Bias Education Support Team
BEST is comprised of twelve (12) SHU faculty and staff from across the university.
The team is commissioned by President Petillo and organized and led by the Office for Inclusive Excellence. The team is trained to support the SHU community with educational development and identify bias response tools. BEST members receive training in cultural intelligence, restorative and transformative justice practices and responding to identity bias and microaggressions.
Request BEST Services
Bias Education Support Team members meet with individuals and with SHU community groups to engage in the following:
Education
- Learning and development opportunities on how bias works, implications of bias thinking in our intellectual endeavors and the impact of identity bias on belonging and inclusion in our learning, working and living environments.
Support
- Engaging individuals in non-punitive conversation to address reports of identity bias;
- Supporting individuals who express experiencing identity bias to identify appropriate supports to address the harms and generate healing.
Meet the Team
Ensuring inclusive excellence is a university-wide responsibility. SHU cannot advance without collaboration and investment from the entire SHU community. We appreciate those who volunteer their time and efforts to the Bias Education Support Team and all efforts to build equity and belonging at Sacred Heart University.
Become a Member of BEST
SHU faculty and staff are nominated to the OIE by SHU faculty, staff or students for BEST membership during an annual open nomination period set, announced and administered by OIE. Individuals may self-nominate.
The Office for Inclusive Excellence will consider nominations and the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer will recommend a slate of candidates for open BEST positions to the Sacred Heart University President for the President’s appointment. BEST is chaired by the Director of Institutional Equity Compliance and Support. BEST members will serve a two-year term. Former BEST members may be reappointed to the Team after at least two years not serving on the Team. Time commitment on BEST is flexible, where some weeks will not require any time investment, other weeks may require up to approximately five hours.