University & Faculty Fall Conference

University Conference will be held the morning of Wednesday, August 31, 2022 followed by Faculty Fall Conference that afternoon and all day Thursday, September 1, 2022.

Pre-Conference Workshops will be held Monday, August 29 – Tuesday, August 30, 2022.

PLU information regarding COVID-19 is available online and updated regularly.

Pre-Conference Workshops & Events

Monday, August 29 – Tuesday, August 30, 2022

A variety of virtual and on-campus workshops and events have been scheduled for faculty and staff during Pre-Conference Workshops. Browse workshop/event descriptions below.

*Registration is required for Pre-Conference Workshops and Events.

Monday, August 29

8:00 – 10:00 a.m. | Getting Started with Sakai for Instructors – Library 140 Zoom
Sean Horner, Senior Web Developer

Intended for new faculty and other instructors, this workshop provides a guided walk-through for setting up a Sakai course site. Such tasks include uploading a syllabus and other introductory course materials. Participants will also learn how to publish weekly instructional content, administer a gradebook, and send announcements.

This workshop is open to all faculty/instructors. Registration is required.

10:00 – 11:30 a.m. | Academic Program Leaders Meeting – AUC 203 Regency
Joanna Gregson, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

All Academic Deans, Department Chairs, and Interdisciplinary Program Chairs/Directors should plan to attend this important meeting where we will discuss the major academic topics for the 2022-2023 academic year.

This meeting is by invitation only; please RSVP via the Google Calendar event invitation. Contact provost@plu.edu with questions.

1:00 – 3:30 p.m. | FYEP Workshop – Hauge Admin 101 & Zoom
Rona Kaufman, FYEP Director

In this afternoon workshop, we will focus on the First-Year Experience Program’s essential role in a revised General Education program and in retention.

Faculty who teach in FYEP are especially encouraged to attend, but all faculty and staff are welcome. Registration is required.

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. | Equipping us to build communities of well-being for each other and ourselves: Strategies for responding to our students in times of discomfort and distress – Scandinavian Cultural Center
Eva Frey, Dean of Students
Joanna Royce-Davis, Vice President for Student Life
Lizz Barton, Director of the Counseling Center

This 90-minute workshop will focus on the PLU experience within local and national trends. Participants will leave with strategies for facilitating well-being in the classroom/workspace setting, and, be models and resources for response.

This workshop is open to all faculty and staff. Registration is required.

Tuesday, August 30

8:00 – 10:00 a.m. | A Framework for Inclusive Teaching – AUC 201 & Zoom
Jennifer Smith, Dean of Inclusive Excellence

In this session, we will explore three key practices that constitute a framework for inclusive teaching: engage in critical self-reflection, foster a sense of belonging, and attend to course design. In addition to leaving with strategies for each of these three practices, participants will learn about professional development opportunities to be offered during the 22-23 school year that build on this framework.

This workshop is open to all faculty and staff. Registration is required.

10:00 – 12:00 p.m. | HPRB Pre Conference Workshop for Unit Designates and Committee Members – AUC 133
Marianne Taylor, Professor of Psychology, Chair of HPRB

Intended for Unit Designates and Committee members who will review online HPRB proposal submissions and providing feedback through Axiom Mentor system.

This workshop is by invitation only. Contact hprb@plu.edu with questions.

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | What’s New in Sakai? – Zoom
Sean Horner, Senior Web Developer

Intended for instructors who have used Sakai prior to its upgrade in August 2022, this webinar will include demonstrations of significant new features in Sakai 21. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions about how this new version of Sakai will affect teaching and learning in their courses.

This workshop is open to all faculty/instructors. Registration is required.

2:00 – 3:30 p.m. | HPRB Pre Conference Workshop for Faculty – Zoom
Marianne Taylor, Professor of Psychology, Chair of HPRB

Open to all faculty whose classes submit HPRB proposals. Overview of HPRB process and resources including online submission of research through Axiom Mentor system.

This workshop is open to all faculty. Registration is required.

University Conference

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

This year’s program seeks to connect us all in collective vision, centering our work around three main goals as we head into the fall. We will call our learning community together with presentations from colleagues across campus, along with activities throughout the morning that ground us in PLU’s “big why” and preview our work together in the year ahead. Following the session, grab a boxed lunch as you head to your afternoon meetings, or gather (indoors or out) to enjoy lunch with colleagues — Olson Auditorium will remain open.

8:45 – 9:15 a.m. | Chapel – Ness Family Chapel, Karen Hille Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

9:15 – 9:30 a.m. | University Conference – Morning Refreshments – Olson Auditorium Portico

Join us as early as 9:15 a.m. for morning refreshments and mingling under the Olson Auditorium portico before the session begins. University Conference doors open at 9:30 a.m.

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | University Conference & Lunch – Olson Auditorium

Registration for lunch is required.

1:15 – 5:15 p.m. | Faculty Fall Conference – please see schedule below

5:00 – 6:30 p.m. | Welcome Back Reception – Red Square

At the conclusion of Wednesday’s workday and meetings, all staff and faculty are invited to join campus colleagues for local wines, beers, and other refreshments at PLU’s traditional Welcome Back event. Your spouse/partner/significant other is invited to join you. Registration is required.

