Events

2024 AAR & SBL Roundtable: Cultivating Agency as Full-time contingent Faculty Institutions of higher education across the nation are increasing the hire of full-time contingency colleagues. The presence of contingent faculty in institutions has been enriching the curriculum in some contexts while disrupting the curriculum in other contexts. This conversation is a gathering to discuss the multilayered experience of being a full-time contingent person in theological education. Participants are invited to connect with other full-time contingency colleagues for conversations concerning the teaching life. Central to the conversation will be an exploration of identity formation, scholarship development, and improving the teaching life. This roundtable will include small groups and plenary discussions as well as shared meals. We will grapple with such questions as: What does it mean to have a fulfilling career as a full-time contingent scholar? In what ways can networking enrich and bolster full-time contingency faculty? What opportunities for writing, publishing, and service might be attended to when you are a contingent faculty? What is good citizenship for contingency faculty? And how do those expectations shape the role, responsibilities, and authority of a contingency faculty colleague? What habits and practices enrich teaching life when one is a full-time contingent person? Goals To discuss identity formation, scholarship development, and improving teaching habits and practices To understand our teaching lives in the context of our institutions and the changing landscape of higher education To reflect on practices that help contingent faculty flourish in light of the precarity of being full-time contingent faculty Participant Eligibility Continuing term, and/or full-time contingency faculty teaching in seminaries, divinity schools, or theological institutions Has taught a minimum of 2 years in the fields of religion and/or theology Job description or contract that is at least 50% inclusive of teaching responsibilities Teaching in accredited theological institution in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada Doctoral degree awardedbythe time of session Institutional support and personal commitment to participate fully in pre-conference session RSVP is required.Participants will be selected on a first come first serve basis. Each participant will be provided with a stipend of $1000 after participation in the roundtable in order to defray the costs of meeting attendance. Participants must RSVP and sign a letter of agreement from the Wabash Center that confirms full participation to receive the stipend after the roundtable. After you complete the registration form, the Wabash Center will send required financial documentation that must be completed. For international colleagues, please be reminded that if you are employed by a school through an H-1B visa arrangement, you are not eligible to receive stipends. The Wabash Center, as an agency other than your sponsoring institution, cannot by law provide you a stipend. For preservation of legal H-1B status, H-1B workers should not accept any offer of honoraria or consultation fees. Stipends, honoraria, and consultation fees paid by an employer other than the entity that sponsored the H-1B petition constitute illegal employment under USCIS regulations. With the stipulation of ineligibility for the stipend, colleagues who are holders of H-1B visas are welcome to make application and, if selected, fully participate in the programming of the Wabash Center. RSVP here. Deadline October 1, 2024 Date Friday, November 22, 2024 8:00am – 3:30pm Location Grand Hyatt, Coronado D Facilitators Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi,Iliff School of Theology Roger Nam,Candler School of Theology Allison Norton,Hartford International University Katherine Turpin,Iliff School of Theology Guests Mark Hearn,Church Divinity School of the Pacific Boyoung Lee,Iliff School of Theology Click here to RSVP Questions may be directed to Dr. Sarah Farmer Associate Director farmers@wabash.edu

2024 Sessions Contingent Faculty Roundtable Institutions of higher education across the nation are increasing the hire of full-time contingency colleagues. The presence of contingent faculty in institutions has been enriching the curriculum in some contexts while disrupting the curriculum in other contexts. This conversation is a gathering to discuss the multilayered experience of being a full-time contingent person in theological education. Participants are invited to connect with other full-time contingency colleagues for conversations concerning the teaching life. Central to the conversation will be an exploration of identity formation, scholarship development, and improving the teaching life. This preconference roundtable will include small groups and plenary discussions as well as shared meals. Click HERE for more information. Deadline October 1, 