Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Time: 8:30 – 6:00 pm
Location: University of Delaware’s STAR Campus (Tower at STAR, 100 Discovery Boulevard, Newark, DE 19713)
Keynote speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Soslau, Author and Full Professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware
Meeting Format: The in-person meeting will include talks, workshops, a keynote, and plenty of time to interact with your fellow colleagues throughout the region.
Cost: We are excited to announce that there will once again be no cost to attend or submit a proposal!
Registration & Proposal Submission (CLOSED)
We invite all education-focused academics to register and submit a lightning talk, workshop/presentation, or roundtable discussion (descriptions of these categories can be found HERE). Feel free to browse the 2024 and 2025 agendas to see examples of topics you may wish to cover. These have included pathways to promotion outside the tenure track, academic policies related to being off the tenure track, institutional strategies or challenges for success, pedagogical research, overcoming bias and stigma for education-forward faculty, and others.
Registration Portal: Registration and proposal submissions are now closed. If you have any questions, please contact support@teachingfacultyalliance.org.
Important Dates:
Friday, May 15, 2026: Proposal Submission DeadlineMonday, May 25, 2026: Proposal Acceptances ReleasedMonday, June 1, 2026: Registration Deadline- Wednesday, June 17, 2026: Retreat
Agenda
Below is the tentative agenda which is subject to slight changes as we approach the retreat!
| Time | Activity | Room |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 – 9:00 am | Check In & Full Breakfast | STAR Audion |
| 9:00 am – 9:25 am | Welcome and Opening Remarks | STAR Audion |
| 1. Drs. Teresa Hickok and Rosalyn Washington, University of Delaware | ||
| 2. Nathan Fried, Rutgers University | ||
| 3. Matthew Trevitt-Smith, Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning (CTAL), University of Delaware | ||
| 4. Krissy Najera, Center for Excellence and Equity in Teacher Preparation (CEETP), University of Delaware | ||
| 9:25 – 10:15 am | Keynote Address | STAR Audion |
| Dr. Elizabeth Soslau, The University of Delaware – Off the Tenure Track: En Route to Joy | ||
| 10:15 – 10:30 am | Break | STAR Atrium |
| 10:30 – 11:30 am | Concurrent Session #1: Presentations, Workshops & Lightning Talks | |
| Theme: Faculty Leadership, Promotion, and Professional Growth Workshop: | STAR Audion | |
| Qingjiu (Tom) Tao — Navigating the Future of the Continuing Track (CT)—A Scenario Planning Exercise | ||
| Theme: Teaching for Learning, Inclusion, and Student Success Presentation: | 313 (20-seat capacity) | |
| Jennifer Oberle & Nicole Bracci — From Learning Objectives to Standards: Designing Assessments That Support Mastery | ||
| Theme: Practical Applications of AI in Higher Education Presentation: | 413 (20 seat capacity) | |
| Mark Serva — Using AI to Improve Instructor Teaching and Research Productivity | ||
| Theme: Faculty Leadership, Promotion, and Professional Growth Lightning Talks: | 613 (20-seat capacity) | |
| 1. Cory Budischak — The Path to Leadership of an NTT | ||
| 2. Vickie Fedele — Leading off the Tenure Track: A Path to a Senate Presidency | ||
| 3. Lyra Stein and Jason Spiegelman — Preparing for Promotion as Teaching Faculty: Making Your Work Count | ||
| 4. Jenny Yang — The Future of Mentoring for Teaching Faculty | ||
| Theme: Well-Being as Practice: Trauma-Informed Teaching and Purposeful Fit Presentation: | 713 (20-seat capacity) | |
| Vince DiFelice — A Case for Interest–Market Fit and Entrepreneurial Well-Being | ||
| 11:30 – 11:45 am | Break | STAR Atrium |
| 11:45 – 12:45 pm | Buffet Lunch, Birds of a Feather SIGs, & Optional Institutional Photos | STAR Audion/Atrium |
| 12:45 – 1:45 pm | Roundtable Discussions | |
| Roundtable Problems of Practice: | STAR Audion (6 people per table) | |
| 1. Oyenike Olabisi – Mind the Gap: Student-Centered Interventions to Mitigate the Challenge of Varying Student Preparedness | ||
