Spring 2026 Events
(If you have an idea for an event, please get in touch with Nancy Thompson: thompsn@stolaf.edu.)
Cake with CILA: Celebrating Tenure and Promotion
February 26, 2026, 3:30-4:30, CILA Office, RML 300
Come celebrate our colleagues’ tenure and promotion with cake and conversation. No RSVP required!
Considering the Low-Tech or No-Tech Classroom
March 5, 2026, 3:45-5:00, CAD 202. Led by Doug Casson and Tom Williamson
In response to a wave of new research, student concerns, and our own experiences with technological distractions in the classroom, we have both been experimenting with minimizing or eliminating tech in our classrooms. For us, this has meant creating a space where students can take a break from their phones and laptops and focus on paper books, handwritten notes, and discussion. We have also tried to minimize tech outside of the classroom, encouraging students to spend time preparing for class away from tech and communicating as much as possible face-to-face during class and office hours and not through online teaching platforms. Although some students have been surprised, the response has been overwhelmingly positive with fewer accommodation challenges that we anticipated. During this session, we hope to share our reasoning and our experiences, and hear from colleagues about the benefits as well as the drawbacks of this approach. Click here to RSVP!
Difficult Classroom Conversations
March 10, 2026, 3:30-5:00, TOH 308. Led by Chris Chapp, Director of the Institute for Freedom and Community
Challenging social and political conversations are everywhere, from our personal lives to public discussions. The classroom environment raises a unique set of challenges around these conversations ranging from positionality to neutrality to academic freedom. Drawing on the experiences of a faculty community of practice that met in the fall of 2024 we present a framework for getting the most of these conversations with our students. We will both present the findings of the community of practice and workshop classroom scenarios to co-create a set of best practices to guide participants in their teaching. Click here to RSVP!
Core Strength: Assessing and Bolstering our GE Curriculum
March 19, 2026, 3:45-5:00, HH 502. Led by Jean Porterfield, Chair of the Assessment Committee
In Fall 2021, St. Olaf launched its current general education (GE) curriculum – the OLE Core. Approval of the OLE Core included a sunset provision of ten years, at which point the faculty must either re-approve it (with or without revisions) or approve a new GE curriculum. After Summer 2026, each of the fifteen OLE Core attributes will have been assessed one time, and a second round of assessment will begin in the 2026-27 academic year. The Academic Assessment Committee (AAC) is grateful to collaborate with CILA in providing time and space for faculty and staff to share their experiences with the OLE Core. We will craft the specific plans for this workshop based on faculty and staff interest, but possible breakout topics could be as specific as processing summer scorer feedback about particular OLE Core attributes and intended learning outcomes (ILOs), or as general as projecting what kinds of future assessment work would best inform consideration of the OLE Core’s reapproval in five years. Click here to RSVP!
Faculty and Staff Celebration of Works and Recognition Week
March 23-27, 2026, Rolvaag Memorial Library
The Provost’s Office — in collaboration with St. Olaf Library and IT Services (LITS), Center for Innovation in the Liberal Arts (CILA), and Government, Foundation, and Corporate Relations (GFCR) — will host a weeklong event in Rolvaag Memorial Library from March 23-27 highlight faculty and staff’s published work, performances, awards, or other professional recognition. The event will also include works from the LITS Celebration of Faculty/Staff Scholarly Work Spring 2025 event. Click here for the calendar event, and click here to submit your work.
CILA on the Road!
Is there an idea or an issue that your department/program would like to work on during the 2025-26 academic year? CILA is here to help! Click here for information on how to get started.
Writing Alone, Together
CILA is happy to sponsor writing groups and workshops for faculty and staff during the 2025-26 academic year. You can still sign up for a spring 2026 writing group. Click here to learn more!
Past 2025-26 Events
January 2026
January 2026 Wednesday Writing Workshops
The CILA “Writing Wednesdays” workshop series, led by Diane LeBlanc, Professor and Director of Writing, offers time, space, and guidance as you engage with your scholarly and creative work during and beyond January. Please click here to learn more and sign up.
“Sharing Your Experience Publicly” Community of Practice
Faculty and academic staff are invited to participate in a January community of practice on “Sharing Your Expertise Publicly.” Each Tuesday from 3:30-5:00 pm in January will feature reflection on what it means to be a “public scholar” in this particular moment and discuss the means and methods to informally share your expertise through a variety of public channels alongside weekly guest presenters. Honorariums and hospitality provided. Click here to learn more and register by December 12!
Co-sponsored by CILA, the Boldt Chair, and the Svoboda Center for Civic Engagement
Year-long Reading, Writing, and Talking groups
Slow Food, Slow Living, Slow Looking, Slow Professor, Slow Pedagogy–slow everything?
This reading group will explore various “slow” movements and discuss how they can impact our lives as teachers, scholars, and administrators. Open to all interested staff and faculty. Click here for more information. This group was formed in fall 2025 and continues to meet in spring 2026.
Mid-career faculty community
Are you a mid-career faculty member who would like to discuss ways to prioritize what matters to you at this busy stage of your career? For the purposes of this reading group, mid-career is defined as teaching faculty of any rank and appointment type who are between these two milestones: about seven years after receiving a terminal degree and about ten years before retirement. Click here for more information. This group was formed in fall 2025 and continues to meet in spring 2026.