2024 Date Friday, November 22, 2024 8:00am - 3:30pm Location Grand Hyatt, Coronado D Facilitators Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi,Iliff School of Theology Roger Nam,Candler School of Theology Allison Norton,Hartford International University Katherine Turpin, Iliff School of Theology Guests Mark Hearn,Church Divinity School of the Pacific Boyung Lee, Iliff School of Theology BIPOC Faculty Luncheon This mealtime gathering, for those who identify as BIPOC faculty, is a place for fellowship, connection, and mutual support. Hear about Wabash Center grants specifically allocated for BIPOC peer mentoring. The mealtime conversation will explore self-care and wellness as a fundamental component of the teaching life. Being healthy, getting healthy, staying health, is an essential aspect needed to successfully navigate the classroom, your institution, and academic career. Gather with a network that cares about life-affirming teaching and faculty formation. Deadline November 1, 2024 Date & Time Saturday, November 23, 2024 11:30am - 1:30pm Location Grand Hyatt, Coronado D Wabash Center Creative Writing Session For those hoping to broaden to reach and creativity of their scholarship, this session will be an opportunity to learn more about creative writing as a scholarly genre and practice! Join us as we share approaches, techniques, and generative writing exercises. This will be an interactive gathering intended to widen academic settings. Date & Time Sunday, November 24, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am Location Grand Hyatt, Coronado D Facilitator Donald Quist, Wabash Center Wabash Center Reception Come join us for drinks, tapas, DJ, music, and dessert as we honor our work with faculty in religious studies departments and theological schools. Gather as past, present, and future participants from Wabash Center workshops, colloquies, consultations, and grants. Enjoy fellowshipping one with another. Network and have fun! Date Saturday, November 23, 2024 8:00pm - 10:00pm Location Grand Hyatt, Harbor Ballroom G-I Wabash Center - Teaching in Death-dealing Contexts: Prison as a Place of Liberative Education What does it mean to teach theology and religion in death-dealing, dehumanizing contexts – i.e. prison? Reflecting upon years of experiences with teaching in carceral spaces, the panelists will explore the ways that a particular context helps reimagine the purpose of education and the role of teachers and learners. Given hooks and Freire’s imaginative stance that teaching must be transgressive, what does it take to bring emancipatory education to people who are in the correction system? This panel will engage the recently released books of Sarah F. Farmer’s Restorative Hope: Creating Space for Connection in Women’s Prisonsand Rachelle Green’sLearning to Live: Prison, Pedagogy, and Theological Educationdiscussing the ways teaching in prison raises new questions for educators of theology and religion. Theological education, and those practicing liberative pedagogy, must be willing grapple with these 21st century questions. Date Saturday, November 23, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm Location Grand Hyatt, Coronado E Wabash Center New Teacher Dinner & Honored Guest New teachers, those faculty in the first three years of full-time teaching, are invited to gather for a special dinner. There will be time for networking, being introduced to honored guests, interactive games, and directed conversations. Tenure-track and contract faculty are welcome. Deadline November 1, 2024 Date Sunday, November 24, 2024 6:30pm - 8:00pm Location Grand Hyatt, Coronado D Click here to register for the AAR & SBL 2024 Annual Meetings Questions about the Wabash Center's activities at AAR & SBL may be directed to Dr. Sarah Farmer Associate Director farmers@wabash.edu

2025 Online Teaching and Learning WorkshopSacred Self Care: African American Women Faculty Making Room for Ourselves While Teaching Religion and TheologyApplication Dates:Opens: January 13, 2025Deadline: March 5, 2025Schedule of SessionsAug. 14, 2025, 12:00 pm ET–3:00 pm ETSep. 11, 2025, 12:30 pm ET–3:00 pm ETOct. 9, 2025, 12:30 pm ET–3:00 pm ETNov. 13, 2025, 12:30 pm ET–3:00 pm ETDec. 4, 2025, 12:30 pm ET–3:00 pm ETJan. 