| 2. Christine Cucciarre and Jill Flynn – What Are the Benefits of and Strategies for a Rewarding Faculty Life in Higher Education? | ||
| 3. Stacy Love – What strategies can institutions and faculty use to create clearer, more accessible pathways for professionals transitioning into academic careers, while also supporting long-term career development and retention for new faculty? | ||
| 4. Roundtable Discussions, Cont’d. – All Attendees Participate | ||
| 1:45 – 2:00 pm | Break | STAR Atrium |
| 2:00 – 3:00 pm | Concurrent Session #2: Presentations, Workshops & Lightning Talks | |
| Theme: Teaching for Learning, Inclusion, and Student Success Presentation: | STAR Audion | |
| Tess Cherlin, Camila M. Barrios-Camacho, Ana Carolina Estarita-Guerrero — Recognizing and Offsetting the Cost of AI on Learning | ||
| Theme: Teaching for Learning, Inclusion, and Student Success Presentation: | 313 (20-seat capacity) | |
| Elizabeth Fournier, Vaishnavi Tripuraneni, Adebanjo Oriade — Exploring Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning | ||
| Theme: Faculty Leadership, Promotion, and Professional Growth Workshop: | 413 (20 seat capacity) | |
| Maria Purciello & Jennifer Saylor — ACHIEVE’s Creating and Maintaining Your Brand | ||
| Theme: Practical Applications of AI in Higher Education Lightning Talks: | 613 (20-seat capacity) | |
| 1. Bharat Patil — AI-Powered Marketing Analytics Tutor | ||
| 2. Vinayak Mathur — Analyzing the Impact of AI-Based Writing Assignments on Student Perception and Performance | ||
| 3. Nathan Fried — The Power of AI to Facilitate Teaching Ambition | ||
| 4. Ali Simaei — Building Course Support from the Ground Up: A Developer’s Demo of Tetta AI | ||
| Theme: Well-Being as Practice: From Trauma-Informed Teaching and Purposeful Fit Presentation: | 713 (20-seat capacity) | |
| Kimberlee Moran — Teaching with Care: Understanding Trauma-Informed Pedagogy and Its Application to Your Teaching | ||
| 3:00 – 3:15 pm | Break | STAR Atrium |
| 3:15 – 4:15 pm | Concurrent Session #3: Presentations, Workshops & Lightning Talks | |
| Theme: Teaching for Learning, Inclusion, and Student Success Presentation: | STAR Audion | |
| Jamie Dunaev — From Classroom to Scholarship: Ethical Questions in SoTL Research | ||
| Theme: Teaching for Learning, Inclusion, and Student Success Workshop: | 313 (20-seat capacity) | |
| Brian Thomson, Cory Budischak, Maryam Alibeik, and Eve Walters — Rethinking Grades: Designing Assessments for Learning and Growth | ||
| Theme: Practical Applications of AI in Higher Education Presentation: | 413 (20 seat capacity) | |
| Yushan Liu — From Idea to App: How AI Enables Anyone to Build Games, Websites, and Mobile Apps Without Coding | ||
| Theme: Teaching for Learning, Inclusion, and Student Success Lightning Talks: | 613 (20-seat capacity) | |
| 1. Kayleigh O’Keeffe — Using Small Metacognitive Interventions to Dislodge Student Misconceptions | ||
| 2. Ratika Gore — Decoding Culture: Creating Inclusive and Engaged Classrooms Across Deep-Level Differences | ||
| 3. Elizabeth Sargent — A CURE for Research Off the Tenure Track: Incorporating Authentic Research into Teaching | ||
| 4. George Kumi — What Do We Mean by Inclusive Teaching? | ||
| Theme: Well-Being as Practice: From Trauma-Informed Teaching and Purposeful Fit Presentation: | 713 (20-seat capacity) | |
| Stephen Hackler — It’s Rough Out Here: Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices to Support Students’ and Instructors’ Mental Health | ||
| 4:15 – 4:30 pm | Break | STAR Atrium |
| 4:30 – 4:45 pm | Retreat Conclusion | STAR Audion |
| 1. Announcements – Dr. Teresa Hickok and Dr. Rosalyn Washington, University of Delaware | ||
| 2. Giveaways – Dr. Rosalyn Washington, University of Delaware | ||
| 3. Retreat 2027 Announcement – Lyra Stein & Patricia Morton, Rutgers University | ||
| 4. Concluding Remarks – Dr. Teresa Hickok and Dr. Rosalyn Washington, University of Delaware | ||
| 4:45 – 6:00 pm | Social Hour | UD Grain Exchange |
Preparing for the Retreat
Feedback from previous years indicated that you want more time to meet, greet, and chat. Given this, we have added several new ways for you to engage and connect.
