Summer Institute 2024 highlights student success techniques
By Victoria Brown
Maysa Safi, Thomas Tobin, Tracy D. Hall and
Jamia Stokes at the opening session of the
2024 Summer Institute.
Southwest’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence hosted its annual Summer Institute for faculty and staff May 14-16, 2024.
The three-day institute featured guest speakers as well as faculty and staff who shared best practices and strategies that focused on empowering students towards success. The event also greatly benefited employees by providing them with valuable professional development opportunities. Through engaging with subject matter experts and participating in collaborative discussions, employees enhanced their own skills and knowledge.
On the first day of the Institute, Southwest Tennessee Community College President Tracy D. Hall kicked off the event with a welcome message for employees.
“I’m always excited to see how many members of our faculty and staff are eager to continue their learning and development,” Hall said. “To see this much engagement from our faculty and staff, along with a willingness to learn and engage is not a small thing and greatly appreciated.”
Allyson Harrison shares her poem, “I Am,” at the
2024 Summer Institute.
During the opening session, Southwest’s 2024 DREAM Scholarship recipient Allyson Miller Harrison shared a poem she wrote entitled, “I Am,” which included details about Miller’s life, past, educational background, and growth throughout her time at Southwest. Harrison is Southwest’s first Achieving the Dream Scholar and plans to graduate from the nursing program in fall 2024.
Keynote speaker Jamia Stokes, vice president of postsecondary education at the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), shared information about postsecondary education and the best ways to help students reach their academic and personal goals.
“SCORE is big on championing reform and advocating for funding to make sure that we can help advance students’ knowledge and lives,” Stokes said. “We focus on whether or not students are enrolling in schools and like to make sure that they are informed about their academic options. The more informed students are before they get to you all, the better off they will be once they’re here.”
Tracy D. Hall and Jamia Stokes discuss
student success and support practices during a
"fireside chat" session.
Stokes sat with Hall for a "fireside chat" about Southwest’s vision for student success, partnerships with other colleges and universities, student support, and what the future of higher education looks like.
“At community colleges, we are supposed to be flexible, we are supposed to be nimble within the community, hence the name. Here at Southwest, we are unafraid to push the boundaries and strive for big audacious goals.
“Our students come to us with a number of different life circumstances, so we know that we can’t just do the regular in how we approach things here. We like to make sure that all of our students are going in the right direction and that they leave with a marketable skill,” Hall said.
Thomas Tobin, an author, international speaker and higher education consultant, was also a keynote speaker at the event.
Tobin explained how Universal Design can be used to help college students learn. According to Tobin, Universal Design is a theory that combines action and expression, engagement, and representation in a way that can accommodate the different learning style needs of students.
“As educators, we have to figure out a way to reach every possible kind of student that comes in our doors. So, when trying to create enough scenarios for each individual, there is not enough time to do that,” Tobin said. “With Universal Design, we focus on phases of learning that are beneficial to a broader group.”
Tobin shared that Universal Design can help Southwest instructors reach more students and help them achieve their academic goals, despite their differences in background or life circumstances.
Faculty and staff learn stretching techniques to
relieve tension during a desk yoga session.
The three-day Summer Institute wrapped up with more than 60 concurrent sessions on a wide range of topics, from breaking down language barriers to supporting neurodivergent students to a preview of the College’s Quality Enhancement Plan and upcoming accreditation.
The event also featured a highlight presentation by Heidi Leming, vice chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR). Leming provided an insightful recap of the history and ongoing momentum leading up to the launch of a learner record system in fall 2024, an initiative that has generated considerable excitement within the college community.
For more information about the Summer Institute or the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, contact Maysa Safi, interim associate dean of academic innovation and faculty support, at msafi@southwest.tn.edu.