Faculty Matters
September 1, 2026
Attending to Social and Emotional Learning
Samantha Massey and Cynthia Nearman will lead a workshop connecting Attention and Socioemotional learning. The workshop will start with a simple premise: "pay attention" gives students nowhere to put their attention. Attention needs an anchor, and commanding it isn't enough to compete with everything else pulling at them. From there, we'll look at what happens when that object is a lesson's social and emotional dimension, and how naming that connection sharpens engagement and motivation.
Hacking College: Why the Major Doesn't Matter—and What Really Does is highly recommended for academic advisors, providing specific steps to help guide students through their time in college.
Kathryn Shields and Heather Hayton will lead a discussion of this book, meeting with participants a few times this semester. If you are interested in participating, sign up here no later than Th. Sept. 10th.
in the Yoga/Dance studio (accessed via alumni gym)
Join students, faculty, and staff for an energizing yoga flow. All levels welcome.
Bring a yoga mat and, if desired, a water bottle.
Yoga will begin promptly at 11:40am and end at 12:35pm. The studio is open 10 minutes before and after for transition time. Sign up for a class to reserve your spot or just drop-in!
Consider this...
MIT revamps curriculum in the face of AI...to be more like Guilford! Many of their proposed changes align with what we already do and with our new attention initiatives.
Excerpt: "The report argues for increased in-person learning to strengthen student collaboration. Every course, regardless of size, should include structured activities like group projects, guided problem-solving sessions, peer feedback exercises and facilitated class discussions....[and faculty should] shift their focus to students’ learning process rather than the final product."
Photo credit: UB Business