Kendall Center NewsletterMay 1, 2023

Kendall Center Summer Development Opportunities 

The Kendall Center is offering numerous faculty development opportunities throughout the summer. Please visit the website for a full list of sessions. You can set up a free individual NCFDD membership here , select Gustavus as your Institution, and then you can access the sessions. 

Feedback requested for teacher professional development opportunities (2023-2024)

The Faculty Associates for Teaching Excellence (Patty English and Dan Moos) welcome your input on best ways to support teaching excellence during the 2023 - 2024 academic year. Please complete this short survey (5 minutes) to provide Patty and Dan with your suggestions for teacher professional development opportunities during the 2023-2024 academic year.

New Faculty Orientation Session: The Power of the Liberal Arts 

Join us on Thursday, May 4 for a New Faculty Orientation Session. Topic: The Power of the Liberal Arts. This discussion will broadly cover: the role of the liberal arts in our students’ educational experience; how faculty can enhance our students’ understanding of what the liberal arts means, and; how students can leverage their degree from a liberal arts college. We also can discuss how teaching or scholarship could be re-conceptualized when you are working in a liberal arts context, and how the liberal arts can cultivate aspects of our broader lives. Grab your lunch coupon from David Stamps and then head over to the St Peter Room, 12:30 to 1:20 p.m.

Pre-Sabbatical Lunch 

Meet us on Thursday, May 4 for lunch to have a conversation about getting ready for your sabbatical. We also see this as an opportunity to discuss how we can help you during your sabbatical. Lunch will be available. 11:30 to 12:30 in the Three Crowns Room

CANCELED - Music of Black Composers 

Join us on Friday, May 5 for the music of Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Mikhail Johnson, and James Morris from 2:30-4 pm in the Heritage Room. These Black composers have much to teach us about how to live in today's world. Come hear their piano music and cello music with a bit of commentary by Esther Wang and guest cellist David Carter. Snacks provided.

NCFDD - Every Summer Needs a Plan 

Join the NCFDD session "Every Summer Needs a Plan" on Thursday, May 11 from 1- 2:30pm. Do you want to figure out how to be more productive AND enjoy your life this summer? If so, join us for a 2-part live strategy session! Part one will focus on the best tips and strategies for maximizing research and productivity during the summer term and how to combat professional isolation and create a supportive writing community. Part two focuses on hands-on planning, where you can take time out of your schedule to identify your personal and professional goals for the summer, create a strategic plan to accomplish them, and identify the types of community, support, and accountability you need to make this your most productive and balanced summer ever! Create your free NCFDD account and sign up for the session or visit the Kendall Center summer development opportunities page.

Faculty Social - Free lunch! 

The Kendall Center invites all faculty to a Faculty Social (lunch provided) on Friday, May 19 from noon to 2 p.m. in the Saint Peter Room. Take a break and join us for conversation as we finish out the year and look ahead to summer. At 12:30pm, Kendall Center Director Pamela Conners will offer a brief report on this academic year and preview faculty development opportunities (e.g. new grants, new website) for 2023-2024.

Moving from Resistance to Writing 

Join the NCFDD session "Moving from Resistance to Writing" on Thursday, June 8th from 1-2:30pm. Have you been putting off your writing all year by promising yourself that summer is when you'll buckle down and get it done? In this webinar, you will learn: What resistance is and why academic writers experience it in pursuit of work we want and need to complete, how to identify what's holding you back from writing, the three most common types of writing funk and how to move around them, and how to create the types community, support and accountability for your writing that will help you to ride through whatever type of writing funk you are currently experiencing. Create your free NCFDD account and sign up for the session or visit the Kendall Center summer development opportunities page.

Robot Overlords: ChatGPT and the Future of Writing and Research 

Join us on Tuesday, June 13 from 9am to noon for this half day workshop Participants will learn more about new and evolving AI research and writing tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard, and discuss how they might impact teaching, learning, and professional practice in their field. We will also run a chatbot lab in which participants will put course assignment prompts, test questions, etc. into the ‘chatbots’ and assess the results. Based on discussion and lab, participants will craft best practice guidelines for their departments or courses regarding use of AI assistance on writing and research. They will also produce a student assignment or revise an existing assignment to introduce students to productive uses of this technology or illustrate its limitations. via GoogleMeet with Nissa Parmar (WAC Director), Eric Vrooman (Writing Center), and Michelle Twait (Library). Register here  or visit the Kendall Center summer development opportunities.

