Allen, Antija M. (amm2214)

Dr. Antija Allen (ann-tee-yuh, al-en) is the Director of the Pellissippi Academic Center for Excellence (PACE) and a tenured Associate Professor of Psychology at Pellissippi State Community College with two decades of experience as an educator. She was the 2021-2022 recipient of the Roger Crowe Excellence in Teaching award and 2022-2023 Staff Excellence award. Dr. Allen is certified in both DEI and online teaching. Antija championed Pellissippi Academy’s Emotional Intelligence cohort successfully for 2 years and served as the 2019-2021 PACE Faculty Fellow for First Year Experience. She was selected by the Tennessee Board of Regents to be a 2021-2022 Maxine Smith leadership fellow; her cohort developed a toolkit of best practices for Black male: student success, faculty recruitment and faculty retention in public higher education.

Dr. Allen is the Owner of Allen Ivy Prep Consulting (www.AllenIvyPrep.org), which specializes in career coaching and professional development. Antija’s recent publications include a chapter on Academic Freedom in Classroom Discussions and a bestselling edited collection entitled, We’re Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies. This Cambridge University Press publication discusses promoting mental health, diversity recruitment, faculty retention, and fostering an inclusive environment for Black faculty. It was book of the month for the society of diversity and recommended by the Journal of Blacks in higher education, Inside Higher Ed, INSIGHT into diversity, Diverse: Issues in higher education, Teaching in higher ed, and several DEI experts. We're Not OK earned the Outstanding Academic Title award for 2023. It "is bestowed upon the best scholarly titles reviewed by Choice and brings with it the extraordinary recognition of the academic library community. The list contains approximately ten percent of some 5,000 works reviewed in Choice each year. Choice editors base their selections on the title’s overall excellence in presentation and scholarship, its importance relative to other literature in the field, and its importance in building undergraduate library collections."

She has led and conducted research on several topics at NYU, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Teachers College Columbia University. Dr. Allen earned her BA in Psychology from Neumann University and MA in Psychology from Pepperdine University. Most recently, Antija has returned to Columbia University Teachers College where she earned her EdD in Adult Learning & Leadership to teach as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in their Summer Principals Academy, educating aspiring school leaders. Her research interests include: OER, faculty development, faculty retention, DEI, belonging/inclusion, online teaching, adult learning, leadership, and student engagement.

Project Lead: Antija Allen

Project Director, Partnership for Academic and Career Enrichment (PACE), a student-faculty pedagogical partnership program, Pellissippi State Community College

Partnership for Academic and Career Enrichment (PACE)

Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR); Student Engagement, Retention, Success (SERS) Grant

$50,000

7/2024-6/2025 

Project Lead: Antija Allen

Project Director, Multicultural Student Leadership Institute, Pellissippi State Community College

Pellissippi State Community College and Northeast State Community College Leveraging Cross-Collaborative Learning Circles for Student Engagement

Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR); Student Engagement, Retention, Success (SERS) Grant

$50,000

7/1/2022-5/31/2023

Project Lead: Antija Allen

Team Leader, Subject Matter Expert, & Instructional Designer

Open Up to Open Education Resources (OER)

Tennessee Board of Regents

$27,150

10/15/2020-06/15/2021

• 2024 NISOD Excellence Award, National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, May 2024
  
• 2023 Outstanding Academic Title: “We’re Not OK,” Choice Reviews-Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, December 2023
  
• 2023 Most Read Review: “We’re Not OK,” Choice Reviews-Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, December 2023
• Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), Statewide Outstanding Achievement Recognition (SOAR) Internal Nominee-Staff Excellence Award (internal nominee award), Pellissippi State Community College, April 2023
• Roger Crowe Excellence in Teaching Award: recognizes outstanding practices of a full-time faculty member who has been employed at Pellissippi State for a minimum of 5 years. Pellissippi State Community College, May 2022
• Innovations Award (2 nominations), Pellissippi State Community College, April 2022
• Maxine Smith Leadership Fellow, Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), June 2021-June 2022
• Lumen Circles Fellowship-Online Teaching Foundation, Lumen Circles Fellowships for TBRFaculty (lumenlearning.com), February 2021-March 2021
• Employee of the Month-Relationship Value, Pellissippi State Community College, August 2020
• StayStrong Congratulations, Synchronous Zoom Instruction-All 6 Values, Pellissippi StateCommunity College, July 16, 2020
• Faculty Fellow, First-Year Experience, Project Topic: Implementing Open Education Resources(OER), Pellissippi State Community College-Pellissippi Academic Center of Excellence (PACE),Fall 2019-Spring 2021
• Scholarship Reviewer & Member, Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education,Teachers College, Columbia University, 2015-Present
• Arthur Zankel Urban Fellowship, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2007-2008
• Member, Psi Chi National Honor Society of Psychology, Pepperdine University, 2002-Present
• National Dean’s List, Pepperdine University, 2002-2003

