Excellence Program; Carey Gordon, lead dispatcher, Campus Safety; Debra Haug, Catholic student life coordinator, Office of Religious and Spiritual Life; Hilary Himan, Chamberlin Social Justice and Faith in Action Coordinator, Office of Religious and Spiritual Life; Chrys Hutchings, associate director of programming and partnerships, President’s Office; Randall Jackson, assistant men’s basketball coach, Physical Education and Athletics; Joseph Johnson, admissions counselor, CAS Admissions; James Kite, reference and instructional services library, Boley Law Library; Joseph Kopp, associate football coach, Physical Education and Athletics; Matt Kosderka, head baseball coach and instructor, Physical Education and Athletics; Leandra Kroenig, payroll manager, Human Resources; Zachary Lynott, director, Corporate and Foundation Relations; Kayleigh McCauley, interim associate dean of students and director, Student Support Services; Bobbi Mihara, interim director, Counseling Center;  Lyle Moevao, associate football coach, Physical Education and Athletics; Michael Nichols, accountant, National Crime Victim Law Institute; Erik Olson, groundskeeper, Facilities Services; Emily O’Sullivan, program coordinator, Teacher Education; Patricia Palczewska, technology support coordinator, Information Technology; Meg Petersen, senior development officer, Institutional Advancement; Llew Richards, project manager, Information Technology; Maddy Rose, admissions counselor, CAS Admissions; Karen Russell, Budget Manager, Earthrise Law Center; Amanda Sarantis, area director, Campus Living; Nadia Steck, assistant forensics coach, Rhetoric and Media Studies; Margaret Upton, director, Student Health Service; Malari Vandervort, associate director of development, Law External Relations; and James Yen, head men’s and women’s golf coach and instructor, Physical Education and Athletics.

The following people have left Lewis & Clark. Here’s wishing them good luck in their new adventures:

David Andrew, head men’s and women’s golf coach and instructor, Physical Education and Athletics; Sarah Baggs, administrative specialist; Educational Leadership and Graduate Registrar’s Office; Jordan Brown, admissions counselor, CAS Admissions; Bruce Burns, lead dispatcher, Campus Safety; Shannon Davis, assistant dean of Communications and Admissions, Law Admissions; Jamie Eckhardt, financial and administration analyst, Graduate School Business Services; Lindsay Farr, administrative coordinator, CAS Admissions; Thomas Flynn, head baseball coach and instructor, Physical Education and Athletics; Claire Valentine-Fossum, program assistant, Earthrise Law Center; Beatrice Freilich, administrative specialist I, Alumni and Parent Programs; Tami Gierfoff, associate dean, Boley Law Library; Evelyn Guerrero, admissions counselor, CAS Admissions; Jack Harris, associate director, Campus Living; Lisa Holmes, lab director and instructor, Chemistry; Hillary Howarth, staff counselor and psychologist, Counseling Center; Rachel Hunter, development assistant, Institutional Advancement; Ross Imbler, director of annual giving, law school; Marisol Jenkins, interim assistant director, Conferences and Events; Whitney Johnson, administrative specialist, CAS Registrar’s Office; Jorge Juarez, reference and instructional services librarian, Boley Law Library; Joy Keen, development and communications coordinator, Earthrise Law Center; Brian King, lead general maintenance worker, Facilities Services; Jeffrey Mack, general maintenance, Facilities Services; Ursala McCormick, instructor, Academic English Studies; Natalie Mitchell, associate director for clinical services, Counseling Center; Emily Morin, administrative coordinator, Counseling Psychology; Timothy O’Dwyer, director, Campus Safety; Rachel Orlansky, associate dean of students and director, Student Support Services; Meghan Ridenour, stewardship coordinator, Institutional Advancement; Joseph Schaumburg, assistant men’s basketball coach, Physical Education & Athletics; Sharla Sevy, payroll manager, Human Resources; Nate Stoll, administrative coordinator, Environmental Studies; Drake Strong, officer, Campus Safety; and Richard Voegtlin, groundskeeper, Facilities Services.