Office Hours with John Gardner
We are searching for big ideas that inspire hope and action in higher education around institutional transformation and innovation to advance student success and more equitable student outcomes. Joining John Gardner are higher education leaders and other relevant persons of interest who will discuss innovation and strategies that improve higher education.The Gardner Institute, a 24-year-old non-profit, has been at the forefront of innovation in higher education; our mission very clearly connects us to the broader societal efforts to increase social justice.The Gardner Institute connects with thousands of professionals in the higher education ecosystem; through a wide array of activities such as Transformative Conversations, the Teaching and Learning Academy, and the Socially Just Design Series, and through our work as an Intermediary for Scale supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. As a leader in the student success movement in higher education, we strive to provide support for institutions interested in social justice and institutional transformation.
Office Hours with John Gardner
Doris Fields and Victoria Fields- Sense of Service
Dr. Doris J. Fields is the Interim Associate Provost and Associate Vice President of Academic Programs and Initiatives and Professor of Communication at Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Fields completed both a Bachelor of Science degree (1990) and a Master of Arts degree (1992) from Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Fields later pursued a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Communication Education from Wayne State University (2002). Dr. Fields’ areas of specialization include Interracial/Interethnic Communication, Intercultural Communication, Public Speaking, Gender Communication and Persuasion. Additionally, Dr. Fields has designed and facilitated several workshops on Diversity/Race and Communication.
Dr. Fields is the recipient of: The Ronald W. Collins Distinguished Faculty II Award (2013), Michigan Distinguished Professor of the Year Nominee (2014), Top 25 Women Professors in Michigan Recognition (2013), Cornerstone Award recipient from The Center for Multicultural Affairs (2015), EMU Alumni Teaching Excellence Award recipient, Most Valuable Professor Award presented by the Eastern Michigan Men’s and Women's Basketball Teams, Teaching Recognition by the TAU Kappa Epsilon Chapter., Nominated for the Celebration of Student Success Award and the NAACP-EMU 12th, “Thank A Teacher,” recipient, Keynote Speaker for the Eastern Michigan University Freshman Orientation (Fall 2014), Keynote Speaker for the Multicultural Graduation (2017), EMU Distinguished Woman in Higher Education Leadership Award Recipient (2019), recipient of the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents resolution for participation on the MLK celebration planning committee (2020) and recipient of the resolution from Washtenaw County’s 2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners (2022).
Victoria T. Fields is a doctoral student and Instructor of Record in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC). In 2023, she was awarded the Ebony Excellence Instructor of the Year Award from the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center at UIUC.
Victoria also works as a graduate assistant for Instructional Design for the Gardner Institute and contributes to the design and delivery of academies offered through the Gardner Institute across the country.
Victoria's research centers on rhetorical history, Black women's rhetoric, social movements, and sports. She also has a graduate minor in Gender and Women’s Studies with an emphasis on Black feminism and activism, as well as experience as a DEI professional. Her work has been published in Volume 11 of the Eastern Michigan University McNair Scholars Journal, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, and the Sociology of Sport Journal.
