Academic Leadership

Budgeting: Meeting Expectations and Maximizing Resources
Led by Ruth Maher

Effective leaders must make strategic decisions with limited resources. This session examines how to manage budgets, allocate time and personnel, and maximize resources while meeting departmental goals.

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Academic Advising: Training Resources
Led by Erin Connelly
This workshop will provide an overview of undergraduate academic advising training and reference resources available to all academic advisors at UNG. It will provide an in-depth overview of the Academic Advisor Training course shell in D2L, information that is available, and how to use provided resources.

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Sessions on policies and portfolio for faculty coming up for pre- and post-tenure. Six virtual workshops will be offered for fall - three for pre-tenure and three for post-tenure. You only need to attend one of the sessions offered.

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A Leadership Conversation with Dr. Elisabeth Burgess 
Dean for the College of Arts and Letters at the University of North Georgia
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Balance or Burnout
In this FRAME session, we will explore practical strategies for maintaining well-being, managing competing responsibilities, prioritizing work that matters, and building sustainable habits that support long-term success in academia by setting boundaries creating routines that protect well-being and career progress.
 
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Sessions on policies and portfolio for faculty coming up for pre- and post-tenure. Six virtual workshops will be offered for fall - three for pre-tenure and three for post-tenure. You only need to attend one of the sessions offered.
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Providing High Quality Undergraduate Research Experiences in the Classroom
Led by Amanda Halliburton
In this session, we will discuss how to effectively incorporate undergraduate research into required or elective classes. Topics will include assessing student readiness and goals, building motivation, scaling based on class size, and elevating the experience for students who want to go the extra mile.

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Demystifying Quantum Computing
Led by Xiuping Tao, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Cybersecurity
Quantum computing is no longer a distant theoretical concept confined to physics labs; it is rapidly becoming a transformative force across the global economy. As our university prepares to launch its first official course in the field (CSCI 4020) in Fall 2026, this session provides faculty and staff with a foundational, "low-barrier" introduction to the quantum landscape. This talk is specifically designed for a non-specialist audience, requiring no prior background in advanced mathematics or physics.

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A Leadership Conversation with Dr. Nathan Price 
Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs of the University of North Georgia

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Shut Up & Write provides participants with a structured time to make progress on research and writing. Participants will work in a fifty-minute block with a five-minute block of discussion at the beginning and a five-minute block of rest and discussion at the end.

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All the World's a Stage: Setting the Scene for Motivation, Engagement, and Belonging
Led by Lori Furbush, Kelly McFaden, and Alison Hite
This presentation focuses on practical, high-impact strategies for creating a welcoming and purposeful start to the semester. While a clear syllabus is essential, the "stage" is truly set through the intentional development of instructor-student rapport. We will explore how early efforts to build connection directly fuel student motivation, increase classroom engagement, and foster a deep sense of belonging. 
 
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Attention Please: Demystifying Artificial Intelligence for a General Audience
Led by Yong Wei 
How do ChatGPT and other modern AI systems actually work? This talk demystifies the fundamental ideas behind large language models and multimodal foundation models, including transformers, attention mechanisms, and vision-language models. Designed for a general audience, the presentation provides an accessible introduction to the algorithms that enable AI to understand and generate text, images, and more.

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Sessions on policies and portfolio for faculty coming up for pre- and post-tenure. Six virtual workshops will be offered for fall - three for pre-tenure and three for post-tenure. You only need to attend one of the sessions offered.

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Teaching with Library Resources and Partnerships
Led by Melissa Lockaby and Amanda Nash
In this session, we will discuss how collaborating with UNG librarians and leveraging library resources can strengthen student learning, research skills, and course design.

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Teaching with Library Resources and Partnerships
Led by Melissa Lockaby and Amanda Nash
In this session, we will discuss how collaborating with UNG librarians and leveraging library resources can strengthen student learning, research skills, and course design.

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Why Bother? Writing Lab Reports 
Led by the Writing Across the Curriculum Network

In this session, members of the WAC Network partner with colleagues in Psychology to look at why we write lab reports, ways we can teach and assess the report genre, and how to help students value the research and writing processes they are practicing when drafting lab reports.

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Sessions on policies and portfolio for faculty coming up for pre- and post-tenure. Six virtual workshops will be offered for fall - three for pre-tenure and three for post-tenure. You only need to attend one of the sessions offered.

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A Leadership Conversation with Dr. Anastasia Lin
Assistant VP for Academic Affairs and Dean of Honors of the University of North Georgia

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Coaching Faculty Toward Promotion and Tenure
Led by Wendy Kurant, Bryan Dawson, and Ted Forringer

Department chairs play a critical role in assessing faculty performance and fostering professional growth. This session focuses on evaluating FARs, providing constructive feedback, and supporting faculty throughout the promotion and tenure process.

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Academic Advising Technology: An Overview
Led by Erin Connelly
This workshop will provide a brief overview of key academic advising technology: the AdviseMe Appointment System, student records, and DegreeWorks. It will provide instructions and resources for implementing AdviseMe, a review of the DegreeWorks audit system, and practical tips for accessing and interpreting student records.

