Kendall Center NewsletterOctober 1, 2023

Upcoming Events


Date	Event
Tomorrow 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.	Faculty Social - Free lunch!
May 11 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.	Faculty Writing Retreat at ASI

Director

Pamela Conners — x6170

Faculty Associates

Dave Stamps, New Faculty Programming — x7439
Martin Lang, Community Engaged Learning — x6899
Maddalena Marinari, Research, Scholarship, and Creativity — x6152
Patricia English-Schneider, Excellence in Teaching — x7372
Dan Moos, Excellence in Teaching — x7448
Esther Wang, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — x7361

Administrative Coordinator

Cathy Blaukat — x6227

Office Hours

Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Phone

507-933-6227

Location

The John S. Kendall Center for Engaged Learning is located in Anderson Hall 303

Individuals requiring accommodations for any of these Kendall Center events should contact Cathy Blaukat (cblaukat@gustavus.edu). We kindly ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.

New Faculty Orientation Session: Grading Policies and Rubrics

Join us on Friday, October 6 for a New Faculty Orientation Session. Topic: Grading Policies and Rubrics. 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. Grab your lunch coupon from David Stamps and then head over to the St Peter Room, 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.

Faculty Writing Retreat at American Swedish Institute (ASI) in October

The Kendall Center is hosting monthly faculty writing retreats at American Swedish Institute (ASI), in Minneapolis. The October retreat will be held on Saturday, October 7th. Faculty can participate in a full day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. devoted to writing. We’ll reimburse up to $15 toward your lunch. Visit the Kendall Center website for upcoming dates. Please email Cathy Blaukat (cblaukat@gac.edu) to sign up.

Music of Black Composers

Join us on Wednesday, October 11 for the music of Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Mikhail Johnson, and James Morris from 2:30-4 pm in the Three Crowns 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.

Shop Talk - Lisa Ortmann

Lisa Ortmann, Assistant Professor in Education, will present a Faculty Shop Talk on Friday, October 13. Her talk Theorizing literacy: contextualizing an elusive concept in education " 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 on the Kendall Center website.

Teachers Talking

Join colleagues on Friday, October 27 during a Kendall Center sponsored lunch. The topic will be: What are alternatives to traditional student learning assessments in the classroom? When should teachers consider using alternatives to traditional student learning assessments? Whether you have already integrated non-traditional assessments in your class, plan to do so or are just curious, please join this collaborative discussion with faculty from different departments who use non-traditional assessments in their classes. These non-traditional approaches include ungrading methods for exams, a mark system and labor-based grading. The faculty will share their experiences with these methods and plans for future use. An overview of alternative grading can be found here. Program is from 11:30a.m. to 12:20p.m. or 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the St Peter Room, lunch provided.

Shop Talk - John Bailey

John Bailey, Visiting Assistant Professor in Environment Geography and Earth Sciences will present a Faculty Shop Talk on Friday, October 27. His talk "The Rise and Fall of Volcano John and the Geospatial Stories from Mars" 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 on the Kendall Center website.

Faculty Writing Space at Gustavus

Do you need a day of writing? Maybe a half day or even a couple hours? The Kendall Center Conference Room in Anderson Hall, Room 303, is available throughout the year devoted to writing, come and go as needed. The room is stocked with snacks, water, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate. Help yourself. Just swipe your Gustavus ID card at the KCEL door and you are ready to write. If you have a group that would like to meet regularly, shoot Cathy Blaukat an email to reserve the room. This is a quiet space for faculty to come and write as they wish.

Kendall Center Event Google Calendar

Subscribe to the Kendall Center Google Calendar to keep track of all our programming throughout the year. We are no longer printing a calendar.

Grant Opportunities

In consultation with the Faculty Development Committee in 2022-2023, we have revised our mini-grant opportunities. The following small grants (up to $500) have a rolling deadline.
Teaching Development Grant supports faculty members’ pedagogical development. Scholarship Development Grant supports the development of faculty’s research,
scholarship, and creative work. Community Engaged Learning Grant supports course-based community collaborations. Visit our website for more information about all grant opportunities as well as eligibility, grant guidelines, and forms for the mini-grants.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Resources for Faculty

Colleges and universities continue to grapple with the impact that ChatGPT and other AI technologies will have on higher education. As the school year approaches and faculty are getting ready for fall classes, the Kendall Center offers AI resources to help faculty prepare for the coming year. AI Resources webpage.