Learning and Teaching Commons Newsletter: June 2025

I’m writing my final newsletter intro on the second hottest day of 2025, fully feeling summer’s expanse on this Monday of evaluation week. My time as an LTC scholar this year has truly been a highlight of my Evergreen career; I’ve learned deeply, gained new perspectives on the complexity of this college, developed lasting collegial relationships, and discovered a new voice and new ways to contribute to the life of Evergreen. I plan to continue supporting the work of the LTC even after my scholar position ends, by serving on the Commons Advisory Council and the steering committee of the Washington Learning Communities Consortium. I extend immense gratitude to everyone at the LTC for the warm invitation to work and grow with you this year.

Our Learning and Teaching Commons is a gem—a precious resource for us educators, designed to support the complexities of our work and the diverse voices and talents that fill Evergreen classrooms. In this spirit, I’ll leave you with a brief list of insights I’ve gained this year regarding the invaluable role of our Learning and Teaching Commons and LTCs in general, which I hope will motivate you to visit, take advantage of our offerings and services, and reflect on the critical significance of spaces like these in colleges and universities.

Our LTC is here for you. Anyone teaching at Evergreen can reach out to the LTC at any point during their planning, teaching, or evaluation of students, colleagues, or themselves, whether they are a new, mid-career, or experienced educator. Bring what you have and come with a need or a question–the LTC is here to listen, witness, and provide perspective and expertise. They can assist you via email, in person, or virtually. The LTC’s approach honors your expertise and experience, meeting you where you are in your process. They offer perspective and support that align with your goals and orientation as an educator.

Our LTC offers more than individual consulting, including New Faculty onboarding, workshops, Summer Institutes, guides and resources, a resource library, data gathering and surveys, and more. The LTC’s mission is to learn about, advocate for, and support the work of teaching and learning at Evergreen at various scales with a variety of approaches.

Our LTC is the consummate host - though it’s tucked away on the 3rd floor of Seminar II across from the E-wing, the kettle is always on and the snacks are always out. It’s a place to gather and a place of respite. Take a break in the commons and peruse the latest scholarship of teaching and learning in the library while enjoying a fizzy water and chocolate, and maybe a conversation with your next teaching partner.

LTCs, more broadly, serve as crucial agents of learning, advocacy and change in support of faculty, student, and institutional success. As Mary C. Wright, author of Centers of Teaching and Learning: the New Landscape in Higher Education, points out in a recent interview, “[Learning and Teaching] Centers are…focusing not only on student learning and success, but also on faculty learning and organizational learning. Learning is really at the heart of what centers are doing now, and I think there’s growing evidence that centers are making a difference in these areas….I see centers as critical for helping colleges and universities become learning organizations. With all the crises and challenges that seem to come up every week, institutions need to develop institutional resilience, and centers are well-positioned to help navigate those challenges.”

If you’re looking for more Evergreen context, I invite you to read this history of faculty development at Evergreen, written by former Provost Barbara Smith in 2015. It precedes the establishment of our college-facing LTC and provides a good picture of the extensive groundwork laid for it by the Washington Center, in concert with deans and provosts.

I wish you a restful and rejuvenating summer!

With gratitude,

Julia Zay, LTC Faculty Scholar
Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education

The Learning and Teaching Commons newsletter is delivered to your inbox on the first Friday of the month during the quarter. Click here to read past newsletters

Join LTC Faculty Scholar Julia Zay and three other faculty colleagues to analyze survey data collected across four domains: teaching partnerships and practices, curriculum planning and development, professional growth, and faculty well-being and belonging.

Participants will be compensated $500 for two days of work (funding provided by the Provost Office). Lunch will be catered and provided by the Washington Center.

Email learningandteaching@evergreen.edu if you're interested.

Join Evergreen faculty on Friday, September 12 for a full day of connection, reflection, and pedagogical exploration. This compensated professional development event offers space to build community, engage in meaningful conversations about institutional change, and prepare for the year ahead. Open to all faculty, across all teaching modalities.

