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Educators' Retreat

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Fall 2025 Educators’ Retreat
Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Schedule at a Glance

9-9:50	LAB 103	Soaring Higher: Strategies for Elevating Student Success and Retention
	LAB 108	Take a SPIN with ORA Outside of the Federal Domain
	LAB 109	Working with the Writing and Speaking Centers
	LAB 203	Advancing Civility in Public and Professional Discourse
10-10:50	LAB 103	Supporting Women in Academia at ÍøÆسԹÏ
	LAB 108	Exploring High-Impact Teaching Practices: Experiential Learning and Undergraduate Research in Community Settings
	LAB 109	Building Bridges: Cultivating Academic Integrity Through Community and Support
	LAB 203	Using a Nature-Based Mindfulness Intervention to Improve Mental Health in Nurse Anesthesia Students
11-11:50	LAB 103	Coursera Session
	LAB 108	University Budgeting 101: Where the Money Comes From and Where It Goes
	LAB 109	Career-Ready for Life
	LAB 203	Beyond Books: Empowering Teaching and Learning with University Libraries
	EHH 120	Faculty Mentorship Matters: Creating a Culture of Support and Success

 

9–9:50 a.m.

• 9–9:50 a.m. | LAB 103
  Soaring Higher: Strategies for Elevating Student Success and Retention

• Emily Holmes, Special Projects Director, Division of Student Affairs
• Melanie Leuty, Director & Professor, Center for Faculty Development

• 9–9:50 a.m. | LAB 108
  Take a SPIN with ORA Outside of the Federal Domain 

• Erica Kennedy, Associate Vice President for Research
• Maurine Pace, Information Specialist, Office of Research Administration

Participants will discover how utilizing SPIN to find sponsored program opportunities can accelerate their goals for research funding. This interactive session will also provide some insight into the basic truths of federal and non-federal sponsored programs. Bring your laptop to explore some opportunities to advance your research profile.

• 9–9:50 a.m. | LAB 109
  Working with the Writing and Speaking Centers

• Jason McCormick, Visiting Instructor, Director of the Writing Center
• Amanda Walsh, Visiting Instructor, Director of the Speaking Center

The Writing and Speaking Centers are important resources for students and faculty. From brainstorming through completion, our Centers help students at every level develop skills and strategies in supportive, one-on-one learning environments. In this session, faculty will learn how students register for appointments, various services the Centers provide, and ways of envisioning how these Centers can be incorporated into course plans.

• 9–9:50 a.m. | LAB 203
  Advancing Civility in Public and Professional Discourse

• Jae-Hwa Shin, Professor, School of Media and Communication

This session explores the rising challenges of incivility in public and professional discourse and presents research-based strategies to foster respectful, civil communication. Attendees will gain practical tools, training resources, and insights to support civil engagement in classrooms, meetings, and broader institutional settings.

10-10:50 a.m.

• 10–10:50 a.m. | LAB 103
  Supporting Women in Academia at ÍøÆسԹÏ

• Laura Clark-Hunt, Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Science
• Nicolle Jordan, Associate Professor, School of Humanities
• Candice Salyers, Associate Professor, Director of the Evelyn Gandy Center for Women and Leadership
• Jamie Stanfield, Associate Professor, Head of Gulf Coast Libraries
• Alyson Brink, Assistant Professor, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences

This panel features women from various constituencies at Southern Miss, including the Gulf Coast, University Libraries, and women in the sciences, humanities, and the arts. We share our experiences as women working in academia and offer advice on how to make the most of our campus experiences and how to navigate an array of challenging situations. Topics include finding childcare, negotiating parental leave, building solidarity among women across campus, women in leadership, earning and applying for promotion, and the extensive campus resources and support. We welcome newcomers and hope to learn from the experiences of early-career women at ÍøÆسԹÏ.

