Join us November 7–8 in downtown Nashville, TN, as we gather for the annual Academic Affairs and Student Success Summit. This year’s Summit will be centered on the critical themes of wellness and success, and building future-ready campuses that prepare students, faculty and staff to thrive in a rapidly changing world. The systemwide collaboration aims to provide a dynamic platform for insightful discussions, collaborative problem solving, action planning and the exchange of innovative strategies and frameworks to enhance wellness and success initiatives across the UT System.
By attending the summit, participants will:
By the end of the Summit, campus teams will develop appropriate action steps and a shared understanding of how success will be measured.
Enhance knowledge of and explore strategies to build resilient and inclusive campuses that support students, faculty and staff as they navigate today’s shifting higher education landscape.
Establish shared expectations about what it means to create and maintain supportive environments that promote the wellness and success of faculty, staff and students.
Identify and examine existing barriers that keep our students, faculty and staff from feeling able to reach their desired goals.
Share tools and insights that allow attendees to continue this work on their home campus.
Special Guests
Day One Keynote Speaker: Understanding Educator Success: Turning the Microscope on Ourselves
Jennifer Keup, PhD, is the executive director for the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU). In this role she provides leadership for the organization’s operational, programmatic, strategic and scholarly activities. USU is unique for its presidential membership of urban-serving, public, research universities committed to connecting local, regional and national networks developing and scaling the innovations necessary to deliver equitable outcomes for today’s postsecondary students. In addition, Dr. Keup serves as the vice president of Urban Initiatives at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) to support, advocate and advance the needs and interests of APLU institutions in urban settings.
Prior to coming to USU and APLU, Dr. Keup served as the executive director of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina for over 15 years and maintains the title of Senior Fellow with the Center. Dr. Keup’s scholarship, leadership, teaching and service focus on two complementary areas: (a) student success, particularly during the transition to college, and (b) high-impact practices and institutional interventions. Keup has authored many publications, including the book Developing and Sustaining Successful First-Year Programs: A Guide for Practitioners, the CAS Cross-Functional Framework for First-Year Experiences, and numerous scholarly journal articles. Keup is a proud three-time alum of UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s and Ph.D. in higher education and organizational change.
Day One: Building a Future-Ready University through Total Organizational Health
Christopher J. L. Cunningham, PhD, is a Guerry Professor and UC Foundation Professor of Psychology at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), where he is also the Industrial and Organizational Psychology Graduate Program Director and the director of the Healthy and Optimal Work research and applications lab. Chris primarily teaches graduate-level seminars for organizational and occupational health psychology (OHP), consulting skills and ethics, and organizational development and change.
His current research addresses multiple OHP topics, including: stress and recovery processes and practices; the influence of individual differences and environmental factors on cognitions and behaviors; and the challenges and realities associated with work and nonwork interrole dynamics. Chris was the 2020 and 2021 President for the Society for Occupational Health Psychology and is an Associate Editor for Occupational Health Science and an editorial board member for seven high-impact journals in the applied psychology and occupational health domain. Chris also co-authored (with colleague Dr. Kristen Black in 2021) the Essentials of Occupational Health Psychology textbook and developed the freely available Understanding and Preventing Burnout among Public Health Workers: Guidance for Public Health Leaders training series released by NIOSH/CDC in Spring 2023.
Registration
To register for this year’s event and provide your preferred cost center, please click on the button below. Registration will remain open until Thursday, Oct. 31. The cost of attendance is $15.
All sessions in room “Belmont” unless otherwise specified. All times below listed in Central Standard Time.
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Summit Check-in & Catered Lunch
1:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Welcome and Introduction of Featured Speaker
Dr. Bernie Savarese, Vice President, UT System Office of Academic Affairs, Research and Student Success
Dr. Leigh Morales, Director of Student Success, UT System Office of Academic Affairs, Research and Student Success (Emcee)
Dr. Jessi Gold, Chief Wellness Officer, UT System Office of Academic Affairs, Research and Student Success
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Keynote Speaker Presentation — Understanding Educator Success: Turning the Microscope on Ourselves
Presenter: Dr. Jennifer Keup, Vice President, Urban Initiatives & Executive Director, Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU)
Description: The modern era of higher education seems to be characterized by continuous “unprecedented” challenges and unrelenting external demands to clarify our purpose and defend our value. In response, scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and leaders have reexamined what student success means and the strategies for achieving it. Many of these tactics include more holistic, systemic, and collaborative approaches. Yet, faculty, staff, and administrators often languish in siloed silence as they grapple with their own resilience, success, and well-being. This session will review recent models and theories for student success and examine their impact and implications for “educator success.” In particular, this presentation will focus on practices and principles that represent cross-functional approaches, reflect institutional type and context, and consider the opportunities and challenges of a system-wide effort.
2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Break/Poster Activity
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Campus Wellness and Success Presentations
Each campus will prepare a 10-minute presentation focused on three main points:
Summarize how these actions are connected to short- and long-term goals or plans.
Discuss the efforts–including strategies, programs, and/or policies–your campus has taken to promote wellness and success of faculty and staff. Highlight specific examples of how these efforts have positively impacted your campus community.
Describe the steps your campus is taking to become “future-ready,” focusing specifically on adapting to the needs of faculty and staff. This portion of your presentation could include a focus on campus-, college, or division-specific discussions or initiatives.
4:00 – 4:15 p.m.
Break
4:15 – 5:15 p.m.
