American Democracy Project Founder to Speak at Teaching, Learning Symposium

Date: 11/29/06
Contact: Marc Lebovitz

George Mehaffy, founder of the American Democracy Project and vice president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, will be the keynote speaker at the Seventh Annual Teaching and Learning Symposium beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the DoubleTree Conference Center in Bloomington.

The Symposium also will feature a free lunch, a wide variety of break-out sessions and a closing reception in honor of ISU's teaching award winners. Registration is now open at www.teachtech.ilstu.edu Breakfast and check-in begin at 8 a.m. and President Al Bowman will make welcoming remarks at 8:30. The 4:15 p.m. reception, a new addition to the symposium, will include live music, appetizers and a cash bar.

Mehaffy's address will be "Developing Informed and Engaged Citizens: The Imperative for Higher Education." His talk complements the Symposium's theme, which is "Civic Engagement in Classrooms and Communities."

"In his role coordinating Academic Affairs for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, George Mehaffy has seen, and heard about, what hundreds of American universities are doing to increase the civic engagement and political communication skills of literally millions of college students," said Illinois State University Provost John Presley. "His role requires him to help build bridges between theory and research and sponsors like the NY Times and the Carnegie Foundation and college classrooms all across the nation. He quite simply knows what works, he brings a passion to the issues, and he speaks about them in very compelling fashion."

The luncheon will also feature announcement and introduction of this year's Outstanding University Teaching Award winners and the official debut of the campus FOCUS Initiative's new online faculty resource. Before and after lunch, 30 break-out sessions led by more than 100 ISU faculty and staff will address a wide range of topics related to six themes: Civic Engagement, Teaching & Learning Together, Research & Reflections on Teaching & Learning, Teaching with Technology, and Campus Teaching Initiatives.

Campus Teaching Initiatives to be represented at the Symposium include the FOCUS Initiative, the Political Engagement Project, Professional Development Circles for First-Year Faculty, Classroom Response Systems ("clickers") and the Instructional Podcasting Development Initiative.

"In our formal evaluations and in informal comments after last year's symposium, faculty overwhelmingly told us that they found the day to be both worthwhile and enjoyable," said Patrick B. O'Sullivan, director of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, which organizes the annual symposium. "They valued the opportunity to connect with talented faculty from across campus and felt energized from hearing ideas from their colleagues about ways to advance their own teaching. We're working to make sure that attendees have that experience again this year."

New this year is an exhibit center featuring local non-profit organizations interested in forming partnerships with faculty and students for service learning and other civic engagement projects.

"We hope this exhibit center will give faculty an opportunity to make some useful contacts," said CTLT Coordinator Cyndy Ruszkowski. "After they learn more about initiatives like the American Democracy Project, the FOCUS Initiative, and the Political Engagement Project, they may be inspired to create engagement opportunities for their own students."

"As a national leader in the scholarship of teaching and learning," said President Al Bowman, "Illinois State must also take the lead in hosting discussions that will advance the true mission of higher education. The theme of the symposium also fits perfectly with our efforts for the American Democracy Project, so I am very excited about the event."