8, 2026, 12:30 pm ET–3:00 pm ETLeadership TeamChanequa Walker-Barnes, Ph.D, Columbia Theological SeminaryParticipantsAngela Parker, Mercer University McAfee School of TheologyAmber Neal-Stanley, Purdue UniversityRichelle White, Kuyper CollegeElise Edwards, Baylor UniversityKamilah Hall Sharp, Chicago Theological SeminaryAnnie Lockhart-Gilroy, Phillips Theological SeminaryCatherine Williams, Moravian UniversityAmanda Mbuvi, Reconstructionist Rabbinical CollegeWynetta Wimberley, Wake Forest University School of DivinityAshlyn Strozier, Georgia State UniversityCandace Smith, BSK Theological SeminaryJanice McLean-Farrell, New Brunswick Theological SeminaryApplication ClosedWabash Center Staff Contact:Sarah Farmer, Ph.DAssociate DirectorWabash Center301 West Wabash Ave.Crawfordsville, IN 47933farmers@wabash.eduHonorariumParticipants will receive an honorarium of $2,500 for full participation in this workshop.Read More about Payment of ParticipantsDescriptionAfrican American women faculty in religion and theology are situated at the crossroads of two predominantly male arenas: religious leadership and the academy. With rare exception, we are a minority in our departments and institutions, often “the first,” “the only,” or “the youngest” (in age and/or rank). We epitomize Patricia Hill Collins’ concept of “the outsider within.” While situated within the ivory tower, we do not have (or often desire) the same access to institutional power and prestige as our White and/or male counterparts. Hence, we face a myriad of challenges as we navigate intersecting layers of oppression: institutionalized racism, sexism, and heterosexism; disparities in hiring, promotion, and salary; micro- and macroaggressions from colleagues and students; heightened demands for invisible and emotional labor; racial battle fatigue; isolation, exclusion, and tokenism; and lack of mentoring and adequate support.Despite these obstacles, the presence and voices of African American women are critical to the religious and theological academy. How, then, do we make room for ourselves in spaces that were not built with us in mind? How do we sustain ourselves as we do the work of upending paradigms, advocating for justice and equity, and being voices for marginalized peoples?This online workshop will gather African American women teaching religion and theology at any season in their career for six online sessions exploring how holistic self-care can help us to lean into our outsider-within status in ways that support our personal and professional thriving. The sessions will integrate small and large group discussions, didactic presentations, individual reflection and sharing, mindfulness practices, and of course, plenty of laughter, womanistcare, and #BlackGirlMagic.Participants will have access to supplemental funding (by application) for their individual self-care needs.GoalsFoster authentic and supportive community where Black women faculty can network, collaborate, and share experiencesAddress the intersectional challenges faced by Black women faculty in religion and theologyPromote self-care, physical and emotional wellness, and work-life synergyClarify personal and professional values and prioritiesIdentify and detox from unhealthy habits and practices instilled through higher educationDevelop a personalized self-care rule of life for sustaining personal wellness and professional vitalityProvide resources and mentorship to enhance personal and professional developmentQuestions to Be EngagedWhat are the challenges that we experience as African American women faculty in theology and religion?What are the advantages and disadvantages of our status as “outsiders within”?What unhealthy habits and practices of the academy have we internalized?How can we show up as our authentic selves while protecting ourselves from interpersonal and institutional discrimination?How do we navigate our institutional and professional responsibilities with our commitments to our health, our families, and our communities?What are our needs in terms of healthy work environments?How is self-care reflected in our approaches to pedagogy and scholarship?How do we make room for ourselves as “outsiders within” religious studies and theology?What are the indicators that it is time to leave an institution? What is the exit strategy?EligibilityAfrican American women faculty in religious studies and/or theologyTenure track, continuing term, and/or full-time contingencyJob description or contract that is wholly or primarily inclusive of teachingTeaching in an accredited college, university, or theological school in the United States, Puerto Rico, or CanadaDoctoral degree awarded by December 2024Institutional support and personal commitment to participate fully in workshop sessionsApplication MaterialsPlease complete and attach the following documents to the online application (available January 13, 2025):Application Contact Information formCover letterAn introductory letter that describes your teaching context and addresses why you want to be part of this collaborative community, including what you hope to gain from it and what you might contribute to it. (Up to 500 words)Brief essayWhat are the most salient experiences that have shaped your current practice and identity as a Black woman faculty member in religion and/or theology? (Up to 500 words)Academic CV (4-page limit)A letter of institutional support for your full participation in this workshop from your Department Chair, Academic Dean, Provost, Vice President, or President. Please have this recommendation uploaded directly to your application according to the online application instructions.

