Spring Teaching Conference & Teaching Excellence Awards 2025
Teaching, Learning, and Well-being at UNM
Please register by March 25 to help us plan for refreshments and supplies.
Wednesday, April 9 th
8:30 am to 3:30 pm: In-Person Conference Day, Student Union Building (SUB Level 3)
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm: Teaching Excellence Awards in Ballroom C (SUB Level 2)
Thursday, April 10 th
9:30 am to 4:45 pm: Virtual Conference Day via Zoom
Wednesday, April 9 th, SUB Level 3
8:30 am: Registration Check-In (Lobby)
9:00 – 9:15 am: Welcoming Remarks (Lobo A/B)
9:30 – 10:30 am: Concurrent Sessions
Option 1: The Caring Classroom: Supporting Students and Ourselves Through Challenges
Presenters: Eric Jackson, Lecturer II, Department of Psychology and Nicole Capehart, Lecturer, Anderson School of Management
Description: This panel will explore the intersection of care, community, and resilience in teaching. Panelists will share insights on navigating student setbacks with empathy, fostering inclusive environments, and maintaining authenticity as educators.
Room: Fiesta A/B
Option 2: Centering Collective Well-being in Curricular Transformation
Presenters: Native American Studies Team
Description: Driven by faculty energies, rooted in the community, Native American Studies at UNM has grown exponentially in the last 20 years. We will share what has been fruitful in our transformation and what ideas for departmental self-care we have in the immediate future.
Room: Santa Ana A/B
Option 3: What Tools do Chairs Need to Cultivate Well-being?
Presenters: Pamela Cheek, Vice Provost for Student Success; Christopher J. Lyons, Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs; Melissa Binder, Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Economics; Eva Chi, Professor and Regents' Lecturer, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Description: This session is focused on the needs of chairs or aspiring chairs as individuals and as department leaders. Panelists will host an informal conversation with one another and the audience.
Room: Acoma A/B
10:45 – 11:45 am: Concurrent Sessions
Option 1:Kitchen Tables: Building and Sustaining a Community of GTAs
Presenters: Luis Sanchez Martinez, Health Exercise and Sport Sciences; billy von Raven, Art Department; Kenton Bueche, Art Department; Jaime Branaman, Speech and Hearing Sciences; McMarchal Hartzenberg, Health Exercise and Sport Sciences.
Description: This panel discussion explores strategies for building and sustaining a supportive community of Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) across disciplines.
Room: Fiesta A/B
Option 2:Resources for Faculty Well-being
Presenters: Aria Ponciroli, LCSW, CEAP, Director, Employee Assistance Program at Counseling, Assistance & Referral Services (CARS); Julia Fulghum, Director, ADVANCE at UNM; JoEllen Ransom J.D., CO-OP®, Ombuds.
Description: In this session, we will share information about stressors on faculty wellbeing at UNM. We will identify resources available for supporting wellbeing, as well as when and how to access those resources effectively.
Room: Santa Ana A/B
Option 3:Fostering Student & Instructor Growth & Wellbeing: Journeys in Implementing Evidence-Based Teaching Practices from the Student Experience Project (SEP)
Presenters: Patrick Denne, Visiting Lecturer, Department of Mathematics & Statistics; Corinne Myers, Associate Professor, Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences; Francesca Cavallo, Associate Professor, Associate Chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Kimran E. Buckholz, Principal Lecturer, Department of Biology (moderator).
Description: Drawing on their own experiences as instructors, our team will share SEP-related transformative evidence-based practices that can be used in classrooms and departments to support instructor and student growth and wellbeing.
Room: Acoma A/B
12:00 to 1:00 PM: Keynote Lunch
Keynote Speaker: Leola Tsinnajinnie Paquin, Associate Professor, Native American Studies, Presidential Teaching Fellow (2024-2025)
Topic:Faculty Wellbeing as Pedagogy: Building a Sustainable Community of Practice
Afternoon Sessions
1:15 – 2:15 pm: Concurrent Sessions
Option 1:Contextualizing the AMOW Study Abroad Program: Honoring Place, Language, and Ability Through Stories of Belonging.
Presenters: Faculty collaborators: Mia Sosa-Provencio, Associate Professor, Teacher Education Educational Leadership and Policy, College of Education & Human Sciences; Veronica Moore, Principal Lecturer III, Dept Educational Specialties, College of Education & Human Sciences; Monica Asencio Pimentel, Research Scientist 3, UNM Cradle to Career Policy Institute; and student collaborators: Sara Morales; Nolan Dominguez; Maleah Diaz; Ashante Adam; Brissa Garcia; Bertilla Jijo.