• 10–10:50 a.m. | LAB 108
  Exploring High-Impact Teaching Practices: Experiential Learning and Undergraduate Research in Community Settings

• Christy Kayser, Director of the Center for Community Engagement
• Wei Wang, Associate Professor, Hospitality and Tourism Management
• Chris Croft, Associate Professor of Sport Management
• Rebecca Powell, Associate Professor of English
• David Holt, Associate Professor of Geography

A panel of ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï faculty will share their experiences incorporating community-based learning experiences and undergraduate research into the classroom. Attendees will learn steps to get started, lessons learned, and student impacts. 

• 10–10:50 a.m. | LAB 109
  Building Bridges: Cultivating Academic Integrity Through Community and Support

• Kendrick Buford, Assistant Teaching Professor, Director of Academic Integrity

Review our Academic Integrity policies and guidelines at the University of Southern Mississippi, where we've discovered that academic honesty grows best with understanding and support. Together we'll explore how violations become teachable moments that strengthen rather than punish, creating spaces where faculty and students work side by side in building cultures of authentic learning. 

• 10–10:50 a.m. | LAB 104
  Using a Nature-Based Mindfulness Intervention to Improve Mental Health in Nurse Anesthesia Students

• Allan Lovern, Assistant Professor, School of Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice

Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) experience elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) due to the demanding nature of graduate anesthesia education. This presentation explores the implementation of Nature-Based Mindfulness Interventions (NBMI) as an innovative strategy to reduce psychological distress, enhance well-being, and promote resilience among SRNAs. Attendees will learn practical applications for integrating mindfulness and nature exposure into educational settings.

11–11:50 a.m.

• 11–11:50 a.m. | LAB 103
  Coursera Session

• Joann Tran, Assistant Provost of Student Success

• 11–11:50 a.m. | LAB 108
  University Budgeting 101: Where the Money Comes From and Where It Goes

• Allyson Easterwood, Vice President for Finance & Administration

Ever wondered how university finances really work? This session offers a practical overview of the fundamentals of university budgeting—covering fund types, the budget process, state funding streams, and the key responsibilities of a University CFO. Whether you're new to campus finance or just want a clearer picture, this session will help make sense of how our institution manages its financial resources.

• 11–11:50 a.m. | LAB 109
  Career-Ready for Life

• Heather Glausier, Manager, Career Counseling
• Carrie Bell, Program Director, Center for Pathway Experiences

This session will explore the concept of career readiness and how the National Association for Colleges and Employers Career Readiness Competencies can be used as a framework for integrating career development into the curriculum. Attendees will also gain insights into experiential learning's impact on career-readiness and how collaboration with career services can enhance student success and post-graduate outcomes. 

• 11–11:50 a.m. | LAB 104
  Beyond Books: Empowering Teaching and Learning with University Libraries 

• Hali Black, Associate Professor, Univeristy Libraries

This session highlights how University Libraries partner with faculty to enhance teaching, support research, and promote student success through customized instruction, expanded access to resources, and collaborative initiatives. Attendees will learn about key programs-including technology lending, course-integrated research guides, and open education efforts-that remove barriers to learning and foster academic equity. The presentation will emphasize practical, innovative ways to work with librarians to enrich the classroom and advance scholarly impact. 

• 11–11:50 a.m. | EHH 120
  Faculty Mentorship Matters: Creating a Culture of Support and Success

• Melanie Leuty, Director, Center for Faculty Development
• Ashley Allen, Associate Director, Center for Faculty Development

Based on findings from the Fall 2024 Provost Faculty Fellow project, and a collaboration between the CFD and Associate Deans, ÍøÆØ³Ô¹Ï Faculty Mentoring Guidelines were developed with the purpose of fostering meaningful mentor-mentee relationships that promote teaching excellence, research development, and professional growth across tenure-track and teaching-track roles. Join Drs. Melanie Leuty and Ashley Allen as they introduce these guidelines designed to support junior faculty through structured, yet flexible, collaborative mentorship.

Questions? Email CFDFREEMississippi.