Summer Institute 2025
Pursuing Undergraduate Student Success Through Transformational Teaching
May 21-23, 2025
Virginia Tech's Blacksburg Campus Locations: Fife Theatre, Moss Arts Center and the New Classroom Building
Now open to all Virginia Tech instructors of undergraduate courses!
Registration and schedule details will be available April 21.
Programing
For the first time, the annual Summer Institute is open to all instructors from any college or unit who teach undergraduate students. For 2 ½ days in May, the event will offer professional development sessions that dig into today’s most pressing teaching challenges and share insights for meeting the needs of our students. Attendance will be limited to 350 people.
Schedule At A Glance
| Time & Location | Information |
|---|---|
| 2:00–4:00 p.m. Fife Theatre, Moss Arts Center |
Kickoff and Keynote by Liz Norell, author of The Present Professor: Authenticity and Transformational Teaching |
| Time & Location | Information |
|---|---|
| 7:45–8:30 a.m. New Classroom Building |
Registration |
| 8:30–10:00 a.m. Hokie Wellness Zen Garden |
Welcome, Incoming Students Overview with Juan Espinoza |
| 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. New Classroom Building |
Series of one hour Concurrent Sessions |
| 12:00-1:30 p.m. New Classroom Building |
Lunch |
| 1:30–4:00 p.m. New Classroom Building |
Series of one hour Concurrent Sessions |
| 4:00–6:00 p.m. Off-Campus Site TBD |
Informal Community Gathering |
| Time & Location | Information |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. New Classroom Building |
Cohort Groups and Workshops |
| 12:00-1:30 p.m. New Classroom Building |
Lunch |
| 1:30-3:30 p.m. New Classroom Building |
Cohort Groups and Workshops |
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Liz Norell, author of “The Present Professor: Authenticity and Transformational Teaching”
Norell serves as Associate Director of Instructional Support in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at the University of Mississippi and has more than 20 years teaching in higher education, including composition, journalism, new media, and political science. She is the author of the book The Present Professor: Authenticity and Transformational Teaching.
Her keynote address, titled “Teaching in Challenging Times: Sustaining Ourselves Through Presence and Authenticity,” will discuss ways to be more authentic and present in the classroom to foster an environment of psychological safety and vulnerability.
Campus Partners
Career and Professional Development, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Office for Inclusive Strategy and Excellence, Office of Undergraduate Education, Student Success Initiatives, Technology-Enhanced Learning and Online Strategies, and Hokie Wellness