Arts-Based Pedagogy Roundtable: Deepening Creative Flow Important Dates Application Opens: January 16, 2024 Application Deadline: March 6, 2024 Schedule of Sessions Online Orientation: August 7, 2024; 3:00pm - 4:30pm ET In-Person Gathering: September 19-22, 2024 Gathering Location Kimpton Overland Hotel Atlanta, GA Leadership Team Angela Hummel, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design Ralph Basui Watkins,Columbia Theological Seminary Instructions for Leaders Participants Shauna Hannan, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary of California Tamisha Tyler, Bethany Theological Seminary Myron Krys Florence,Union Theological Seminary (NYC) Lis Valle-Ruiz, McCormick Theological Seminary Nick Peterson, Christian Theological Seminary Eric Thomas, General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church Andrew Wilson, Mount Allison University David Kwon, Seattle University Sheila Winborne, Northeastern University Seth Gaiters, North Carolina State University Heather White, University of Puget Sound Contact Sarah Farmer, Associate Director Wabash Center farmers@wabash.edu Honorarium Each participant will be provided with travel expenses, meals, lodging, and a stipend of $2,500. Read More about Payment of Participants Important Information Foreign National Information Form Policy on Participation Description For many teachers, the arts are foundational to pedagogical philosophy and practice – this conversation is for these colleagues. This intensive conversation will be a gathering of scholars who understand themselves as artists or as creatives teaching religion and theology and who want to be inspired, challenged, and stretched by others who make regular use of the arts in course design. Habits, practices, and knowledges of creativity, imagination, and multiple art mediums will be explored. Central to the conversation will be the notions and practices of embodiment, generativity, experience, compassion, wonder, empowerment, and healing. The hands-on experience will include workshopping of ideas, peer discussion, peer critique, artistic experiences, conversations with artists, a visit to an art space, and encouragement for working on and completing a personal syllabus project. Participants will bring to the conversation a syllabus to be reimagined or a new course idea to be designed through an arts-based approach. This workshop is not for spectators or colleagues who have not claimed their teaching identity as artists and creators. There is an expectation of creative production during this experience. Key Questions What is the role of creativity and imagination in course design? What networks and conversation partners will support and strengthen arts-based approaches? How might an existing course be redesigned with an arts-based approach to teaching and learning? What artistic, creative, and imaginative experiences might be a fulcrum, foundation, or inspiration for designing a course? What embodied and immersive experiences might add dimension and meaning-making to the course for deeper learning? How are learning activities or assignments that are embodied, imaginative, and foundation-ed by the arts, imagination and creativity developed and implemented? How can a creative process or artistic product be assessed or graded? Participant Eligibility (10 participants by application) Participants who identify themselves as an artist or as creative and who routinely integrate the arts and creativity into their teaching and course design. Teaching religion, theology, or related fields in an accredited college, university, seminary, or divinity school in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada. Tenure-track, tenured, continuing term, and/or full-time contingency in any season of career; doctoral degree awarded by July 1, 2024. Job description or contract that is wholly for, or inclusive of, developing new curriculum or developing curriculum-related activities such as degree/non-degree programs, co-curricular programs, new initiatives, new courses, revamping old courses, establishing laboratories or experimentation for teaching. Collegial and institutional support for the integration of the arts into teaching and course design; institutional support and personal commitment to participate fully in all workshop sessions. Colleagues who will be actively teaching in 2025 and/or 2026 to be able to focus upon a project during the workshop that can be implemented in the teaching context. Colleagues are willing to give critique of the artistic and pedagogical work of other participants in an affirming and compassionate way; colleagues who are willing to be critiqued for the strengthening of their arts-based teaching. Application Materials Please complete and attach the following documents to theonline application: Application Contact Information form Cover letter: An introductory letter that describes your teaching context and addresses why you want to be part of this collaborative experience, including what you hope to get out of it, and what you might contribute to it. (Up to 500 words) Brief essay: Essay Prompts (answer all prompts using 800 to 900 words or less; roughly 200 words per question) What is your working definition of arts-based pedagogy? Describe your teaching identity as an artist or as a creative. Describe a creative or artistic lesson plan, learning activity, or assignment that you designed and incorporated into your current teaching. How was the learning experience for your students? How was the learning experience for you? Briefly describe the course, learning activity, or assignment you will be creating or rethinking during the Roundtable. Academic CV (4-page limit) A letter of institutional support for your full participation in this workshop from your Department Chair, Academic Dean, Provost, Vice President, or President. Please have this recommendation uploaded directly to your application according to the online application instructions.

