Office of Undergraduate Education

Register now to attend the 2022 Schreyer Conference on Jan. 5-6

The 2022 virtual conference will focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in teaching and learning

Attendees of the 2020 Schreyer Conference participate in a small group workshop at the University Park campus in January 2020, prior to the pandemic. The 2022 Schreyer Conference will be virtual. Credit: Steve Tressler / Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Faculty, staff and students can now register for the 2022 Schreyer Conference, set for Jan. 5-6. This year’s virtual conference is titled “Looking Inward, Moving Forward: Advancing DEIA in Teaching and Learning,” and will focus on the critical role of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in teaching and learning. The deadline to register is Jan. 3. 

The biennial Schreyer Conference is a joint effort of the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence and the Schreyer Honors College and made possible through donations to each unit from the late William A. and Joan L. Schreyer. 

Lynette Yarger, assistant dean for equity and inclusion in the Schreyer Honors College, said instructors can work to improve course materials and instruction to make their courses more equitable.  

“As educators, we are being called upon to facilitate inclusion and educational equity,” Yarger said. “We do so by reflecting critically on our current teaching capabilities and the diversity of the students on our campuses, exploring new approaches to make our course materials and instruction more equitable. Students from backgrounds that have been historically underserved by higher education institutions often contend with feelings that they are not valued and safe within the university community.” 

Yarger added, “When educators take this call seriously, we reduce the risk of confirming to underrepresented groups their worst fears. We free students’ headspace so that they can become fully present in the classroom. The Schreyer Conference offers a welcoming space to begin the necessary work of creating supportive learning environments.”  

Angela Linse, associate dean and executive director of the Schreyer Institute, said, “This conference is designed to provide participants the time and space to take up this call.” 

The Schreyer Conference co-chairs, Beate Brunow, associate research professor, and Adam Smith, assistant research professor, from the Schreyer Institute, developed an innovative format that allows participants to learn from DEIA experts, but also to spend time and effort with colleagues to consider how to move forward creating an equitable and inclusive learning environments for Penn State students. 

The four plenary speakers are distributed across two days of the conference, which is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 5, and Thursday, Jan. 6. After each speaker, participants will have time to reflect, identify questions and join a facilitated roundtable with discussion prompts. Participants are not expected to be DEIA experts, although experts are welcome. 

Find the conference agenda at schreyerinstitute.psu.edu

Plenary sessions will feature: 

  • Anneliese Singh, professor and associate provost for diversity and faculty development and chief diversity officer at Tulane University — “Racial Healing: Practical Steps to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing”  

  • Darris Means, associate professor of higher education and dean’s faculty scholar in equity, justice, and rural education in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh — “The Ripple Effects of Higher Education: Considering a Rural Geographical Context to Advance Equity and Justice in Teaching and Learning” 

  • Luis Perez, technical assistance specialist at the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning at CAST — “Designing Equitable Learning Experiences Makes Everyone’s Heart Sing”  

  • Tracie Addy, associate dean of teaching and learning at Lafayette College — “What Inclusive Instructors Do”     

 

Last Updated December 7, 2021