2025-2026 Calendar of Events
We will continue to schedule faculty development events for the 2025-2026 academic year. Please bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates. Events and details listed are subject to change.
Events marked with a asterisk star symbol (*) are designated as part of the New Faculty Enrichment Series, but all faculty are welcome to attend any of the opportunities advertised below.
For anyone interested in getting to work on course development for the fall semester, Shelly Furuness (faculty member in the College of Education) is offering a workshop aimed at helping faculty think about and develop their course syllabi and calendars. The format of the workshop will include 75 minutes of interactive, guided instruction on curriculum mapping and results-driven instructional planning with Butler syllabus templates. The remaining 45 minutes will be used for individual planning time and 1-on-1 support.
To best accommodate summer schedules, the same workshop will be offered at two different dates and times in Jordan Hall 242:
- Monday, July 28, 9:00-11:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, July 29, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
RSVP to facultyexcellence@butler.edu with the date of the workshop you would like to attend and any questions you may like assistance with during the workshop.
- Faculty/staff lunch and learn “Creating a student ready campus”
Wednesday, September 24, noon-12:30 lunch (provided), 12:30-1:30 discussion, Johnson Room (Robertson Hall)
Session description forthcoming.
Space is limited. RSVP to facultyexcellence@butler.edu required. - CFE faculty workshop “Extending the Fall Academic Workshop Conversation Part I – Small Changes that Can Lead to Big Gains”
Tuesday, September 30, noon-12:30 lunch (meal vouchers provided), 12:30-1:30 discussion, Atherton Union 326
Join us as we continue to build a student-ready campus! Using The Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching by Isis Artze-Vega, Flower Darby, Bryan Dewsbury, and Mays Imad as our guide, we will share some “small changes that can lead to big gains” when it comes to inclusive practices in our syllabi and relationship building with students.
Space is limited. RSVP to facultyexcellence@butler.edu required. - CFE faculty workshop “It’s Not Them, It’s Us ”
Tuesday, October 7, noon-12:30 lunch (meal vouchers provided), 12:30-1:30 discussion, Atherton Union 326
Most people would say that students have changed, but have we, as educators, changed? Do the direct lecture or instruction methods of years past still work today? Are there other ways for students to learn and disseminate knowledge? What do you know about your First-Generation students or students from underrepresented groups? What can you do to help them feel a sense of belonging in your class? Connect with others as we share how we can adjust our approaches to teaching and learning to better suit the needs of our students.
Space is limited. RSVP to facultyexcellence@butler.edu required. - Faculty/staff lunch and learn “Trauma Informed Care in Higher Education” presented by Jules Grable
Tuesday, October 21, noon-12:30 lunch (provided), 12:30-2:00 discussion, Johnson Room, Robertson Hall
Trauma is, unfortunately, a common occurrence in our society and one that impacts a significant number of our students before and during their time at Butler University. When a person experiences trauma, it can greatly impact their ability to learn and retain new information, complicating their success as a student. In this session, we will explore how faculty and staff can develop a trauma-informed educational experience to support young adults who have experienced trauma and help them thrive.
Space is limited. RSVP to facultyexcellence@butler.edu required. - CFE faculty workshop “Connecting the Core Curriculum to Life Skills”
Wednesday, November 19, noon-12:30 lunch (meal vouchers provided), 12:30-1:30 discussion, Atherton Union 326
Are the classes in the Core relevant? Some students would argue they aren’t, but what if you could change that? In addition to highlighting a chapter from The Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching by Isis Artze-Vega, Flower Darby, Bryan Dewsbury, and Mays Imad, we will hear from Butler instructors who have worked to develop an approach and assignments that help students connect what they are learning in the Core to their major as well as the real world.
Space is limited. RSVP to facultyexcellence@butler.edu required. - CFE faculty workshop “Clear is Kind: How Clarity Demonstrates Your Student Readiness”
Tuesday, January 27, noon-12:30 lunch (meal vouchers provided), presentation 12:30-1:30, Atherton Union 326
Not knowing what the instructor wants, how to complete an assignment, or what is coming in the weeks ahead can cause angst for students. At this workshop we will discuss how being clear in various aspects of our interactions with students helps them as well as us. Practical tips and suggestions will be shared for those looking to add clarity to their courses.
Space is limited. RSVP to facultyexcellence@butler.edu required. - CFE faculty workshop “Extending the Conversation – Student Accommodations”
Thursday, February 19, noon-12:30 lunch (meal vouchers provided), presentation 12:30-1:30, Atherton Union 326
What does it mean to be a flexible instructor? What do SDS or other accommodations look like for a college student? How does one accommodate students without feeling like they are compromising? These questions and others will be the topics of discussion in this workshop as we share more about how you can accommodate students and their needs in meaningful and realistic ways.
Space is limited. RSVP to facultyexcellence@butler.edu required. - Faculty/staff lunch and learn “Avoiding Burnout” hosted by Brenda Johnston, Associate Professor of Arts Administration*
Wednesday, February 25, noon-12:30 lunch (provided), 12:30-2:30 presentation, Ford Salon (Robertson Hall)
All faculty and staff are invited to join us for this lunch and learn focused on wellness, where we will explore expert tips and tools for preventing and healing from burnout. Participants will have the opportunity to develop their own mini-plans for wellness and recovery.
* rescheduled from originally planned session date during 2024-25 academic year
Space is limited. RSVP to facultyexcellence@butler.edu required. - CFE faculty workshop “Mental Health Matters”
Wednesday, March 18, noon-12:30 lunch (meal vouchers provided), presentation 12:30-1:30, Atherton Union 326
It can be a heavy lift at times to be an instructor, and it can feel even heavier when you feel like you are going above and beyond to be a student-centered instructor. So what is a faculty member to do? How can you address and meet your own needs now? What can you do throughout the semester? What can you do in the summer to reset? Let’s talk about it.
Space is limited. RSVP to facultyexcellence@butler.edu required.
A series of workshops on the fundamentals of effective university teaching will be available for all faculty during fall 2025. Participants will meet in-person in Levinson Family Hall room 125* every Tuesday from 3:00-4:30 beginning August 26th and will utilize Canvas for additional resources and support. Each session will provide approximately 60-minutes of content and 30-minutes of individual instruction and course development covering a stand-alone topic within the larger context of the interconnected framework of the planning, instruction, and assessment cycle.
All faculty are invited to participate, and the series will be paced to meet the needs of the primary audience. Participation across the entire series is encouraged, though perfect attendance isn’t mandatory. Upon completion of the fundamentals of effective teaching workshop series, faculty will be able to:
- Apply results-driven instructional planning techniques to design an effective course at Butler University
- Implement appropriate active learning strategies that align with stated learning objectives.
- Design formative and summative assessments that effectively measure student achievement of learning outcomes and inform instruction.
If you would like to participate in the workshops, please RSVP to facultyexcellence@butler.edu so you can be added to the course in Canvas. RSVPs for participation in the full series is encouraged, but drop-in attendance by topic for is also welcome without RSVP. For drop-in attendance, session topic for the series will soon be posted on the Center for Faculty Excellence calendar of events page.
*Note that the first session in the series on August 26 will take place in Irwin Library room 129, with the remainder of the series taking place in Levinson Family Hall 125.
If you have any questions about faculty development opportunities, please contact facultyexccellence@butler.edu.
To request disability-related accommodations or inquire about accessibility at faculty development events, please contact facultydevelopment@butler.edu. Please allow two weeks’ advance notice in order to allow adequate time to make arrangements. Although attempts will be made to honor accommodation requests with less notice, it cannot be guaranteed that without two weeks notice a reasonable accommodation can be provided.