2023 AAR & SBL Annual Meetings Wabash Center Events Saturday, November 18th, 8:00 AM-10:00 AM New Teacher Breakfast By invitation only, new teachers will join together for breakfast and directed table conversations about the first three years of teaching. Location: MRC - Grand Ballroom: Salon J Saturday , November 18th, 12:00 PM-2:00 PM JoT and Blog Writers Luncheon For those hoping to broaden the reach and creativity of their scholarship, this luncheon will be an opportunity to learn more about blogging as a scholarly genre and practice! Join us as we share approaches, techniques, and generative writing exercises. This will be an interactive gathering intended to wide academic settings. Location MRC - Grand Ballroom: Salon J Facilitator Donald Quist University of Missouri Sunday, November 19th 12:00 AM-2:00 PM BIPOC Faculty Luncheon Are you an educator of color? Come to the BIOPOC Faculty Luncheon to connect, share, and learn from others in a supportive environment. We hope to explore self-care as an essential component of the teaching life within a network that cares about the successful navigation of the classroom, your institution, and academic career. Esteemed Womanist Ethicist Dr. Emilie Townes will be our featured speaker. She will share about self-care from the "rear view." Come hear Dr. Townes offer wisdom on self-care that takes her entire teaching and scholarly career into perspective. Location MRC - Grand Ballroom: Salon J Speaker Emilie Townes Sunday, November 19th 8:00 PM-10:00 PM Wabash Center Reception and Book Launch Come join us for drinks, tapas, DJ, music, and dessert as we celebrate the launch of Nancy Lynne Westfield's creative biography entitledGlimpses of Me and Mine! We will honor our work with faculty in religious studies departments and theological schools. Meet past, present, and future participants from Wabash Center workshops, colloquies, consultations, grants, and learn about current programming and resources to support your teaching. Location MRC - Grand Ballroom: CDE Speaker Nancy Lynne WestfieldWabash Center

The Future of Latinx Placemaking in the Academy Gathering July 29 - August 2, 2024 Wabash Center Crawfordsville, IN Leadership Team Cristian De La Rosa,Boston University School of Theology Gregory L. Cuéllar,Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Gina Robinson,Wabash Center Participants Jonathan Calvillo, Candler School of Theology Francisco Castillo, Loyola Institute for Ministry David Escobar Arcay, Palm Beach Atlantic University Oscar Garcia-Johnson, Fuller Theological Seminary Chauncey Diego Francisco Handy, Reed College Débora Junker, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, Iliff School of Theology Roberto Mata, Santa Clara University Néstor Medina, Emmanuel College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto Adriana Nieto,Metropolitan State University of Denver Altagracia Perez-Bullard, Virginia Theological Seminary Lis Valle-Ruiz, McCormick Theological Seminary Honorarium and Fellowship Participants will receive an honorarium of $3,000 for full participation in the Conversation. Read More about Payment of Participants Important Information Foreign National Information Form Policy on Participation Description This roundtable will gather Latinx faculty members from diverse scholarly specializations and institutional contexts to address the challenges and possibilities of Latinx placemaking within contradictory contexts. We will approach our cohort as a community of inquiry and practice, wherein we will collectively and creatively lament, innovate, and create places and spaces to celebrate our own resilience in the face of anti-border laws, state-sanctioned violence, institutional racism, and coloniality. As a collaborative learning cohort of teacher-scholars, we will explore such topics as: Indigenous placemaking within Latinidad Afro-Latinidades, placemaking, and inclusion Latinx joy and healing (social, emotional, psychological) Border-crosssing as a life-giving strategy Goals Retrieval of ancestral resources within our own academic journeys Carefully exploring and identifying our own journey in the academy by making ratablos Share and exchange wisdom on how to navigate strategically colonizing forces on our identities and practices. Exploring the future of placemaking for Latinx scholars in the academy Questions How can Latinx studies consider placemaking in contradictory contexts? Hows do Latinx scholars create a sense of place and space in the face of harmful rhetoric? How do Latinx scholars celebrate their resilience in the face of anti-border laws, state-sanctioned violence, institutional racism, and coloniality? What can we learn from our ancestors who were displaced by empire and within our own academic discipline? What is the future of placemaking in the academy?

