{"id":1137,"date":"2020-11-23T12:27:16","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T17:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/?p=1137"},"modified":"2020-11-24T13:06:41","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T18:06:41","slug":"justice-equity-diversity-and-inclusion-at-the-core-of-digital-innovation-at-the-university-of-baltimore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/2020\/11\/23\/justice-equity-diversity-and-inclusion-at-the-core-of-digital-innovation-at-the-university-of-baltimore\/","title":{"rendered":"Justice, equity, diversity and inclusion at the core of digital innovation at The University of Baltimore"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The current year<\/span>\u00a0has been marked by calls for social change, the global pandemic and accelerated digital transformation. These events have profoundly disrupted the socioeconomic landscape across the globe.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>he University of Baltimore is strong<\/span>ly<\/span> committed to<\/span>\u00a0respond to these global challenges<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0E<\/span>x<\/span>amples of justice, equity and inclusion are found throughout the campus including the work in\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>Center for Digital Communication Commerce and Culture (CD3C)<\/span><\/a><\/u>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The\u00a0<\/span>C<\/span>D3C<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>acts as an interdisciplinary catalyst for impactful research, education and outreach activities that foster the development of digital competences and leadership as well as the responsible diffusion and advancement of digital innovations in our community.\u00a0<\/span>Stakeholder and community involvement, impactful student outcomes and industry partnerships are a fundamental part of the center.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Eusebio Scornavacca<\/span><\/b><\/a><\/u>,\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>university\u2019s P<\/span>arsons Professor of Digital Innovation<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>director of the Center for Digital Communication Commerce and Culture<\/span>, carefully considers projects and actively aligns them with the\u00a0<\/span>university\u2019s goals of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cF<\/span>ailing to\u00a0<\/span>acknowledge\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0respond the\u00a0<\/span>societal calls for environmental justice as well as\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>transformation\u00a0<\/span>in the economic landscape brought by the digital age<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and the global pandemic,\u00a0<\/span>is likely to result in furthering inequalit<\/span>ies<\/span>\u00a0in the region<\/span>,\u201d said Scornavacca, the current the\u00a0<\/span>Thompson Chair of Management Information Systems in the Merrick School of Business.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the trademark activities of the center is the development of\u00a0<\/span>the Real-life Case Competition<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>series<\/span>. These are projects<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>where\u00a0<\/span>UB<\/span>alt<\/span>\u00a0students are set out to solve a specific problem presented by local compan<\/span>ies<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>The cases are centered in the intersection of\u00a0<\/span>digital innovation\u00a0<\/span>and business\u00a0<\/span>issues<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Scornavacca point<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0out that the case comp<\/span>e<\/span>ti<\/span>ti<\/span>ons<\/span>\u00a0provide<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>meaningful opportunity<\/span>\u00a0for\u00a0<\/span>our<\/span>\u00a0students to apply the knowledge gained\u00a0<\/span>in class,\u00a0<\/span>learn\u00a0<\/span>from\u00a0<\/span>their\u00a0<\/span>experi<\/span>en<\/span>c<\/span>e<\/span>, develop\u00a0<\/span>marketable skills<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and directly connect with the Baltimore business community.\u00a0<\/span>Over the years,\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>he\u202ffirms he has collaborated with are as diverse as the\u00a0<\/span>UB<\/span>alt<\/span>\u00a0student body. The results, he says, have been enormously gratifying for both the students and the<\/span>\u00a0partner organizations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Scornavacca also credits\u00a0<\/span>success\u00a0<\/span>of this initiative\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>the diversity of the group<\/span>s<\/span>\u2015the University of Baltimore’s\u00a0<\/span>celebrated differences in<\/span>\u00a0ethnic<\/span>ity<\/span>, gender and age groups\u2015<\/span>are<\/span>\u00a0real strength<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in the development of innovative solutions<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Murray Dalziel<\/span><\/b>, dean of the Merrick School of Business, points out these are great examples of how applied learning can be\u00a0<\/span>both personally and professiona<\/span>l<\/span>l<\/span>y<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>impactful.