NCBI
Belonging on college campuses — for students and staff alike — is crucial to retention and success. Yet sometimes we struggle to create a welcoming environment for everyone, especially those from groups that are different from our own.
To help build a resilient campus that is welcoming to all, UW-Whitewater offers training from the National Coalition Building Institute — NCBI — an international leadership organization that provides training in equity and inclusivity. We are the only UW System campus — and one of just two institutions of higher education in Wisconsin — to do so.
Rooted in an understanding of individual, community, and systemic change, trained NCBI leaders at UW-Whitewater work with colleagues to build deeper connections and understanding within and across group identities on our two campuses.
Free NCBI workshops are available for all faculty, staff and students at UW-Whitewater.
The university is proud to offer these free workshops, which have the potential to impact the lives of our Warhawk faculty, staff and students as we engage in the important work of racial and social justice.
“NCBI provides a fresh perspective on inclusivity and belonging, engaging people from all life journeys. Interacting in an environment of openness and authenticity provided an innovative pathway to critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration.”
—Corey A. King, chancellor
"Participating in the NCBI workshop not only broadens our understanding of diversity but also empowers us to actively cultivate an environment where every member of our campus feels seen, valued, and connected."
—Olivia Sheets, graduate assistant, First Year Experience
Our workshops
Inclusivity and Belonging Workshop
Help increase belonging on our campus by participating in this intensive, supportive workshop designed to help you to:
- Value and welcome similarities and differences among group members
- Examine the misinformation and unconscious bias that impacts our behavior toward others
- Understand the role identity plays in leadership
- Identifying the harmful effects of oppression on one’s own group
- Prevent and interrupt bigoted remarks and behaviors
- Learn how to be an ally to all groups
The deep inter- and intra-personal work facilitated in this workshop has the potential to impact your work with students and peers on campus and beyond. This free workshop is:
- Open to all UW-Whitewater employees and students
- Appropriate for all levels of experience and comfort with EDI work
- Offered in a full-day format and a half-day format
Controversial Issues Process Workshop
The NCBI Controversial Issue Process helps individuals and groups to move hotly contested issues forward by teaching how to listen first to the heartfelt concerns on all sides and then to reframe the debate in a way that builds bridges. This workshop is intended for participants who have already attended an Equity and Inclusivity Workshop.
WORKSHOPS OPEN TO ALL FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENTS AT BOTH THE MAIN AND ROCK COUNTY CAMPUSES:
Inclusivity and Belonging Workshops
NCBI’s Inclusivity and Belonging Workshop is richer and more beneficial each time you participate. Sign up now for our full-day or half-day workshop, whether it’s your first time or you are a returning participant.
- Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025: 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Location: UC 261
- Friday, November 7th, 2025: 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Location: UC 261
Controversial Issues Workshops
Sign up for this workshop to learn valuable skills that help us build bridges as well as increase empathy and understanding. Please note that this workshop is intended for participants who have participated in an Inclusivity and Belonging Workshop.
- Tuesday, November 18th, 2025: 1:00 pm. - 4:00 p.m. Location: UC 261
In addition to our pre-scheduled workshops, we schedule many workshops by request each semester. Please contact us if you would like to request a workshop for your group, unit or class.
NCBI Minis
We are excited to offer "Minis" for those who would like your group, class, team or unit to experience a taste of NCBI's award-winning Equity and Inclusivity Workshop.
Minis range from 50 to 75 minutes, making them perfect for New Student Seminar classes and 75-minute classes.
Please contact Campus Affiliate Director Julie Minikel-Lacocque at minikelj@uww.edu to schedule.
Are you interested in scheduling an Inclusivity and Belonging or Controversial Issues Process workshop for your unit, division, or class but don’t see a time that works for you above? If so, please email us at ncbi@uww.edu.
What to expect in our workshops
Our workshops take place on the Whitewater and Rock County campuses.
You can expect an experience that is fun and hands-on and that anything that occurs in the workshop will be held in confidence.
The workshop will be held in a room on campus. Participants will sit in chairs in rows initially, but will move around the room as they are able during the workshop. Please bring any water or other refreshments you might need.
You won’t be sitting in those chairs for long! Wear comfortable clothing and be prepared to move about the room, interact with others, and even laugh.
Learning and growth are possible when we are supported to step outside our comfort zone. Our workshops are safe and brave spaces in which we all learn and grow together.
What participants say about our workshops
“I like how comfortable and open-minded it was.”
"I really enjoyed that the workshop was not focused on guilt but instead on honoring the truths around us.”
