Kendall Center NewsletterSeptember 1, 2021

What's new in the Kendall Center

After three years as the Kendall Center Director, we say good bye and a huge thank you to Matt Panciera. The new Kendall Center DIrector is Ruth Lin. Pamela Conners will be the new Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Faculty Associate. Patricia English and Dan Moos are the new Excellence in Teaching Faculty Associates. David Stamps is the new New Faculty Programming Faculty Associate. Esther Wang is the new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Faculty Associate and Martin Lang remains the Community Engaged Learning Faculty Associate. Welcome!

Faculty Development Day

After more than a year of seeing the majority of your colleagues on screen, the Kendall Center for Engaged Learning invites the faculty to an in-person lunch on Wednesday Sept. 1st from 11AM-1PM in the Heritage Room. In addition to an opportunity to catch up with your colleagues, various offices on campus including: the Library, Human Resources, Academic Support Center, and GTS will share helpful resources that may be little known or under utilized by our faculty. For example, did you know that you could get a discount with the major cellphone carriers as an employee of GAC. Come and learn about other resources and benefits. Lunch will be followed by a facilitated wellness session with Ellie Roscher from 1-2PM; reflecting on the past year and strategies on getting ourselves into the best headspace and staying there!

Teaching Circles for the 2021 - 2022 Academic Year

Are you interested in a joining a small group (~5) of interdepartmental educators who meet throughout the academic year to discuss a topic of interest related to teaching and learning at Gustavus (e.g., problem-based learning, facilitating discussion-based courses, active learning strategies for large classes, & fostering inclusive classrooms)? The main goals are to discuss pedagogy, learn from multidisciplinary peers about different strategies, develop a cohort of campus educators who are knowledgeable about a particular topic and continue development as teachers. Teaching Circles are self-facilitated and can meet as often as they find helpful. Teaching Circles are sponsored by the John S. Kendall Center for Engaged Learning (KCEL). KCEL will collect teaching circle registrations, form circles based on shared interests & goals, put participants in touch with each other, and provide resources as needed. THE ATTACHMENT INCLUDES ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON TEACHING CIRCLES, INCLUDING THE REGISTRATION FORM (deadline: September 17th).

Competitive Travel Grant

The Kendall Center for Engaged Learning will offer limited competitive travel grants of up to $1000 to all faculty who are tenured, tenure-track, and those who have continuing instructor status. This money will be on top of the normal travel grant allocation available to individual faculty, and will cover any meeting, conference, or workshop that occurs in the period of June 1, 2021-May 31, 2022. The applications are due Friday October 15th, and decisions will be communicated to faculty by November 1st. Detailed information can be found here.

Community-Engaged Learning (CEL)

The Kendall Center is now providing support for faculty involved in or curious about community-engaged learning (CEL). The Carnegie Foundation defines community engagement as "the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity." CEL at Gustavus can include projects connected to a specific course as well as research or creative work conducted outside the structure of the classroom. With the closure of the Office for Community-Based Service and Learning in 2018, CEL support has shifted to the Kendall Center under the new Faculty Associate for Community-Engaged Learning (currently Martin Lang). To receive information about new support opportunities as they come online, including training, mentoring, mini-grants and more, please subscribe to the CEL email list by contacting Martin Lang (mlang3@gustavus.edu).

Community-Engaged Learning book area

We're pleased to announce a collaboration between KCEL and the Library (special tip o' the hat to Michelle Twait) to create a special Community-Engaged Learning browsing section in the main lobby. With a growing collection of cutting-edge publications on hand, you can plunk down for a quick browse in the seating area nearby or check out a book to go. Please send suggestions for future acquisitions to Martin Lang (mlang3@gustavus.edu)." 

Faculty Social

All faculty are invited to the First Friday Faculty Social on Friday, September 10 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Arboretum. Self-serve refreshments are provided in the gazebo area by the entrance to the interpretive center. Hosted by the John S. Kendall Center for Engaged Learning and the Office of the Provost.

Sabbatical Re-Entry Lunch

There will be a lunch and meeting for those faculty returning from Sabbatical on Friday, September 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the President's Dining Room.

