Institute on Teaching and Learning

Here is the ITL Detailed Schedule with session descriptions (PDF)

Day 1 - Tuesday, May 17: Cultivating Wellness

• 9:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m. - Welcome and Overview Joseph Franco, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychology; Jennifer Pankowski, Senior Faculty Fellow and Professor in the School of Education
• 9:45 a.m.–10:45 a.m. - Keynote Address: From Burnt Out to Redefining Resilience Estela Lugo, Disabilities Advocate, Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation Program Development, Speaker and Educator
• 10:45 a.m.–11:00 a.m. - Mindful Break: Option to participate in a brief guided meditation
• 11:00 a.m.–11:45 a.m. - Concurrent Sessions:
  • Expressive Writing in First-Semester Writing Classes for Wellness, Retention and College Success Jane Collins, Robert Mundy, Kate Mulhollem, Matthew Aiello-Lammens
  • Promoting Wellness at Pace: Where Are We Headed? Sue Maxam, Richard Shadick, Jessica Tosto, Natalie Pagano
• 11:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m. - Mindful Break: Option to participate in a brief guided meditation
• 12:00 p.m.–12:45 p.m. - Concurrent Sessions:
  • How much M.O.R.E. Can We Do as an Advisor? John Damiao, Jennifer Tokash, Lisa Ramond-Tolan
  • Neurographics for All: Overcoming Barriers and Reaching Wellness Through Art Esmira Yusufova

Day 2 - Wednesday May 18: Cultivating Career Resilience

• 9:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m. - Welcome and Overview Joseph Franco, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychology; Marcus Braga Alves, Faculty Fellow and Professor of Finance & Economics
• 9:45 a.m.–10:45 a.m. - Keynote Address: Making it Matter: How to Increase the Impact of Your Work Laura Tamman, founding partner at Greenlight Media Strategies
• 10:45 a.m.–11:00 a.m. - Mindful Break: Option to participate in a brief guided meditation
• 11:00 a.m.–11:45 a.m. - Single Session:
  • Opportunities in Open Journals Marcy Kelly, P.V. Viswanath, Kristina Bilello
• 11:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m. - Mindful Break: Option to participate in a brief guided meditation
• 12:00 p.m.–12:45 p.m. - Concurrent Sessions:
  • Turning Your Scholarly Writing into an Op-Ed Jerry McKinstry, Senior Director of Public Affairs
  • Resilience and Success in Undergraduate Research During the Pandemic Elmer-Rico E. Mojica, Shay Greco, Lawrence Phillips, Carly Sullivan, Ethan Grimes, Olivia Cullen

Day 3 - Thursday May 19: Cultivating a Resilient Vision of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ)

• 9:30 a.m.–9:45 a.m. - Welcome and Overview Joseph Franco, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychology; Marcy Kelly, Faculty Fellow and Professor & Chair of Biology
• 9:45 a.m.–10:30 a.m. - Panel: The Ground beneath our Feet: Recovering Cultural Histories at the Pace Plaza Site Erica Johnson, Sid Ray, Kailey Liddell, Taytum Buford, Jack Niemczyk
• 10:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m. - Mindful Break: Option to participate in a brief guided meditation
• 10:45 a.m.–11:30 a.m. - Concurrent Sessions:
  • Cultivating DEIJ from Outcomes of a Interdisciplinary Social Entrepreneurship Program James Lawler, Anthony Joseph, Sayali Tandel
  • Creating a Customized Approach to DEI, Tailored to Your Work Rachel Simon and Asha Kadir
  • Labor-based Grading, Social Justice, and Faculty Labor in Writing-Intensive Courses Kristen di Gennaro and Meaghan Brewer
• 11:30 a.m.–11:45 a.m. - Mindful Break: Option to participate in a brief guided meditation
• 11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m. - Keynote Address: The Revolution will be Backward Designed - Redefining Teaching in Higher Education Dr. Bryan Dewsbury, Professor of Biology and Associate Director of the STEM Transformation Institute at Florida International University
• 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. - Special STEM Session: Teaching Students, Not Subjects - Strategies for the Inclusive Classroom Dr. Bryan Dewsbury

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Estela Lugo was diagnosed with a progressive neuropathy called Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) at four years old, followed by her younger sister two years later.

In 2002, she graduated from FIT with a Bachelor’s in Interior Design. Today, her professional background in design, marketing, trend-forecasting, and creative direction brings an unexpected approach to connecting the disability community to wellness, empowerment, and health.

After volunteering for eight years, Estela joined the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation full-time in 2018 as their Program Development Manager. Later in 2018, she testified in front of the FDA on the patient experience and importance of funding CMT studies and potential therapies.

As moderator for the CMT-Connect webinar series, Estela enjoys sharing resources and expert information with the CMT community on a wide range of valuable topics. On the EmBrace It Podcast, she interviews community thought leaders and aims to empower women living with disabilities in all facets of life. Estela and co-host Lainie Isbia also provide original inclusions workshops that focus on improving advocacy & DEI through communication tools starting with “How to Communicate with Anyone About Disability.” They’ve had the honor of working with many top brands such as Levi Strauss, Pinterest, Lockheed Martin, The Abilities Expos, SUNY Farmingdale College, Health Union, and more.

In 2019, Estela gave her first TEDx talk titled “RePurpose Your Pain” on the art of turning adversity into life’s most beautiful work. She currently co-teaches inclusive and adaptive design at the Fashion Institute of Technology for their Design for Social Impact program. She is represented by Gamut Management, an all-inclusive talent agency.

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Laura Tamman is a veteran political strategist who has advised hundreds of candidates, including half a dozen presidential campaigns, Laura founded Greenlight in 2009.

Prior to founding Greenlight in 2009, Ms. Tamman led direct mail programs for Knickerbocker SKD. She managed the firm’s engagements with high-profile clients such as Obama for America. Ms. Tamman served on the staff of presidential candidates John Edwards and Al Gore, and advised John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.

Laura earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree from Oxford University in England and is completing a PhD at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center.

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Dr. Bryan Dewsbury is an Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University where he also is an Associate Director of the STEM Transformation Institute. He received his Bachelor's degree in Biology from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, and his Masters and PhD in Biology from Florida International University in Miami, FL. He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education And Society (SEAS) program, where his team conducts research on the social context of education. He is a Fellow of the John N. Gardner Institute and the RIOS (Racially-Inclusive Open Science) institute.

Dr. Dewsbury conducts faculty development and support for institutions interested in transforming their educational practices pertaining to creating inclusive environments and, in this regard, has worked with over 100 institutions across North America, United Kingdom and West Africa. He is the founder of the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Deep Teaching Residency, a national workshop aimed at supporting faculty in transforming their classroom to more meaningfully incorporate inclusive practices. He is also creator and executive producer of the upcoming MOOC Education for Freedom.

Upcoming books: Norton's Guide to Inclusive Teaching and What Then Shall I Teach? - Rethinking Equity in Higher Education.

Dr. Drewsbury is originally from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and proudly still calls the twin island republic home.