"It is going to improve my ability to create a welcome environment for my students and co-workers."
"This workshop helps me consider what people are carrying that I cannot see, and will give me greater awareness to consider those hidden challenges before rushing to judgment or critique.”
"It was highly impactful — talk about a high-impact practice — the stories really touched one's heart. I could see the philosophical connection to NCBI's mission. Everyone has a story, no one is exempt."
“Everyone needs to take this workshop.”
"(This workshop) is going to improve my ability to create a welcome environment for my students and co-workers."
Meet our Teams
UW-Whitewater NCBI Leadership Team
Ola Bamgbose (she/her)
UWW NCBI Leadership Team Member & Associate Professor of Counselor Education, College of Education & Professional Studies
Julie Minikel-Lacocque (she/her)
UWW NCBI Campus Affiliate Director & Professor of Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education & Professional Studies
UW-Whitewater NCBI Support Team
Katie Elliott (she/her)
UW-W NCBI Support Team Member & Associate Professor of Educational Foundations, College of Education & Professional Studies
Gina Elmore (she/her)
UW-W NCBI Support Team Member & Training and Organizational Development Manager
Malinda Forsberg (she/her)
UWW NCBI Support Team Member & Assistant Professor Special Education Department, College of Education & Professional Studies
Patricia Fragola (she/her)
UW-W NCBI Support Team Member & Associate Library Director, University Libraries
Lucy Heimer (she/her)
UW-W NCBI Support Team Member & Professor of Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education & Professional Studies
Katrisa Hilliard (she/her)
UW-W NCBI Support Team Member & Interpersonal Violence Prevention Educator, University Health & Counseling
Ozgul Kartal (she/her)
UW-W NCBI Support Team Member & Associate Professor & Department Chair of Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education & Professional Studies
Kristen Linzmeier (she/her)
UW-W NCBI Support Team Member & Associate Professor of Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education & Professional Studies
Aaron Nethery (he/him)
UW-W NCBI Support Team Member & University Housing Complex Director
Tia Schultz (she/her)
UW-W NCBI Support Team Member & Associate Professor of Special Education, College of Education & Professional Studies
Nathan Tokarek (he/him)
UW-W NCBI Support Team Member & Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology, College of Education & Professional Studies
Terry Tumbarello (he/him)
UW-W NCBI Support Team Member & Executive Director of University Housing
About NCBI
UW-Whitewater has been a campus affiliate of the National Coalition Building Institute since 2018. The National Coalition Building Institute is an international leadership organization that provides training in equity and inclusivity in community organizations, K-12 schools, college and university campuses, corporations and law enforcement. NCBI is an international non-profit leadership development network dedicated to the elimination of racism and other forms of oppression.
NCBI has received numerous awards and recognitions, including:
- The Nelson Mandela Award for outstanding international work on fighting racism.
- The 'United States Department of Education's Gender Equity Expert Panel' cited NCBI's work on college campuses as a national best practice, awarding it the rating of "excellent" regarding educational significance, quality, usefulness, and replicability.
- Citing the success of NCBI training programs at its offices in Wilmington, Delaware, DuPont Corporation designated NCBI’s work as a “Corporate Best Practice.”
The work of NCBI — its mission, its workshops and training, its network of resource teams, and its contributions to long-lasting institutional and social change — is guided by several core principles and key insights. Visit our NCBI About Us Page to learn more.
UW-Whitewater is the only NCBI affiliate within the UW-System. This affiliate status provides the following access and benefits, as stated on the NCBI Campus Affiliate webpage.
- License to use the copyrighted and award-winning NCBI Welcoming Diversity (Prejudice Reduction) and Controversial Issues Process models. This permission includes the opportunity to lead an unlimited number of workshops for students, faculty, and staff on campus.
- Use of NCBI methodology as an intervention strategy during inter-and intra-group conflict on campus.
- Access to NCBI resource materials and the NCBI Campus ListServe. The list is an opportunity for Campus Affiliate leaders to share successes with each other as well as solicit ideas and advice from other leaders.
- Opportunity to attend the Annual NCBI Campus Conference at cost. This conference offers further training and supervision by the international staff of NCBI, as well as the sharing of resources and “campus best practices” among NCBI campus team leaders from around the country.
- Invitation to attend NCBI Associates Meetings at a minimal cost. The Associates Meeting is the semi-annual gathering of all NCBI senior leaders and Chapter Directors.
- Opportunity for one member of the Affiliate to attend the international 4-day Leadership for Diversity Institute in Washington, DC, for half price.
