Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments and Gratitude

As we wrote the acknowledgments for this OER, we were reminded of all the kind individuals, especially all the OERFSJ faculty and colleagues, who walked with us throughout this journey. These folks provided supportive direction, inspiration, and taught us as we navigated the simultaneous development of 11 OER and this guidebook. “Acknowledgments tear down the fourth wall,” revealing to your reader the friends, family, and colleagues who helped you navigate this journey, as one author explained.^[1] In other words, your credits add another layer of transparency for your readers and, of course, convey deep appreciation to those who ambled with you.

In this chapter, we will provide you with some required language to acknowledge our federal funders but also provide you with space to remember the people who offered support, the places you found solace, or the things that made life a bit easier.

FIPSE Funding Statement

If you are not participating in OERFJS, your project may be funded by another source, such as a university OER program. Contact your OER program coordinator for guidance on how to acknowledge your funding source.

Below is text you must include in your OERFSJ acknowledgments. We suggest placing it on its own page or at the bottom of your acknowledgments page under a heading to distinguish it from your personal sentiments or you.

Express Your Gratitude

Expressing gratitude—whether through positive thought, prayer, bulleted journal, random compliments, or a thoughtful thank you note—can improve your mental and physical health and even extend your lifespan.^[2] With such positive affects in mind, we hope reflecting on all those you are grateful for and why will be a refreshing reprieve from publishing your OER. There are probably numerous friends, family members, students, faculty, and staff you would like to thank. Using the space below, draft your acknowledgments. Do not forget to advance through the exercise with the right arrow and download your document.

Image Descriptions

Image 1. Screenshot of a Pressbooks-style page titled “Acknowledgements.” The page contains a short introductory paragraph, a bulleted list thanking contributors by name, a “Land Acknowledgement” section, and the beginning of a “FIPSE Funding Statement” section. The bottom paragraph is cut off in the screenshot. Transcript: Acknowledgements. The writing of this OER was an epic journey. The original goal of creating a transparent example of writing an OER in Pressbooks for our faculty teams turned into us inviting many along for the climb. Whether you see their names in this OER or not, we’ve had a large community of supporters and trail guides who cheered and advised along the way:

• Kris Brancolini, our most vocal advocate, appreciated our vision and helped others understand its value.
• Nataly Blas, the glue of our project team, provided clear, kind feedback and faithful encouragement. You are resourceful and steady, and we would follow you in any future adventure.
• Jamie Hazlitt, though she left the project early on, carried us forward with her compassion, which is reflected in this handbook. We are so grateful for our gatherings (and for Sequoia).
• Swetta Abeyta, Nicky Andrews, and Lev Rickards, you brought your distinct (and lovely) personalities and strengths, advocating for your institutional and faculty needs. This helped us create a handbook flexible enough to be used across institutions.
• Kathryn Ryan, Jill Cornelio, John Jackson, Michelle Cheng, and Jessea Young, who hold administrative and creative talents, did a million tasks that helped move the project forward.
• The OER for Social Justice faculty allowed us to learn from and with them. We could not have done this without you.
• To those who contributed: Meghan Bauerle, Alex Keefover, Meggie Mapes, Liza Long, Reed Hepler, Surita Jhangiani, and David Wiley. You each joined us for a leg of this journey, but your impact on our work and our hearts sustains.

Land Acknowledgement. The OER for Social Justice team is hosted at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California and so we use this location for our land acknowledgement. We acknowledge the Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles basin and southern Channel Islands) and the presence of LMU on this traditional, ancestral, and unceded land. We are grateful to have the opportunity to live, study, create, and be in this place. We encourage you to visit native-land.ca [Website] to learn more about the Indigenous lands, waters, and communities of our partner institutions, St. Mary’s College of California, Santa Clara University, and the University of San Francisco.

FIPSE Funding Statement. The contents of this book were developed under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. For more information about… [Return to Image 1]