clusterluck
This documentary short highlights the experiences of a group of Black faculty within a department at a historically white institution. This short film unpacks what community means and what it looks like for Black scholars to have supportive communities within their departments at their institutions.
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created and produced by candace n. hall
directed by cami thomas
production team my friends and i
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Clusterluck:
A Spark of Black Joy in the Academy
By Jon Edelman
Mar 26, 2023—Clusterluck, a documentary short produced by Dr. Candace N. Hall, graduate program director and assistant professor for the higher education and student affairs program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), begins on a sobering note. White text on a black background tells us that African Americans make up only 5.4% of the full-time faculty in post-secondary education. As an unsettling synth beat plays, a quote from a recent study fades in: “Many institutions have recruited underrepresented scholars to join their faculty without attention to retaining and supporting the new recruits.”
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SIUE’s Candace Hall’s Award-Winning Documentary Short Shines Light on Successful Hiring Initiative
By Patricia Merritt // read story
February 2, 2023, Edwardsville, IL—Screening + Panel presentation held at Dunham Theatre on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus. From left to right: Natasha Flowers, PhD, Assistant Dean for Anti-racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the School of Education, Health, and Human Behavior; Robin Hughes, PhD, Dean of the School of Education, Health, and Human Behavior; Joy Gaston-Gayles, PhD, Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professor and Senior Advisor for Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, North Carolina State University; Denise Cobb, PhD, Provost and Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs; Daniel Mahony, PhD, President, Southern Illinois University System; Candace N. Hall, Executive Producer and Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership.
‘Clusterluck’ film chronicles Black academics’ cluster hiring experiences at SIUE
By Miya Norfleet, Elaine Cha // read & listen
recap | edwardsville, il
February 2, 2023, Edwardsville, IL—Screening + Panel presentation held at Dunham Theatre on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus.
recap | las vegas, nv
November 16, 2022, Las Vegas, NV—Highlights of the first screening in Las Vegas, NV, during the 2022 Association of the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) convening.