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Purce Hall 7 | $125 stipend for full-day participation

It's time to submit your Faculty Notes for this academic year!

The Learning and Teaching Commons celebrates notable faculty accomplishments through Faculty Notes. Each year we collect notable publications, presentations, appearances, recognitions, awards, exhibits, performances, research, or other accomplishments to celebrate the incredibly talented faculty at Evergreen. Submit a Faculty Note.

Evergreen Faculty Attend NEH AI Charrette

Over the past year, four Evergreen faculty have participated in a cohort examining AI in the Humanities, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities titled "Developing a Public Liberal Arts Humanities Curriculum: Empowering Students to Navigate an AI World." Hirsh Diamant, Kyle Pittman, Andrew Reece, and Ulricke Krotscheck participated with faculty from five regional Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) affiliated institutions.

The purpose of the grant was to support faculty in the development of teaching materials that engage students working with generative AI from a humanistic perspective. Andrew Reece and Kyle Pittman attended a two-day convening at the University of Illinois Springfield with other cohort members to share and reflect on their work.

Congratulations to our Greener class of 2025 (and to all of the faculty, staff, family, and friends who have supported them on this journey)!

Check the dates of all ceremonies below and see the website for more details.

Thursday, April 23 - Friday, April 24

Rainbow Lodge | North Bend, WA

The Washington Center and the Washington Learning Communities Collaborative (WLCC) invites Evergreen faculty and teaching teams to join us for a two-day Integrative Learning Curriculum Planning Retreat. [Details]

Are you feeling the emotional weight of supporting your students? Consider inviting an Evergreen Community Circle to your course or program to provide a supportive space for sharing feelings and experiences. Learn more →

If your class is doing something cool this academic year, especially this Fall please email Shandra Witke: your name, the class title, what your class will be doing, and a general idea of the date(s) you will be doing it.

We are hoping to connect with Faculty to schedule some updated shots. We need photos of:

-Updated classroom and group discussions

-Classroom demonstrations

-Class activities outside the classroom – both on and off-campus

-In the forest

-At the beach

-Off-campus field trips (downtown Olympia, local nature, Study Abroad)

-Class visits to the library or other places on campus

-Art and design classes like woodshop or ceramics

-Classes in the computer labs or 3D printing lab

-Students making cool stuff or showing off their projects

-Students working and collaborating in the science labs or with science equipment

-Anything fun, engaging, unique, Evergreen

The USTF has made recent updates to the Undocumented Student Support Syllabus statement and other essential resources for faculty to reference when supporting these students.

Please make sure your syllabus statement is updated to reflect recent federal changes to the "sensitive locations" policy. You can find the updated language below, and on the Syllabus Statements page on the LTC website.

Evergreen welcomes all students, regardless of residency, citizenship, or immigration status. Undocumented and immigrant students are integral to the Evergreen community and have a right to dignity, safety, and belonging. Evergreen provides various forms of on-campus support for undocumented and immigrant students, students with DACA, and those from mixed-status families. Students can find more information in our resources flyer, available in English and Spanish [Evergreen Undocu Resources Recursos bilingue Jan 2025]. For holistic support, information, and questions, students, staff, and faculty can contact: Evergreen’s Undocumented/Underserved Student Support Specialist, available in Spanish, and the Undocumented Student Task Force, a group of students, staff, and faculty committed to supporting and advocating for undocumented students at Evergreen. Both can be contacted by e-mailing (undocu@evergreen.edu).

[Learn more] about updates to College Policies and Community Resources from the USTF.

Writing Center Summer Hours:

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: 12pm-5pm, in-person (Library 2304) or online

The Writing Center can also offer some limited appointments to accommodate students who are not available during these times. Students and faculty can email writingcenterstaff@evergreen.edu for more information.

There are many opportunities for faculty to share their achievements, and we want to encourage you to contribute to the wealth of knowledge in our Evergreen community. Learn more about how to share your work with our community.