On Oct. 1, 45 faculty and staff gathered for the annual Fall Faculty Conference for the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs (SGPP). The theme of this year’s conference was “Drawing from our Collective Wisdom” and featured an opening address by Brother Robert Smith, FSC, Ph.D., senior vice president for university initiatives, who shared his reflections about teaching being more than just a job and how becoming an educator is more of a vocation, something many of us were called to do. He also framed the 12 Virtues of a Good Educator that prompted participants to set their intention for the day. A series of fascinating round table discussions followed, facilitated by our own SGPP faculty. These breakout roundtable discussions provided SGPP faculty opportunities to share best practices, connect, engage in dialog, build professional networks, and start discussions concerning the development of on-going faculty learning communities at the SGPP. The breakout roundtable sessions included discussions concerning:
- What might be some grading practices that focus on learning vs. achievement?
- How might we foster curiosity in our courses?
- How might we avoid burning out and build our compassion resilience?
- How might we balance the different needs of our adult learners today?
- How might we infuse cultural fluency, social justice, and human dignity in our courses?
- What is the intersection between politics and our education institution?
- How might we support the mental health of today’s adult learners?
At the conclusion of the day, attendees were asked to share one word to describe their experience; answers included “connected,” “inspired,” “hopeful,” “motivated,” “enlightened,” and “re-energized.” Dr. Lindsey Teigland, associate program director for the M.A. in Counseling and Psychology program suggested, “I found the format and the conversation really engaging and inspiring and focused on topics with which I was most wrestling in recent semesters. It was also a great way to get to know faculty and staff outside our school.”
Each year at this conference, The Saint John Baptist De LaSalle Teaching Award is presented to a course contracted faculty member in the SGPP who has sustained excellence in teaching and contributed to Saint Mary’s y by serving as a model of the Lasallian spirit in the classroom. Among other criteria, this award recognizes faculty for demonstrating excellence, effectiveness, and integrity. This year’s award went to Shawn Neel, a faculty member in the M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy.
A dedicated faculty member, Neel has taught every semester at SGPP since 2013. He is always interested in new teaching challenges, taking on new classes whenever asked, and contributing to curriculum and program redesign. He is very student focused, having served on dozens of Comprehensive Oral Exam committees as adviser, reader, and school representative.
Dr. Sam Zaid, program director of the marriage and family therapy program said “I have never worked with such a dedicated, self-less, and generous faculty member. Shawn Neel is beyond deserving of recognition for his contributions.”
