UAlbany Honors Faculty Voices at Second Annual BILPOC Conference

Panelists speaking at UAlbany's annual conference for BILPOC Advancement Faculty Iniative.
Alysha May from UAlbany's Youth Justice Institute, Patricia Santos, CEO of the WE ART ONE Artist Collective, Inc. and Shalain Garcia from NYS Office of Youth Justice present at BILPOC Conference. (Photo by Mario Sotomayor)

By Amy Geduldig

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 1, 2025) — Since its inception three years ago the Black, Indigenous, Latinx and People of Color (BILPOC) Faculty Advancement Initiative at the University at Albany has been dedicated to lifting the voices of its faculty. Focused on building communities, faculty development, community engagement and funding support — the initiative supports advancement and success at UAlbany through mentoring, tenure and promotion discussions, grant application training and scholarship writing retreats.  

Last week the BILPOC Faculty Advancement Initiative hosted its second annual “Lifting, Climbing, and Thriving Conference” in the Campus Center Multipurpose Room. More than 100 attendees from UAlbany and partner institutions attended the conference titled “Making the Invisible Visible.” The day-long event included a series of speakers and panel discussions covering topics such as how to harness research and community engagement to create change and overcoming challenges of invisible labor. Students from the Graduate Pathway program and the Presidential Health Disparity Fellowship program also presented their research.  

Samuel Caldwell, vice president of the University’s office of diversity and inclusion, welcomed attendees and shared the importance of building communities. “Building a supportive network of peers is critical,” he said. “Our goal is to create a community that fosters professional skill sharing, writing support and research collaboration, while also providing opportunities for social connection. All of us are looking for community. The BILPOC Initiative is a response to that."

The conference also honored Stephanie Hassan Richardson, an early member of the initiative who passed away last October.  Hassan Richardson served as Director of the University’s Writing and Critical Inquiry Program, where she left a legacy of supporting student success. A UAlbany alum and native of Buffalo, N.Y., Hassan Richardson dedicated her scholarship in support of pedagogical approaches to diversity, equity and inclusion. advocating for cultural inclusion and empowering individuals to develop a greater sense of voice.  

Last month the University at Albany bestowed the inaugural Dr. Stephanie Hassan Richardson Award to the founders of the BILPOC Faculty Advancement Initiative, Carmen Serrano and Elizabeth Vásquez. The award is grounded in Hassan Richardson’s own words: "celebrating diversity in ways yet to be imagined. Inclusion is an action... a demonstration and acknowledgment of an awareness of diverse perspectives, coming from a space of open-mindedness and good faith and doing all these things by maintaining authenticity.”

This event was made possible thanks to support from University Auxiliary Services; Office of Diversity and Inclusion; The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities; Extreme Events, Social Equity, and Technology Lab; Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department; Institute for Research on Women.