Gathering Date January 11th-15th, 2024 Emory University Conference Center Atlanta, GA Team Nancy Lynne Westfield, Director Sarah Farmer, Associate Director Gina Robinson, Associate Director Participants Carolyn Medine, University of Georgia Lahronda Little, Candler School at Emory University Myra Rivera, Harvard University Joseph Tucker Edmonds, Indiana University - Purdue University João Chaves, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Maria Wong, City Seminary of New York Dong Hyeon Jeong, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seimary Kenneth Ngwa, Drew University Honorarium and Fellowship Participants will receive an honorarium of $1500 for full participation in the Conversation. Read More about Payment of Participants Important Information Foreign National Information Form Policy on Participation Description BIPOC colleagues of all descriptions have had to learn to cope in school ecologies which immerse us in the white supremacist USA milieu. We have experienced and survived many forms of hatred. We have been schooled in self-hatred. We have learned, a little bit, how to survive individualism, sabotage from non-black colleagues, and blatant and subtle systemic racist practices. Shedding poisonous assumptions, habits, and practices of mis-education requires great intention and support. This gathered conversation endeavors to articulate visions for new and renewed possibilities for communities of justice, equity, and belonging, i.e., renewed attempts at racial solidarity, camaraderie, and collegial cohesion between BIPOC teachers. We are gathering to dream, to strategize, and to problem solve. Using a case study approach, we will discuss our experience of anti-black ecologies in teaching and the teaching life. With an eye toward learning new habits and practices, we will focus our discussion on experiences of racial solidarity, community, building new institutions and seeking health. Our aim is to become better teachers for our students and healthier colleagues for one another. We will focus upon: What is solidarity among BIPOC colleagues who teach religion and theology? What have been advantageous strategies of racial solidarity among one another and in partnership with white allies? What would it take to realize the potential benefits of studying, through case study analysis, strategies of racial solidarity for the wellness, sanity, and longevity of BIPOC colleagues? What would it mean to center our experiences of effective racial solidarity for our teaching and learning? What would it mean to move from a mentality of risk-taking to a mentality of risk-sharing? Goals To discuss, as BIPOC people, new visions for more just contexts of education and strategies of solidarity. To tell the stories of experiences of collegiality, bravery, and advocacy. To concern ourselves with common ground, good community, the beloved community, bridge building, partnerships, collaborations, and coalitions. To define solidarity in the identity politics of USA’s academy and theological education. To explore practices of agency, advocacy, and acting one for another in spaces of oppression and where there is little to no vision for diversity, equity, and belonging beyond tokenism. To fortify ourselves for teaching as BIPOC peoples. To learn ways of risk-sharing so we are not exhausted or overtaken by loneliness. Questions What does it mean, as BIPOC colleagues, to be in relationship that is not dependent upon the white gaze? What does it mean to shed, heal from, or dismiss the anti-black notions to which we have been indoctrinated? What are our questions and discovery experiences for the affirmation of our lives, healing and moving forward as BIPOC colleagues in solidarity with one another? What are the possible institutional locations where racial solidarity might reshape the institution as well as the experience of the students and our own teaching life? What kinds of courage is needed for solidarity? What kinds of agency? From where comes a shared vision of community, abundance, and agency for one another? What is risk-sharing and how might we mobilize to share the risk? What is at stake if efforts for solidarity fail or are not taken seriously? What cases (incident reports and experiences) can we analyze for insight on solidarity? What stories will empower and heal? What if solidarity requires a kindling of love, compassion, and accountability?