Faculty Fall Conference

Wednesday, August 31 – Thursday, September 1, 2022

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

1:15 – 2:00 p.m. | Faculty Committee Organizational Meetings

2:15 – 3:15 p.m. | College Meetings

3:30 – 4:15 p.m. | School/Department Meetings – Meeting details communicated by unit

4:30 – 5:15 p.m. | Interdisciplinary Program Meetings – Meeting details communicated by program

Thursday, September 1, 2022

9:00 – 9:30 a.m. | Informal Morning Social – Regency Room
With coffee, tea, and scones

9:30 – 9:40 a.m. | Welcome & Invocation – Chris Knutzen Hall & Live streaming
Welcome – Tony Finitsis and Xiaohong Fan
Invocation – Pastor Jen Rude

9:40 – 10:10 a.m. | Provost’s Address – Chris Knutzen Hall & Live streaming
Joanna Gregson

10:10 – 10:40 a.m. | Faculty Chair’s Address – Chris Knutzen Hall & Live streaming
Neal Yakelis

10:40 – 11:00 a.m. | Break – Regency Room
With coffee, tea, and scones

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Student Mental Health: Strategies that make a difference in supporting current students – Chris Knutzen Hall & Live streaming
Eva Frey and Joanna Royce-Davis

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch – Regency Room
Faculty boxed lunch provided

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | Information Session for General Education – Chris Knutzen Hall
Facilitated by the CCC (Core Curriculum Committee)

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. | The Promise and Practice of Inclusive Teaching – Chris Knutzen Hall
Presented by Dr. Bryan Dewsbury

The truly inclusive classroom prepares students to be engaged participants in a living democracy. In this talk, I will describe what constitutes preparing students for democratic participation from a STEM classroom context. Using introductory biology as an example, I will discuss strategies for instructors to consider, agnostic of context, with transformative results for all classroom participants.

About Dr. Bryan Dewsbury

Bryan Dewsbury is an Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University where he also is an Associate Director of the STEM Transformation Institute. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, and his Masters and PhD in Biology from Florida International University in Miami, FL. He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education And Society (SEAS) program, where his team conducts research on the social context of education. He is a Fellow of the John N. Gardner Institute and Director at the RIOS (Racially-Just Inclusive Open Science) institute. He conducts faculty development and support for institutions interested in transforming their educational practices pertaining to creating inclusive environments and in this regard has worked with over 100 institutions across North America, United Kingdom and West Africa. He is a co-author on the upcoming book Norton’s Guide to Inclusive Teaching and author of the upcoming book What then shall I teach? – Rethinking equity in higher education. He is the founder of the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Deep Teaching Residency, a national workshop aimed at supporting faculty in transforming their classroom to more meaningfully incorporate inclusive practices. Bryan is originally from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and proudly still calls the twin island republic home.

3:00 – 4:00 p.m. | Faculty Social (optional) – Red Square
Join your faculty colleagues for a wine and cheese social, featuring live jazz!

New Student Orientation

Becoming a Lute: A Reception & Resource Fair for Families, Supporters, & Students
Friday, September 1, 2022
4:00-5:00 PM
Red Square

This joyful event welcomes all new Lutes (students and their families/supporters) with refreshments (sweet and savory waffles), music (provided by Lute Air Student Radio), a short program (hosted by Campus Ministry office), and a resource fair (where faculty and staff are invited to table as a PLU office/department and/or just meet and mingle as individuals with Lutes). Please consider joining us as members of our Lute community to welcome our new Lutes as they seek their early points of connection at PLU!

There are three ways in which you can join us in welcoming these new Lutes to our community!

• Attend as an office/department: Participate in the Resource Fair by tabling at this event. We are happy to provide a table so that you can introduce your office to new Lutes at this event!
• Attend as an individual: Meet and mingle with new students and their families/supporters. Join the event by introducing yourself to our new Lutes! Please wear your gold name tag (or let us know if you’d like us to provide a name tag).
• Attend as a volunteer: Would you like to support our event? Let us know if you are interested in volunteering, and we can use your help in meeting and greeting our new Lutes through a specific assignment!

RSVP by Friday, August 19 at 5pm: Please let us know if you can attend the Becoming a Lute event by completing this RSVP form!

LUTE Welcome: New Student Orientation Schedule: Check out the rest of the LUTE Welcome: New Student Orientation schedule on our website!

Safety Protocols: Based on current case numbers in Pierce County, and because PLU is classified as a fully vaccinated campus, masking is recommended but not required for this event. If determining factors arise, we will alert attendees that masking has become a requirement. New students, their families/supporters, and PLU employees coming to campus after being away are strongly encouraged to participate in COVID PCR or antigen testing prior to their arrival.

Convocation

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

The Convocation ceremony dates back to customs from medieval universities meant to welcome new students and new faculty and set intentions for the year ahead.

In keeping with a specifically-PLU tradition, faculty process down Hinderlie Hill and welcome new Lutes in an outdoor receiving line as students enter Olson Auditorium. Then faculty process in after the incoming class has entered and take their seats on the floor of Olson for the remainder of the ceremony. This ceremony takes on a special meaning as students will convene together in Olson Auditorium to participate in the first book end ceremony of their academic experience at PLU. The next time the incoming class will gather in this manner, will be at the second bookend event of Commencement.

Convocation schedule for Tuesday, September 6th, 2022:

• 9:30 a.m. – Faculty begin line-up in Mortvedt Library Lobby for processional down the hill
• 9:45 a.m. – University Offices close to allow all employees to attend Convocation
• 10:00 a.m. – Convocation Ceremony
• 11:15 a.m. – University Offices reopen
• 11:50 a.m. – Classes begin

Please also save the dates for the following events:

• New Faculty Orientation – Wednesday, August 24 – Thursday, August 25, 2022
• New Student Orientation – Friday, September 2 – Tuesday, September 6, 2022
• Labor Day – Monday, September 5, 2022
• Convocation and first day of classes – Tuesday, September 6, 2022
• First Faculty Assembly – Friday, September 16, 2022

Questions? Please contact the Office of the Provost, (253)535-7129 or provost@plu.edu.