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March 2019
Six Secrets of Great Teaching

“We all have professors who have touched our souls,” explained renowned educator and president of Paul Quinn College Michael Sorrell, Ed.D., J.D., while describing the kind of teachers who completely engage us, challenge us and end up changing us forever.

At Adelphi's Teaching and Learning Conference 2019 last month, Dr. Sorrell shared his secrets for being that kind of professor with almost 200 of our faculty who, throughout powerful workshops that day, explored new ways for connecting with their students and making content come alive. Professor of social work and director of diversity and inclusion CarolAnn Daniel '87, M.S.W. '91, Ph.D. '05, summed up the theme of the conference perfectly—“You teach best when your everything is in it.”

Below, read about how our provost approaches diversity and inclusion, and six secrets to great teaching that our faculty explored at our annual Teaching and Learning Conference: 

  1. How a sense of community makes online learning more human
  2. Meeting the diverse needs of our students
  3. Improving graduation rates in STEM
  4. How high-impact learning comes in forms as complex as an innovation center or as simple as having breakfast with your student
  5. Small teaching with big impacts
  6. How we can all be part of the movement to help transform the lives of our students
 
At Adelphi, our everything is in it.
All the best,
Christine M. Riordan, Ph.D.
President

A conversation about equity with our new provost

In this issue devoted to the annual Teaching and Learning Conference, Provost and Executive Vice President Steve Everett, D.M.A., discusses the University's approach to diversity and understanding—and how our students benefit from it.
A call for universities to live up to their promise
In his keynote address at Adelphi’s Teaching and Learning Conference 2019, Dr. Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College in Dallas and one of a select group named to  Forbes  magazine’s list of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders, set a new direction for America’s colleges and universities: to serve those who have never been served.
1. Online learners need a community, too. Online education is becoming increasingly popular, but providing a quality learning experience requires more than just putting content online. A session at the conference examined the elements of successful online programs.
2. Understanding how to teach our students. Adelphi's student body is the most diverse in the University's history. The "Understanding Our Students" session of the conference explored the needs and expectations of today's students and how Adelphi can meet them.  
3. The new science of teaching STEM. Science, technology, engineering and math are difficult topics to master for some students, but a new approach to teaching the subjects is proven to enhance learning, encourage persistence and improve graduation rates.
4. Inside and outside the classroom, experiential learning works. Hands-on, high-impact learning experiences are central to Adelphi's personalized approach to education. A panel at the conference provided examples of their benefits to students.
5. The big impact of "small" teaching. Neurological research is producing new insights into the way the brain processes information. The findings are leading to new teaching techniques that improve learning—techniques that were the subject of the "Small Teaching" session.
6. Social change begins in the classroom. Dr. Michael J. Sorrell has transformed Paul Quinn College, the small, private institution in Dallas. In his keynote address at the conference, he called for universities to help bring about social change and end poverty.
Research at Adelphi: Changing the culture of American schools
Can America's public schools learn from those in other countries? Devin Thornburg, Ph.D., professor of education at Adelphi, thinks so. A champion of immigrant and multilingual students, he's traveled worldwide researching best practices. Read about it in “ Found in Translation ” a feature article in our Academic and Creative Research Magazine .
Spring teams escape the cold, while winter squads thrive indoors
As the winter sports teams make their push to the playoffs, spring sports got underway in February with trips to sunnier, warmer fields. Men's lacrosse and women's lacrosse traveled to Florida for games, while the softball team headed west to California. All will have their first home games in early March. Meanwhile, indoor track performers Felipe Custodio and Victoria Major once again punched their tickets to the NCAA Indoor Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas, after qualifying in the 200-meter dash and high jump, respectively.

Off the field, six Panthers from three fall teams were honored with selection to NE10 Academic All-Conference teams , as Jackie Brown and Danielle Kempf (field hockey), Nicole Julian (cross country), and Kerianne Scorce, Savannah Taylor and Mia York (women's soccer) represented the Brown and Gold among the league's selections for the elite athletic and scholastic honor.
Alumni making a difference: Emily Ladau ’13
Since this letter is devoted to teaching, I celebrate this unstoppable disability rights advocate. Emily Ladau '13 recently lectured on disabilities to medical students at Temple University, got her first CNN byline with her article " What it's really like to fly as a wheelchair user ," and appeared on the Vox Media webcast Consider It . Thank you, Emily, for the lessons taught!
Momentum Tour 2018–2019
After February dates in Florida and California, the Momentum Tour stays closer to home this month, starting with a stop in Philadelphia on March 8 hosted by trustee emerita and passionate supporter of the University Majorie Weinberg-Berman, M.S. ’61. Then it's on to Greenwich, Connecticut , on March 22 for a get-together hosted by Gary Dell'Abate ’83, executive producer of The Howard Stern Show. Both events will be entertaining evenings and great opportunities to reconnect with fellow alumni and learn what's new at Adelphi. I hope you'll be joining us. And save the date! March 27 is  Giving Day . It’s your chance to  be part of something big  by contributing to your favorite Adelphi cause.