Working Toward Systemic Equity with Courageous Vulnerability

There has been renewed interest toward progressing the cause of justice and equity in recent years. However, producing tangible results in this regard is especially challenging without an effective strategy and a firm conceptual foundation. Dr. Joe F. Bozeman III, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech, will provide key concepts and tools to help address this gap.

The Navy Censored My Book! Modern Day Book Bans and the Ongoing Fight for Intellectual Freedom

Dr. Pierceson is a leading scholar on LGBTQ rights. His book, Sexual Minorities and Politics, is the first textbook to provide a comprehensive overview of the historical, political, and legal status of sexual and gender minorities. For this reason, Sexual Minorities was placed on the Navy’s Professional Reading List in 2021. However, the Navy removed Sexual Minorities from the list in 2022, along with other books about race, gender, and sexuality like Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist and Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow. Dr.

Embracing Your Narrative and the Social Responsibility of Respecting Others'

We each live a unique story, but taking the time to understand our own narrative is the first step is embracing the social responsibility of respecting everyone’s individual lived experiences. Dr. LeClair will share her inspiring story of overcoming trauma. You will be encouraged to explore your emotional past, explore your relational patterns, release negative experiences, and build resilience so you can communicate authentically and create healthier relationships personally and professionally.

Beyond Enrollment: Championing Success for First-Generation Students in Higher Education

According to The Center for First-Generation Student Success, as of 2015-2016, first-generation students represented 56 percent of all undergraduates in the US. The concerted efforts to enhance access to higher education in recent decades have undeniably narrowed enrollment gaps and resulted in a significant influx of low-income first-generation students into colleges.

Autism in the Workplace: How Leaders Create an Inclusive and Supportive Environment

The focus of this event is to draw the audience’s attention to the field of autism as it relates to employment-based support and accommodations. With a supposed “autism tsunami” in the years to come in which organizations will likely see a significant increase of applicants or employees who are on the spectrum, leaders need to prepare their organizations for it, at all levels. Participants will learn about the research Dr. Pierce conducted with a company in the Chicago area that hires and supports employees with high-functioning autism.

A Public Commons

Mike Miller and Brian Gillis will engage in a presentation and discussion that explores their art practice and A Public Commons, a project where the UIS Visual Arts Gallery is transformed into a replica of the 1970’s era non-hierarchical classrooms employed by Sangamon State University. This “classroom” space will host discussion and/or mediation sessions that bring together crucial community stakeholders connected to social issues and employ a variety of mediation and communication methodologies, models, and strategies to facilitate productive discussions in a neutral, safe space.

CFE - Problem-Based Learning in the Classroom

Come join the Problem-Based Learning Community

Experience how the PBL framework can improve critical thinking and reduce bias.

Facilitators from the Alliance for Experiential Problem-Based Learning will use an interactive scenario to highlight the four steps to building your students' confidence making evidence-based decisions. This will be the kickoff for this year-long learning community through which you will learn how to create your own problem-based learning sessions for your discipline with training and advice from the Alliance staff.