Building a Future-Ready University through Total Organizational Health
Presenter: Dr. Chris Cunningham, Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, UT Chattanooga
Description: “Future readiness” in any organization requires a resilient workforce that can sustain its engagement over time. In university settings, the work of faculty and student support staff is incredibly complex and demanding. Figuring out where to invest time, effort, and other resources to protect these critical employees can seem overwhelming. Thankfully, there is evidence-based guidance that can be followed to protect and promote employee health, safety, and well-being in higher education environments. This presentation will provide an overview of an ongoing initiative to build a more sustainable, future-ready culture for Total Organizational Health at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). This will include emphasizing how this work is structured and could be applied in other higher education contexts. Specific lessons for supervisors and administrators working with faculty and student support staff will also be emphasized.k
5:15 – 5:30 p.m.
Debrief/Prepare for Day 2
Starting at 5:30pm, there will be a “kick-back” reception on the 8th floor for Summit attendees.
Nov. 8 – Day Two Schedule
All sessions in room “Belmont” unless otherwise specified. All times below listed in Central Standard Time.
8:00 – 8:30 a.m.
Check-in
8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Break-out Session (Room assignments below)
Role-based Strategies for a Future-Ready Campus: Advancing Faculty and Staff Wellness and Success
Description: This interactive break-out session focuses on designing a future-ready campus that enhances faculty and staff wellness, boosts success, and strengthens overall campus resilience. Participants will join groups tailored to their roles across higher education, including faculty and academic affairs, student success and student affairs, access and engagement, and wellness. Each group will delve into customized strategies that align with their unique responsibilities and challenges in fostering a campus environment where faculty and staff can thrive.
Facilitators:
Dr. Bernie Savarese: CAOs/CSAOS, GRA, OGC (or designees)
(Group 1: Blue: Belmont)
Dr. Matt Matthews: Academic and Faculty Affairs
(Group 2: Orange: Belle Meade A)
Dr. Leigh Morales: Student Success and Student Affairs
(Group 3: Black: Belle Meade B)
Jeff Danso: Access and Engagement
(Group 4: Green: Old Hickory)
Dr. Jessi Gold: Wellness
(Group 5: Pink: Charlotte)
9:30 – 9:45 a.m.
Break
9:45 – 10:45 a.m.
Fireside Chat: Toward a Future-Ready Campus: Creating a Culture of Wellness and Success
Description: As the demands on educational environments evolve, prioritizing a supportive culture is essential to ensure both present and long-term sustainability and engagement. In this fireside chat, UT System leaders will explore how the System Office can work in collaboration with campus leaders to build resilient, future-ready campuses that champion wellness and success for faculty and staff.
Moderator: Dr. Bernie Savarese, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Research and Student Success, UT System
Jeff Danso, Executive Director for Access and Engagement, UT System
Dr. Matt Matthews, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, UT System
Dr. Leigh Morales, Director for Student Success, UT System
Dr. Jessi Gold, Chief Wellness Officer, UT System
10:45 – 11:00 a.m.
Break
11:00 a.m. – Noon
Conversations for Action
Introduction: Randy Boyd, UT System President
Facilitator: Dr. Jorge Perez, Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, UT System
Noon
Final Remarks by Dr. Bernie Savarese
Boxed Lunch will be provided
Additional Details
Hotel Information
The hotel block for this event is at the Drury Plaza Hotel in Nashville, TN. Please make your reservations by Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, to receive your group rate. Reservations made after this date will be subject to prevailing rate and availability. Reservations may also be made by calling 1-800-325-0720 and refer to your group code 10100119. Click the link below to reserve your room block space.
Overnight parking is available at a charge of $35 per parking spot per day.
Food Options
Snacks and beverages will be provided throughout the event. Dinner will be provided by the Drury Hotel at the evening Kickback on Nov. 7, and breakfast (by hotel) and a boxed lunch (provided by UT System) on Nov. 8.
Free 5:30 Kickback®* – Join us from 5:30–7:00 p.m. every evening to enjoy free hot food and cold beverages at our 5:30 Kickback®. We feature a rotating menu of hot food, beer, wine, mixed drinks and soft drinks. (Evening of Nov. 7)
Free Hot Breakfast – Start every day with make-your-own Belgian waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, oatmeal, biscuits and gravy, KELSO+BROS® coffee and more. Free hot breakfast is served daily from 6:00–9:30 a.m. on weekdays and 7:00–10:00 a.m. on weekends. (Morning of Nov. 8)
Restaurant Guide
Are you looking for a place to eat in the Downtown Nashville area after the Summit reception? Consider one of these options below within walking distance of the hotel.
Country Music Fans:
Tequila Cowboy 305 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201-restaurant and bar with live music
AJ’s Good Time Bar 421 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203- Live music bar
BBQ Fans:
Redneck Riveriera Bar and BBQ 208 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201-Live music and bar
Rippy’s Honky Tony 429 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 -BBQ joint with live music and rooftop bar
Sports Bars:
Losers Bar and Grill 111 4th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203-Tavern atmosphere with country music
Third and Home 919 3rd Ave N, TN 37201-Pub atmosphere with ballpark views
Cocktail Bars:
Brugada Kitchen and Bar 204 Commerce St, Nashville, TN 3702
Parlour Bar 210 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219
The Gulch:
Bar Louie 314 11th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203
Fins Bar 425 Rep. John Lewis Way S 4th Floor, Nashville, TN 37203
If you have any questions or comments about the event, please contact Leigh Morales, director of student success, at lcmorales@tennessee.edu.
If you have any questions about the venue, hotel, dietary restrictions or other accommodation please contact Dominique Harrison, student success coordinator at dharri91@tennessee.edu.
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