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>This semester, students enrolled in\u202f<\/span>Scornavacca\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0IT for Business Transformation course, part of UB\u2019s MBA\u00a0<\/span>program, are having the opportunity to contribute to the development of COMPASS – a professional development association for diversity, procurement, legal, compliance and economic development professions<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0explained Dalziel. \u201cThese students<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0like many before them, are working towards a common solution, just like they do in the real-world.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Donna Stevenson<\/span><\/b>, CEO of Early Morning Software<\/span>, a women-led\u00a0<\/span>m<\/span>inority\u00a0<\/span>b<\/span>usiness\u00a0<\/span>e<\/span>nterprise<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and chair\u00a0<\/span>for\u00a0<\/span>International Standards for Economic Inclusion & Diversity of COMPASS<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0has partnered with Scornavacca to challenge his students to envision how\u00a0<\/span>digital\u00a0<\/span>technologies can<\/span>\u00a0help COMPASS achieve its\u00a0<\/span>goal<\/span>. The organization<\/span>\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0goa<\/span>l<\/span>\u00a0is\u00a0<\/span>to elevate practices that promote economic inclusion, produce equity and diversity in contracting and workforce, and to eradicate practices that suppress access to opportunities<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>foster poverty, exclusion and discrimination.<\/span>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThe global climate calls for change which must be strategic in order to be transformative and sustainable<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>said Stevenson.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>This is not the first time Stevenson and Scornavacca\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span>work<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0together<\/span>\u00a0to develop a business challenge related to diversity and inclusion. During the Fall semester of 2017, Stevenson\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0Scornavacca<\/span>\u00a0developed a<\/span>\u00a0challenge around PRISM, a\u00a0<\/span>co<\/span>ntract\u00a0<\/span>m<\/span>anagement\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>upplier\u00a0<\/span>di<\/span>versity software<\/span>\u00a0platform<\/span>.\u00a0 Stevenson\u00a0<\/span>was<\/span>\u00a0quick to point out that the winning team\u00a0<\/span>in 2017\u00a0<\/span>was composed of students completing different majors<\/span>\u00a0and backgrounds<\/span>; their multidisciplinary\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>nd<\/span>\u00a0diverse\u00a0<\/span>approach provided valuable recommendations to address the challenge.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>he\u00a0<\/span>Center for Digital Communication Commerce and Culture<\/span>\u00a0is committed to support m<\/span>inority\u00a0<\/span>b<\/span>usiness\u00a0<\/span>e<\/span>nterprise<\/span>s and bring together initiatives that engage our community in<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>impactful ventures\u00a0<\/span>such as the COMPASS and PRISM cases<\/span>, the<\/span>\u00a0recent<\/span>\u00a0partnerships with\u00a0<\/span>BluSky<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>as well as the digital transformation c<\/span>onference\u00a0<\/span>co-hosted with\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>Bithgroup<\/span>\u00a0Technologies<\/span>\u00a0–\u00a0<\/span>a multi-state, certified Minority Business, Enterprise IT solutions company headquartered in Baltimore<\/span>\u00a0–\u00a0<\/span>and Morgan State University.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The CD3C is currently organizing a global colloquium on<\/span>\u00a0diversity and inclusion in the tech industry<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Scornavacca point out that it is vital to design activities\u00a0<\/span>to remove barriers and increase participation of<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>historically under-represented\u00a0<\/span>groups in the tech industry and\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>knowledge economy.<\/span>\u00a0This is one more step in the\u00a0<\/span>fundamental role of the university in the development\u00a0<\/span>of a<\/span>\u00a0smart, equitable and sustainable future<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of the region<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The current year\u00a0has been marked by calls for social change, the global pandemic and accelerated digital transformation. These events have profoundly disrupted the socioeconomic landscape across the globe.\u00a0The University of Baltimore is strongly committed to\u00a0respond to these global challenges.\u00a0Examples of justice, equity and inclusion are found throughout the campus including the work in\u00a0the\u00a0Center for Digital…<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1144,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[196,197,84,198,168],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1137"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1150,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions\/1150"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/merricktoday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}