Great teaching shapes great leaders.
This was celebrated in a big way during the 20th anniversary of the听. The weeklong conference held in February 2026 brought together faculty and staff to share ideas, explore new teaching strategies and learn from one another. Hosted by the听, attendees participated in more than 40 peer-led professional development sessions offered in multiple formats, including in-person workshops, virtual sessions and on-demand videos.
During a reception and award ceremony, President Gerry Bradley reflected on the transformative power of education and the importance of the university鈥檚 teaching community.
鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to continue to make the impact on our students –听on how they discover, how they can contribute and how they will engage with this ever鈥慶hanging world beyond our campus, the skills learned here really important,鈥 he said. “Teaching matters, learning听matters. All of you deserve our greatest thanks and my thanks.鈥听
Provost Katie Cardarelli emphasized that human connection is at the heart of learning and the university鈥檚 mission. 听
鈥淩etention and graduation do not only improve through policy. They improve because educators are committed to creating learning experiences that are rigorous,听supportive听and deeply human – something unique in this ever-evolving, AI听technology鈥慸riven culture. This ceremony recognizes that commitment and the sustained effort that faculty invest in students often quietly and consistently, semester after semester,鈥 she said.听
During the reception,听Senior Vice Provost听Gail DePuy announced the听听This award听honors educators who have听demonstrated听a commitment to students with one or more innovative teaching practices.
The honorees include:听
- Devin Burke, School of Music, for his work reimagining music history through the use of multimedia timelines that encourage both chronological and geographical understanding.听
- Sarah听Fauque, College of Arts & Sciences, for her work to make quantitative, ecological models more engaging for students听through the use of听active, multimodal workshop series.听
- Karen Turner, School of Nursing, for developing Student Centered Interactive Learning Stations (SCILS) for graduate students building advanced clinical decision-making skills.听
In addition,听the ceremony recognized the 2025 Faculty Favorites and educators who听engaged in the Delphi Center鈥檚 professional development听cohorts. These opportunities include听Teaching Onboarding, FIT听Program听and Ascend Champions.听听
Educators can keep the momentum going by joining upcoming听听events or scheduling a consultation to further support student success.听
See the听听from the 2026听.
By听Vanessa Karem,听
