Changing an Institutional Environment through Appreciative Inquiry: Rochester Institute of Technology’s College of Liberal Arts

Abstract

This article introduces readers to Appreciative Inquiry as a form of feminist engagement in higher education. Appreciative Inquiry is a strength-based approach to organizational change that builds on positive psychology as well as social construction of language. At Rochester Institute’s College of Liberal Arts, a group of women faculty currently pursues an Appreciative Inquiry process to change their institutional environment to make it more beneficial to the success of women (and colleagues of all genders) rather than changing themselves to better fit into the existing environment. At the 2014 Seneca Falls Dialogues, members of this group engaged conference participants in an experience and discussion of Appreciative Inquiry. This article provides an overview on Appreciative Inquiry, analyzes the results of the Seneca Falls Dialogues session, and discusses the Appreciative Inquiry process at Rochester Institute of Technology.