Description: Alongside faculty and students from the Abriendo Mundos/Opening Worlds (AMOW) Study Abroad Program in Spain commencing during summer 2025, we will engage a student-centered, embodied and arts-integrated classroom activity through a Chicana Feminist theoretical framework to explore our own and each other's intergenerational narratives connecting us to language, identity, place, and belonging in New Mexico and far beyond.
Room: Fiesta A/B
Option 2:Wellness Movements: From Community Connections to Practices in the Academy
Presenters: Anthony Fleg, Associate Professor, Family and Community Medicine, UNM HSC Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and College of Population Health; Shawn Secatero, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership, College of Education and Human Sciences; Leila Zazueta, Counselor/Social Worker, Sr., Student Health and Counseling (SHAC), Leola Tsinnajinnie Paquin, Associate Professor, Native American Studies, Presidential Teaching Fellow (2024-2025).
Description: This session will explore spaces across UNM and our intersecting communities that have helped build wellness on campus and beyond.
Location: Santa Ana A/B
Option 3:Creating and Sustaining a Healthy Outlook on Curriculum Development and Pedagogical Change
Presenters: Biology Department Team: Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach, Professor and Chair; Kelly Howe, Principal Lecturer, Biology Undergraduate Society (BUGS) Advisor; Kimran E. Buckholz, Principal Lecturer.
Description: We will tell the story of a department at a crossroads – should we be true to the needs of our students and faculty or maintain the status quo?
Location: Acoma A/B
2:30 – 3:30 pm: Concurrent Sessions
Option 1: Supporting Lecturers' Professional Development and Thriving
Presenters: Nicholas Schwartz, Lecturer III, Medieval Studies; Cherry Singhal, Lecturer III, Anderson School of Management; Satya Witt, Principal Lecturer, Department of Biology; Colin Olson, Principal Lecturer III, Department of Sociology & Criminology (moderator).
Description: This session will feature a panel of lecturers from across the University, discussing key issues relevant to their roles.
Room: Fiesta A/B
Option 2: Success, Well-being and Community Building Strategies in High Enrollment Courses
Presenters: Diana Habel-Rodriguez, Senior Lecturer III, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Deborah-Luffey, Lecturer II, Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Education & Human Sciences, Sushilla Knottenbelt, Interim Associate Dean for Student Success, College of Arts and Sciences and Principal Lecturer III, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (moderator).
Description: The session will explore strategies that support wellness for both students and instructors in large enrollment classes.
Room: Santa Ana A/B
Option 3: Drafting Teaching and Learning Principles at UNM
Presenters: Faculty Senate Teaching Enhancement Committee & Center for Teaching Learning.
Description: Join the Faculty Senate Teaching Enhancement Committee and CTL for a hands-on co-creation session where we'll gather your feedback and ideas on a draft of teaching and learning principles for UNM.
Room: Lobo A/B
4:00 to 6:00 pm
26 TH ANNUAL TEACHING AWARDS CEREMONY , hosted by the UNM Center for Teaching & Learning, Faculty Senate Teaching Enhancement Committee, College of Arts & Sciences, and the Honors College
Location: Ballroom C, Student Union Building, Level 2
*Refreshments will be provided
Thursday, April 10 th – Virtual Sessions Via Zoom
9:30 – 10:30 am: Concurrent Sessions
Option 1: Supporting Student and Faculty Well-being in Online (and Beyond) Courses
Presenters: Mario Del Angel Guevara, Assistant Professor, Curanderismo Traditional Medicine Program, Department of Chicana & Chicano Studies; Tammy L. Thomas, Assistant Professor, Director of Undergraduate Programs; College of Population Health; Cristina Reiser, Undergraduate Director, Senior Lecturer III, Department of Economics (moderator).
Description: Join our interactive panel of experienced educators as they share insights and practical strategies for fostering the wellbeing of both students and faculty in the online classroom.
Zoom: Coming Soon
Option 2: Promoting Student and Newcomer Well-being Through Collective Care and Mutual Learning: A Community-Engaged Social Change Course
Presenters: Jessica Goodkind, Professor, Associate Chair, Department of Sociology & Criminology; Susana Echeverri Herrera, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology & Criminology; Janet Ramirez, Project Coordinator & Community-Based Research Specialist, Refugee & Immigrant Wellbeing Project (and past student); Aida Revilla, PhD Student, Department of Sociology & Criminology.
Description: This interactive panel will share processes of self and collective care from the Refugee & Immigrant Wellbeing Project (RIWP).