• “Cultivating a Community of Belonging,” 29th Annual National Conference on Diversity, Race & Learning (NCDRL), The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, May 6, 2024
• “Cultivating a Community of Belonging,” Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids,MI, February 22, 2024
• “The Struggle for Authenticity: Code Switching in Academia (Keynote),” Algonquin College,Ontario, Canada, February 15, 2024
• “We're Not OK͗: A Dialogue About Black Faculty & Staff Experiences at PWIs,” Virginia Tech,Blacksburg, VA, March 17, 2023
• “Taking Accountability: Fostering an Inclusive Environment for Black Faculty & Staff(Leadership Training),” Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, March 17, 2023
• “Black History: A Truth and Transformation Panel Discussion,” North Hennepin Community College, Virtual, February 28, 2023
• “Advance Equity Speaker Series: Diverse Journeys in Higher Education,” West Governors University, Virtual, February 23, 2023
• “Navigationalist Live: Working as One; Focus: Mental Health,” The Wisconsin Technical College System, Virtual, February 17, 2023
• FREC Learning Community: Based on the Book We're Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences andHigher Education Strategies,” Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative (FREC), Virtual, February16, 2023
• “Inaugural Speaker-The Colloquium Series: Inclusion and Equity Efforts to Elevate HistoricallyUnderrepresented Faculty and Staff” Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, January 25, 2023
• “Book Talk: We’re not OK: Exploring Black faculty experiences and higher educationstrategies,” SYNCH 2023, Brightpoint Community College (VA), Virtual, January 5, 2023
• “Book Talk: We’re not OK: Exploring Black faculty experiences and higher educationstrategies,” Frugal Bookstore, Boston, MA, November 19, 2022
• “Inclusive Teaching Practices; Diversity in the Workplace,” Panelist, Teacher EducationProfessional Development, Pellissippi State Community College, November 16, 2022
  
•  “The Souls of Black Folk: Breaking Through Imposter Syndrome,” Heal + Liberate-Virtual Conference, Black Mental Wellness, November 5, 2022
• “Racism in Academia,” Inclusion 2022 Festival, Diversity Network (UK), October 4-6, 2022
• "Psych Yourself Up & Others," California Placement Association, Virtual, April 27, 2022
• “We’re not OK: Exploring Black faculty experiences & strategies for inclusion,” Professional Development Presentation, North Hennepin Community College-Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Virtual, March 22, 2022
  
• “We’re not OK: Exploring Black faculty experiences & strategies for inclusion,” Career Development Webinar, Teachers College, Columbia University, Virtual, February 22, 2022
• “Let's Talk About It: Experiences of Belonging & Inclusion,” Pellissippi State Community College, Virtual, Co-facilitated with Elizabeth Ross, February 15, 2022
• “Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute's Twitter Chat: Are We Ok? The Impact of Microaggressions on Mental Health of BIPOC Faculty,” Old Dominion University & Rutgers Graduate School of Education (Twitter), January 19, 2022
• “Inclusive Teaching Practices; Diversity in the Workplace,” Panelist, Teacher Education Professional Development, Pellissippi State Community College (Blount County), November 30, 2021
• "I See Myself:" Customizing an Open Educational Resource for Representation & Student Success, Society for the Teaching of Psychology’s (STP’s) 20^th Annual Conference on Teaching (ACT), Virtual, October 14-15, 2021
• “We’re not OK: Exploring Black faculty experiences & strategies for inclusion,” Fall In-Service, Pellissippi State Community College, Knoxville, TN, August 12, 2021
• “Gateway to the QEP (Quality Enhancement Plan),” Fall In-Service, Pellissippi State Community College, Knoxville, TN, August 11, 2021
• “Online Student Communication Tools: Flipgrid,” nominated to present, 2021 TBR Summer Collaborative Institute, Virtual, June 17, 2021
• “Online Tools for Student Engagement: Infographics,” nominated to present, 2021 TBR Summer Collaborative Institute, Virtual, June 3, 2021
• “OER Sustainability at PSCC,” PACE session co-facilitated with Dean Mary Ellen Spencer, Pellissippi State Community College, Knoxville, TN, April 15, 2021
• “Tennessee Community College OER Projects Panel,” Open Education Week Conference, March 4, 2021
• “Pellissippi Academy Panel,” Winter Conference, Pellissippi State Community College, Knoxville, TN, January 11, 2021
• “OER vs. Commercial Textbook: The Winner is…,” Winter Conference, Pellissippi State Community College, Knoxville, TN, January 11, 2021
• “Collaborative Café: Open Up to Open Educational Resources (OER),” Fall In-Service, Pellissippi State Community College, Knoxville, TN, August 13, 2020
• “Pellissippi Academy Panel,” Fall In-Service, Pellissippi State Community College, Knoxville, TN, August 13, 2020
• “Break Away from Lecture: Using Zoom Breakout Rooms for Student Engagement,” Distance Learning Summer Conference, Virtual, June 23, 2020
• “Can We Talk? Academic Freedom in Classroom Discussions,” The Teaching Professor Conference, Virtual, May 27, 2020-September 30, 2020 https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/a-virtual-conference-with-songs-dragons-and-two-minute-breaks/
• “Finding Our Way with High Impact Practices, Equity, and the First Year Experience: Lessons from a Multi-Campus Southern Appalachian Community College,” 3^rd Annual HIPs (High Impact Practices) in States Conference, Texas A&M University, February 18, 2020