Breaking the Academic Mold: Liberating the Powerful, Personal Voice Inside You Important Dates Application Opens: January 16, 2024 Application Deadline: March 6, 2024 Event: Monday, July 8, 2024 to Sunday, July 14, 2024 Gathering Location Inn at Serenbee Atlanta, GA Leadership Team Sophfronia Scott Director of the MFA in Creative Writing Alma College Donald Quist Assistant Professor of Creative Writing University of Missouri Instructions for Leaders Participants Anna Mercedes,College of St. Benedict and St. John's University Colleen Conway,Seton Hall University Derek Taylor,Whitworth University DeAnna Daniels,University of Arizona Ellen Posman,Baldwin Wallace University Matthew Maruggi,Augsburg University Sarra Lev,Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Valerie Miles-Tribble,GTU - Berkeley School of Theology Fred Glennon,LeMoyne College Mitzi Smith,Columbia Theological Seminary Molly Greening,Loyola University of Chicago Susan McGurgan,Mount St. Mary's Seminary and School of Theology For more information, please contact: Sarah Farmer, Associate Director Wabash Center farmers@wabash.edu Stipend Each participant will be provided with travel expenses, meals, lodging, and a stipend of $1500. Read More about Payment of Participants Important Information Foreign National Information Form Policy on Participation Description This writing workshop is for scholars of religion and theology who have written exclusively or primarily in the scholarly genre for other scholars of religion but long to share their knowledge or personal experience in a more creative way with a wider audience. Many scholars yearn to speak to a broader audience through creative nonfiction, blogs, op-eds, and memoir. Many scholars want to write with more clarity and imagination. Participants in this workshop will develop their writing voice in service to topics they care about, and for which they have passion and curiosity. A combination of plenary, small group and individual instruction, our week together will help scholars free the creative spirit, structure their writing more effectively, and speak on the page in a truer, more engaging voice. Our focus will be on releasing the professors’ voice to the public square, giving permission to be imaginative, and finding new ways of being inspired. No previous experience publishing in creative writing genres is needed. Workshop Goals To create a collaborative learning cohort of teacher-scholarsto expand and deepen scholarly writing To navigate the intersectingchallenges of creative writing as an academic To develop new practices of creative writing in the service of teaching and scholarship of religion and theology To explore strategies for the authentic voice while thriving in institutional,politicaland personal contexts To write and receive feedback while also being in conversation with other creative writers Participant Eligibility Tenure track, continuing term, and/or full-time contingency teaching full time in college, university, or seminary Must be teaching in religion and theology or related fields Job description or contract that is wholly or primarily inclusive of teaching Teaching in accredited college, university, seminary in the United States, Puerto Rico or Canada Personal commitmentto participate fully in workshop with 100% attendance in all sessions Little to no experience with publishing in creative genres, but great interest in learning to write in creative genre

2024 Virtual Teaching and Learning Workshop Design Thinking for Religious and Theological Educators Application Deadline: September 27, 2023 Schedule of Sessions All Sessions – 1:00 - 3:00 pm ET Session 1 - January 29, 2024 Session 2 - February 12, 2024 Session 3 - February 26, 2024 Session 4 - March 11, 2024 Session 5 - March 25, 2024 Session 6 - April 8, 2024 Leadership Rev. Stephen Lewis, President, Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) Participants Julius Bailey, University of Redlands Min-Ah Cho, Georgetown University Liam de los Reyes, Mount Angel Seminary Nick Elder, University of Dubuque Theological Seminary Barbara Fears, Howard University Kishundra King, Iliff School of Theology Andrew Krause, Associated Canadian Theological Schools of Trinity Western University Velma Love, Interdenominational Theological Center Elizabeth O’Donnell Gandolfo, Wake Forest University Divinity School K. Christine Pae, Denison University Kyle Schiefelbein-Guerrero, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon Ashlyn Strozier, Georgia State University Jeanine Viau, University of Central Florida at Cocoa Maureen Walsh, Rockhurst University Wabash Center Staff Contact: Gina A. S. Robinson, PhD Associate Director Wabash Center 301 West Wabash Ave. Crawfordsville, IN 47933 robinsog@wabash.edu Description Educators and administrators of higher education are working tirelessly to navigate a rapidly changing environment accelerated by the effects of the global pandemic. Many are discovering how to adapt and design educational models and delivery systems for a changing industry. In a post-pandemic era, what does it mean to be teacher who employs design thinking? In what ways can design thinking help religious/theological educators and administers think, strategize, and implement new and different educational approaches? Please be mindful that participants will be expected to work on their own design projects between sessions. This online workshop invites religious and theological faculty from diverse academic disciplines to learn and experiment with design thinking methods in their work as educators and administrators. The six online sessions, with participants from diverse institutional contexts will: Examine what it means to foster greater design intelligence in their work Reflect on common challenges or constraints in developing new curriculum, educational programs or teaching initiatives Learn, practice, and develop next steps to incorporate design thinking methods in their work Sessions will include plenary and small group discussions as well as assignments between sessions to apply what participants learned. Participants will also pitch ideas for small project grant proposals up to $5,000 in order to develop next steps to practice what they learned in the workshop. After the conclusion of the online workshop, participants may opt to submit their developed grant proposal for consideration of funding. Goals To explore the tasks of teaching through the lens of design To nurture a community of learning and conversation around teaching and design To build confidence in applying design thinking principles to educators and administrators’ work context Participant Eligibility Tenure-track, tenured, continuing term, and/or full-time contingency Teaching religion, religious studies, or theology in an accredited college or university in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada. Job description or contract that is wholly for, or inclusive of, developing new curriculum or developing curriculum-related activities such as: degree/non-degree programs, co-curricular programs, new initiatives, new courses, revamping old courses, establishing laboratories or experimentation for teaching Institutional support and personal commitment to participate fully in all workshop sessions Participants must have the time availability to work on their own projects between sessions Application Materials Please complete and attach the following documents to the online application: Application Contact Information form Cover letter: An introductory letter describing:(a) your reasons for interest in this conversation on design thinking; (b) your institutional context and/or the class where design thinking principles could provide leverage and opportunity for enhancing and enriching your teaching and teaching life; (c) a possible curriculum, program, or teaching project for which this conversation might influence, impact or be of help. (250 to 300 words) Brief essay: Describe a recurring challenge or constraint in your institution which affects your work of teaching (beyond personnel/budget) that has hindered your developing or revising curriculum, courses, projects, or programs. Reflect on how the institutional challenge or constraint has impacted your teaching, teaching life, and how you imagine the discipline of design thinking would help address the challenge or constraint. (500-1000 words) Academic CV (4-page limit) A letter of institutional support for your full participation in this workshop from your Department Chair, Academic Dean, Provost, Vice President, or President. Please have this recommendation uploaded directly to your application according to the online application instructions. Honorarium Participants will receive an honorarium of $3,000 for full participation in the hybrid workshop. Read More about Payment of Participants Important Information Foreign National Information Form Policy on Participation