Zoom: Coming Soon
Option 3: Centering Culture and Communal Well-being in Teaching Practices
Presenters: Magdalena Vázquez-Dathe, Training & Development Consultant, Teaching Support, Center for Teaching and Learning; Emily Castillo, Postdoctoral Fellow, Race and Reconciliation Initiative, Texas Christian University and Alumn of UNM Department of Sociology (PhD Spring 2023), Lacey Hites, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology & Criminology.
Description: Forthcoming.
Zoom: Coming Soon
10:45 – 11:45 am: Concurrent Sessions
Option 1: Supporting, Valuing and Empowering Part-time Instructors & Affiliated Faculty
Presenters: Marina Popova, Term Instructor, Department of Mathematics & Statistics; Joe Garcia, Adjunct Professor, Chicana and Chicano Studies; Elisabeth Stone, Part-Time Instructor, Women, Gender & Sexuality Program; Stephanie Telles, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Accounting, Anderson School of Management.
Description: This panel discussion explores the experiences of part-time instructors/affiliated faculty, illuminating their contributions to the academy.
Zoom: Coming Soon
Option 2: Student Wellbeing: How to be an Ally
Presenters: Heather Jaramillo, Director of Equal Opportunity, Compliance, Ethics & Equal Opportunity (CEEO) & Jose Lechuga, Campus Assessment Response Education (CARE) Program Manager, Dean of Students Office.
Description: Heather Jaramillo and Sam Lechuga will present simple and accessible ways for instructors to refer and support students who may be experiencing difficult circumstances.
Zoom: Coming Soon
Option 3: Partners in Progress: Strengthening Student Learning Through Faculty-Student Collaboration
Presenters: Stephanie Sánchez, Senior Program Manager, Student Learning Assistance and Interim Executive Director, Center for Teaching and Learning; Carolyn Hushman, Associate Dean for Research and Distance Education, Associate Professor, Educational Psychology, College of Education & Human Sciences; Lorraine Manavi, Principal Lecturer II, Department of Linguistics; Deborah Luffey, Lecturer II, Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Education & Human Sciences.
Description: The purpose of this session is to explore and share examples of instructor-student collaborations in two different classroom settings.
Zoom: Coming Soon
12:00 – 1:00 pm: Virtual Lunch Break
1:15 – 2:15 pm: Concurrent Sessions
Option 1: Parenthood in Academia: What are the Pathways to Well-being and Thriving?
Presenters: Lisa Marchiondo, Associate Professor, Anderson School of Management; Lani Tsinnajinnie, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture + Planning; Shiv Desai, Associate Professor, Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy (TEELP), College of Education & Human Sciences; Vincent Werito, Associate Professor, Department of Language, Literacy, and Socio-cultural Studies, College of Education & Human Sciences; Leola Tsinnajinnie Paquin, Associate Professor, Native American Studies, Presidential Teaching Fellow (2024-2025).
Description: The academy can offer the blessing of professional consideration through flexible working hours yet also be a blanket of overwhelming pressure to meet rigid measures.
Zoom: Coming Soon
Option 2: Authentic Classroom Experiences as Well-being Practice
Presenters: Eva Chi, Professor and Regents' Lecturer, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, School of Engineering; Sarah Llanque-White, Clinician Educator, Associate Professor, College of Nursing; Aretha Matt, Associate Professor, Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, UNM Gallup.
Description: This panel presentation includes faculty from Nursing, Chemical and Biological Engineering, and English as they explore how authentic classroom experiences promote student well-being.
Zoom: Coming Soon
Option 3: Reflection, Data, Course Transformation Experiences: Learning Strategies’ Implementation with Feedback
Presenters: Angelica Boyle, Lecturer II, Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Health Education, Department of Health, Exercise & Sports Sciences; Shinsuke Eguchi, Professor, Communication & Journalism; Arunachalam Muthaiyan, Associate Professor, Mathematics, Physical and Natural Sciences Division, UNM Gallup.
Description: In this session, a panel of three participants from the “Educational Equity Mini-Fellowship” will share their most effective teaching and learning strategies implemented in their courses.
Zoom: Coming Soon
2:30 – 3:30 pm: Concurrent Sessions
Option 1: Co-creating and Leading Supportive Collegial Communities for GTA Pedagogical Development
Presenters: Graduate Student Team: Oona Takano, Department of Biology; Galen Novello, Department of Mathematics & Statistics; Rachel Seddon, Department of Biology; Christian Lujan, Department of Mathematics & Statistics.
Description: Participants will gain an understanding of the benefits of and what it takes to build a successful GTA peer learning community.
Please register by March 25 to help us plan for refreshments and supplies.