Discord: If you have signed up for the newsletter, you were sent a link to the community Discord. If it’s been awhile, check your email for “Mid-Atlantic Teaching Faculty Alliance” or email support@teachingfacultyalliance.org to receive the link. We have set up channels for each of the major themes for the retreat so that you can connect with the community leading up to the retreat.
Small Interest Groups (SIGs) – aka ‘Birds of a Feather’: During lunch, you can choose to sit in one of several tables that has a central theme to meet and greet others who are interested in chatting about these topics.
Roundtable Discussions: Roundtable discussions are facilitated, conversation-based sessions focused on a specific question, challenge, or theme relevant to non-tenure-track faculty. These are in small groups of no more than 6 people. Rather than a formal presentation, the facilitator briefly frames the topic (5 minutes or less) and then guides a structured discussion among participants. These sessions are designed to encourage dialogue, community-building, and shared problem-solving. Roundtables are 20–25 minutes in length. At the end of the session, the facilitator will submit a summary of their responses to share out to the community.
Food Drive: We’re excited to share that as part of this year’s retreat, we’re organizing a community food drive in partnership with the Food Bank of Delaware. This initiative supports a vital resource that serves both students, faculty, and members of the broader community. This initiative seeks to raise awareness of food insecurity, especially amongst our non-tenure-track colleagues. Our goal is to collect 250 non-perishable food items during the retreat. If you’re able, we invite you to bring a donation with you. We’ll be collecting items throughout the event. Together, we can make a meaningful impact. Thank you for helping us support our community.
Social Hour: Stay a little longer to grow your network. Unquestionably, the most valuable thing for NTT to navigate their career is comparing notes on policies, teaching, and other opportunities with their colleagues inside and outside their campus walls.
Getting There
Public Transit: The University of Delaware’s Tower at STAR is a 10-minute walk from the Newark train station in Delaware which has connections to local bus lines, the Septa Wilmington/Newark line that connects to Philadelphia and the Amtrak lines that connect to New York City.
Parking: Plenty of parking is available at the Tower at STAR. Further details will be released as we get closer to the event.
STAR Tower map: Guidance to the entrance of STAR tower can be found HERE.
UDel Shuttle Service: Several shuttle lines runs across UDel’s campus and bring you to the STAR tower. Click HERE to see the service options!
Staying There
Hotel Block: We have set up a Room Block at the Hyatt on main street which runs through the heart of UDel. It is a 10-minute drive and 30-minute walk to the STAR campus. Shuttle buses run between the two locations. We will increase the number of rooms in the block at the end of May.
- Hyatt Address: 94 East Main Street, Newark, DE 19711, USA
- Room Block Link: https://www.hyatt.com/events/en-US/group-booking/ILGZN/G-UMAF