New Faculty Orientation Session 9/16

Join us on Thursday, September 16 for a New Faculty Orientation Session. Topic: Checking‐in session.Facilitator: Dave Stamps, KECL Faculty Associate and Associate Professor of Music & Arts Administration. An open‐ended opportunity for new faculty to get to know each other, share their experiences in the first week, and have questions answered in a supportive environment (e.g. J-term proposals are due the September 14th). What are your intentions for the semester and how might your goals be reached? Email Cathy Blaukat (cblaukat@gustavus.edu) for a lunch ticket for Free lunch at Marketplace, then meet in the St Peter Room. 12:30 to 1:20 p.m

Fall 2021 Advisory Development Workshops

Mark your calendar to join your colleagues at an Advisor Development Workshop (or two!). All Gustavus faculty are welcome to attend. Registration information will appear in faculty-l. Sponsored by the Academic Support Center and the Kendall Center.

Workshop #1: Advising for Fellowships
Thursday, September 16, at 9 AM or 2:30 PM (choose one)
Facilitated by Pamela Kittelson (Professor of Biology & Fellowships Advisor).
More information and a registration link will appear in faculty-l.

Workshop #2: Advising Students on Academic Warning and Probation
Thursday, September 23, at 9 AM or 2:30 PM (choose one)
Facilitated by Jane Lalim (Academic Support Center) and Tom McHugh (Academic Support Center).
More information and a registration link will appear in faculty-l.

Teachers Talking 9/17

Please join us on Friday, September 17 for Teachers Talking. Topic: Facilitating Small Group Discussions. Program is at 11:30 am and 12:30 pm. Email Cathy Blaukat (cblaukat@gustavus.edu) for a lunch ticket for Free lunch at Marketplace, then meet in the St Peter Room. For a full list of sessions click here.

Faculty Shop Talk

Carlos Mejia Suarez (Associate Professor in Modern Languages, Literature, and Cultures; Spanish; LALACS; Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies; and Peace Studies) will present at Faculty Shop Talk on Friday, September 17. His talk “Fishing in a Lunar Crater: Writing and Translating Chapter Zero into English” will be presented at 4:30 p.m. in the Interpretive Center. Feel free to arrive any time after 4:15 p.m. The abstract for this and future talks may be viewed HERE. 

Faculty Writing Retreats at Gustavus and ASI

The Kendall Center is hosting monthly Writing Retreats at Gustavus and at American Swedish Institute (ASI). September Writing Retreats will be held on Saturday, September 18 at ASI and Gustavus (Konferensrum). Faculty can participate in a full day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. devoted to writing. We’ll provide lunch. Please visit the Kendall Center website for upcoming dates and info. Please email Cathy Blaukat (cblaukat@gac.edu) to sign up.

FALL Half Day Retreats

Join other faculty in the Kendall Center Conference Room, Anderson Hall Room 303 for half day writing retreats in the fall. Your GAC ID card will give you access to the room. Enjoy coffee, tea, water, and snacks every Tuesday morning from 9 a.m. to noon and Wednesday afternoons from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. If these times don't fit your schedule, or you would like to create your own writing retreat group, please email Cathy Blaukat (cblaukat@gustavus.edu) and we can reserve the conference room for you.

New Faculty Orientation Session 9/23

Join us on Thursday, September 23 for a New Faculty Orientation Session. Topic: Grading: Policies and Rubrics 
Facilitator: Sarah Ruble, Faculty Director of Assessment and Professor of Religion. How might we grade assignments strategically? We can save time while giving students valuable feedback. We will also discuss the nuts and bolts of grading policies in general. A variety of assignment types are discussed. Email Cathy Blaukat (cblaukat@gustavus.edu) for a lunch ticket for Free lunch at Marketplace, then meet in the St Peter Room. 12:30 to 1:20 p.m

Teachers Talking 9/27

Please join us on Monday, September 27 for Teachers Talking. Topic: Integrating Technology in the Classroom. Program is at 11:30 am and 12:30 pm. Email Cathy Blaukat (cblaukat@gustavus.edu) for a lunch ticket for Free lunch at Marketplace, then meet in the St Peter Room.. For a full list of sessions click here.

Calendars

If you didnt' receive a 2021-2022 Kendall Center calendar or would like another one, please send an email request to Cathy Blaukat and one will be placed in campus mail for you!