Dear Colleagues,
Some spring trimester Faculty Development Events to look out for!
Tuesday, May 6, Common Lunch, Karp 105, for all:
Lunch-N-Learn: Teaching in the Age of AI: Opportunity or Obstacle?
Speaker: Greg Kulowiec, Principal, The Kulowiec Group,
Gen AI is here — and it’s changing the game in teaching and learning. Faculty are invited to join us for a fast-paced common hour session where we’ll cut through the hype, build our AI literacy, and explore smart, human-centered ways to bring Gen AI into our teaching practice.
Lunch provided! No RSVP required
Sponsored by: Anthropology, Classics, Economics, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, & Sociology depts. and Learning Design & Digital Innovation
Thursday, May 8, Common Lunch, Karp 004, for associate professors: Workshop on preparing materials for Full Professor Promotion. Bring your own lunch. Join Dean Kara Doyle, FRB Chair Pattie Wareh, myself, and a few colleagues who have recently and successfully navigated the journey to Full Professor (both scholarship and non-scholarship based). We will talk about the process, answer questions, and (where and if appropriate) offer advice.
Wednesday May 14, Common Lunch, Grant 018, for new(ish) faculty: "Academic Advising for First-Year Faculty" Please join Tom Jordan, Director of Academic Advising & Enrichment, to discuss academic advising at Union College. Dr. Jordan will share information about summer advising assignments, the typical advising and registration calendar each term, and common topics and questions for advising meetings with students.
Thursday, May 15 12:50 – 1:45pm, VART 204: Lunch-N-Learn: “Rethinking How We Assess: Fostering Deeper Learning,” Join a lunch & learn on "Rethinking How We Assess: Fostering Deeper Learning" to explore how to cultivate lasting learning by moving beyond traditional exams. David Collinge (Sr. Learning Designer, Inclusive Pedagogy) will kick things off by discussing the importance of evaluation that goes beyond high-stakes tests. Then, Professors Jennifer Currey (Engineering) and Prateek Arora (Economics) will share their practical strategies for implementing effective alternative assessments in their classrooms.
Thursday, May 22 12:15 – 2:00pm, Hale House: Lunch-N-Learn: "Effective Teaching is Inclusive Teaching: A Snapshot of the 2024-2025 Faculty Interest Group for Student Success." Join this year's participants as they present the work they've done to build relationships and improve student learning, as part of our year-long faculty learning community. Lunch available starting at 12:15. Presentations and Q+A from 12:50-1:50.
Week of June 16: Watch for the form for our Adirondacks Center Writing Workshop. Join us for four blissful days of writing surrounded by natural beauty and the camaraderie of (quiet) working colleagues. I will send this out in a few weeks.
Invitation to 2025 Summer Faculty Development Institute offerings!: The Learning Design and Digital Innovation team is offering Faculty Development in the summer of 2025 for ALL faculty! There are two experiences faculty can choose from and there are separate sign-ups for each. Faculty can attend one or both offerings! For more details about these offerings, visit the 2025 Summer Faculty Development website.
1. Monday, June 23, 2025: FDI Mini-Conference (open to all faculty) | Sign up here for sessions by June 9th!
2. June 24-27, 2025: FDI Course Incubator (limited to ten faculty) | Apply here by May 5th.
From Mercedes Susi in the Grants Office: For faculty who are eligible for sabbatical in 2026-27 and are hoping to apply for a fellowship or grant opportunity to support their research during this period, the spring term and summer are the best times to meet with the grants office to start having these conversations.