The Heart of Higher Education 2023: Finding Our Place in Shifting Landscapes 

This virtual retreat event is on June 14-16 from 10am-2pm and is for those higher education professionals who are eager to foster ways to sustain and renew personal identity and professional integrity in the midst of the profound changes that impact our lives. Join this gathering of educational professionals as we reflect on, explore, and sit with questions related to place: physical, interior, and the web of connection that weaves us together. Register here. Registration deadline is June 9th.

Supporting Academics with ADHD 

Join us on Tuesday, June 20 for an NCFDD session from 1pm to 2pm. Do you identify as neurodivergent or as someone with ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder)? Do you work with faculty or graduate students with ADHD? Are you looking for effective skills to be successful as an academic that better fits the diversity you bring to higher education? If so, please join us for a conversation about common experiences of those with ADHD/ADD, strengths those with ADHD/ADD bring to academic spaces, and tips and tricks for supporting yourself and others through the academic journey including how to increase interest, novelty, challenge, and urgency in planning your time, designing a career trajectory, navigating your college or university life, and manages your professional interactions and needs. Create your free NCFDD account and sign up for the session or visit the Kendall Center summer development opportunities page.

The Art of Saying No 

Join us on Thursday, July 13 from 1-2:30pm for the NCFDD session "The Art of Saying No." Are you confused about when to say "yes" and "no" to other people's requests? Do you often say "yes" to requests without realizing the impact that response will have on your time and productivity? Do you find yourself feeling angry and resentful during the academic year because you've said "yes" too often? You're not alone! Many faculty (pre and post-tenure) find it incredibly difficult to sort out when, why, and how to say "NO." In this webinar, you will learn te biggest mistakes faculty make in responding to requests, how to identify and disrupt problematic patterns, and strategies you can implement immediately so you can add "no" to your vocabulary. Create your free NCFDD account and sign up for the session  or visit the Kendall Center summer development opportunities page.

The Teaching Toolkit Program 

Join us for this NCFDD session from July 17 to August 11. Teaching Toolkit is a program for designing, refreshing, and launching courses. Apply for Kendall Center to reimburse you the early bird $495 registration fee here. Early bird discount ends May 5. Create your free NCFDD account and sign up for the session or visit the Kendall Center summer development opportunities page.

An Equity-Minded Approach to Writing Effective External Review Letters for Tenure and Promotion 

Join us on Tuesday, July 18 from 1-2:00pm for this NCFDD session. Our goal in this presentation is to empower you, as letter-writers, to counteract factors and promote the academic culture we all want to support. Create your free NCFDD account and sign up for the session or visit the Kendall Center summer development opportunities page .

Cultivating Your Network of Mentors, Sponsors & Collaborators 

Join us on Thursday, August 10 from 1-2:30pm for this NCFDD session. Do you have a reliable and strong network of mentors? Are you struggling to cultivate mentoring relationships? Do you know the difference between a mentor and a sponsor? Are you moving to a new stage of your career and wondering how to find new mentors and sponsors that are appropriate to the next level? If so, join us for a webinar that will help you map your current mentoring network, identify your unmet needs, and plan how to expand your existing network to meet your current needs. Create your free NCFDD account and sign up for the session  or visit the Kendall Center summer development opportunities page.

New Faculty Development Resource - National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) 

Gustavus is now an institutional member of the National Council for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), which provides every faculty member with free access to a full suite of online faculty resources in four key areas: individual strategic planning, explosive productivity, healthy relationships, and work-life balance. Visit facultydiversity.org to set up your individual account and explore their on-demand curriculum, get paired with a faculty partner at another institution, join a writing community, and much more.

Kendall Center Google Calendar

Stays updated on all the events and info on the Kendall Center Google calendar.