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Fostering Historical Empathy Through Active Pedagogy
Led by John Romero
This session explores methods geared towards student acquisition of historical empathy. Historical empathy is defined as the continuous process in which we attempt to take seriously the humanity of historical actors and to think critically about human actors' agency, motivations, and actions. The development of historical empathy is rooted in particular pedagogical practices, such as the use of certain kinds of historical sources, the implementation of out-of-the-box assignments that foster different aspects of historical thinking, and non-traditional delivery methods. These approaches not only help students to grasp challenging historical concepts, encourage them to consider how individual human beings were involved in historic events and processes, and fosters a reflective approach to students' own roles as historical actors.
 
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Using AI to Your Advantage: Planning and Updating Course Materials
Led by Jennifer Sears
This session focuses on ways to utilize AI tools - specifically NotebookLM - to prepare for future courses or to update existing materials.

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High-Impact Capstones: Designing Transformative Culminating Experiences for Student Success
Led by Caitlin Wills
Capstone experiences provide students with a powerful opportunity to integrate, apply, and showcase what they have learned throughout their academic journey. This interactive workshop explores the essential elements of high-impact capstone design, helping faculty create meaningful culminating experiences that promote student engagement, achievement, and post-graduation readiness.
Participants will examine evidence-based practices for developing capstones that foster critical thinking, problem-solving, reflection, collaboration, and real-world application.

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A Leadership Conversation with Dr. Michael Shannon 
President of the University of North Georgia.

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Shut Up & Write provides participants with a structured time to make progress on research and writing. Participants will work in a fifty-minute block with a five-minute block of discussion at the beginning and a five-minute block of rest and discussion at the end.

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The Un-Toasted Teacher: How to Stay Fresh During Heated Semesters
Led by Andrew Jakiel and Susan Brantley
In the high-pressure environment of higher education, the line between professional dedication and personal exhaustion is often blurred. A proactive workshop designed to help faculty identify the warning signs of burnout and implement concrete strategies to reclaim their time, energy, and passion for academia. We will explore how to establish sustainable boundaries, streamline administrative "drifting," and recalibrate expectations without sacrificing teaching excellence or research productivity.

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AI in the Classroom: Practical Strategies for Any Faculty 
Led by Jane Morris
This session introduces faculty to practical, beginner-friendly strategies for using artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom. Participants will explore how AI can support teaching, enhance student learning, and be integrated into assignments across disciplines, with a focus on simple approaches that can be implemented immediately. 
 
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Translating Universal Design for Learning Theory into Your Classroom 
Led by Jennifer Sears
This hands-on workshop invites instructors to consider a current course component—whether an assignment, assessment, lecture format, or course policy—and work through a structured redesign process using UDL principles. Participants will learn practical strategies for building flexibility into their instruction and will leave with an action plan for revising at least one element of their course.

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Promotion and Tenure: Documenting Teaching Success
Led by Carl Ohrenberg
In this session, we will discuss strategies for documenting teaching effectiveness, organizing evidence, and preparing materials that support promotion and tenure.

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Why Bother? Taking Notes, Annotating, and Reflecting
Led by the Writing Across the Curriculum Network

In this session, members of the WAC Network explore assignment design and scaffolding to support note-taking skills, annotation practices, and authentic reflection. We discuss how to move students beyond "I learned a lot" toward more reflective and strategic interaction with content and their own thinking/learning process.

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From Assignments to Experiences: Designing Authentic Learning in Any Discipline
Led by Ralph Hale
This session explores how faculty can transform traditional assignments into authentic learning experiences that align with course outcomes, mirror real-world practice, increase student engagement, and deepen learning. Participants will leave with practical strategies for creating meaningful, high-impact experiences without redesigning an entire course.

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From Theory to Practice: Designing Effective Service-Learning Experiences
Led by Brandy Pass
This interactive workshop moves beyond the fundamentals of service-learning to help faculty design meaningful, course-based community engagement experiences that align with student learning outcomes. Through real-world examples, collaborative case studies, and a guided course planning activity, participants will leave with practical strategies and a draft framework for implementing or enhancing a service-learning component in one of their own courses.

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A Leadership Conversation with Jonathan Watts Hull
Associate Vice Chancellor, Student and Faculty Success at Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

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Supporting Faculty in Crisis and Developing Professional Improvement Plans
Led by Steven Lloyd and Erica DeLana

Faculty challenges can range from personal crises to professional performance concerns. This session focuses on supporting faculty in difficult situations and developing professional improvement plans that promote positive outcomes.

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Curriculum at UNG: An Academic Advisor's Perspective
Led by Erin Connelly
This workshop will examine the structure of UNG's curriculum and majors from the perspective of an academic advisor, starting with Core IMPACTS and Field of Study, and then transitioning into upper-level major-specific requirements. It will discuss the professional academic advising approach to guiding students through curriculum. This workshop will also discuss where to find information about curriculum, and best practices for assisting students who are considering a major change.

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Moving Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay 
Led by Wenxin Guo and Mohan Menon 
Restructuring assignments toward multi-modal outputs (podcasts, video pitches, interactive portfolios) or scaffolding the writing process (grading the brainstorm, the outline, the AI-assisted draft, and the final reflection).

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