Associated Colleges of the South

Virtual Workshop - Developing Recruitment Strategies While Navigating the Anti-DEI Crusade
2025-08-04 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Workshop Facilitators: Nicole Fratto Garcia (Trinity) & Marlene Arellano (Davidson)

Join us for an informative virtual workshop that offers strategies for how your institutions can preserve, strengthen, and advocate for your fly-in programs while highlighting less cost-prohibitive alternatives. Participants will leave with a toolkit of best practices, strategies, and insights that can be immediately implemented within their institutions to enhance their diversity and recruitment efforts through fly-in programs and other alternatives.

Click here for more information.

June 2025 ACS Board of Directors Meeting
2025-06-04 12:00 - 2025-06-05 13:00
The June 2025 ACS Board Meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 4, and Thursday, June 5. We will begin with lunch at noon on Wednesday and conclude after lunch at 1pm on Thursday. If you would like more information on this event, please contact Ashley Torgerson at atorgerson@acsouth.edu.

ACS Teaching and Learning Workshop
2025-06-02 08:00 - 2025-06-06 17:00
The Summer Teaching Workshop is a unique annual professional development opportunity for faculty of ACS member institutions at all career stages. It is a challenging and invigorating experience for faculty wanting to strengthen teaching performance, expand teaching techniques and explore pedagogical issues.

If you would like to learn more about the program, please click here.

Registration for this experience requires that a faculty member be nominated by their Chief Academic Officer. Please contact your CAO’s office.

Location: Rollins College, Winter Park, FL

ACS Mellon Academic Leadership Fellows Graduation Ceremony
2025-05-02 08:30 - 20:30
If you would like more information on this event, please contact Beth Adcock Shiroishi at bshiroishi@acsouth.edu.

ACS CFO and Facilities Directors Meeting
2025-04-09 16:00 - 2025-04-11 12:00
We will begin with dinner on Wednesday, April 9th and conclude by noon on Friday, April 11th.

If you would like more information on this event, please contact Ashley Torgerson at atorgerson@acsouth.edu.

New Department Chair Programming Series - Maintaining a healthy department.
2025-04-03 15:30 - 16:45
ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Department chairs are essential faculty leadership roles that influence and shape the institutional mission and student success. This year-long program will leverage a consortial approach to professional development and build community among participants while providing essential guidance, opportunities for self-reflection, and sharing of useful practices for effective leadership as a department chair.

The target audience is new or emerging department chairs, although experienced chairs may also benefit. The program is scaffolded to connect sessions and build community among participants who can provide peer-peer support (“co-mentoring”) throughout and after the program. Chairs are encouraged to participate in all sessions, as much as their busy schedules allow.

April 3, 2025: Maintaining a healthy department

What is my role in promoting student success and maintaining a healthy and thriving department?

Ensuring a relevant, updated, and innovative curriculum

Managing student complaints

Supporting faculty and staff (special emphasis on support for new faculty)

Supporting students

Strategic planning for the department

Being the designated grown up

Knowing when to ask and what to ask for help on Connecting back to using data (session 5)

Please login to ACS Community to register for this session.

ACS Faculty Evaluation Summit
2025-03-20 16:00 - 2025-03-21 16:00
The summit will begin with dinner on Thursday and will conclude mid-afternoon on Friday.

If you would like more information on this event, please contact Ashley Torgerson at atorgerson@acsouth.edu.

ACS Council of Deans Spring Meeting
2025-03-06 16:00 - 2025-03-07 20:00
We will begin at 4:00pm on Thursday the 6th and conclude after dinner on Friday the 7th.

If you would like more information on this event, please contact Ashley Torgerson at atorgerson@acsouth.edu.

New Department Chair Programming Series - Working effectively with senior administrators.
2025-03-06 15:30 - 16:45
ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Department chairs are essential faculty leadership roles that influence and shape the institutional mission and student success. This year-long program will leverage a consortial approach to professional development and build community among participants while providing essential guidance, opportunities for self-reflection, and sharing of useful practices for effective leadership as a department chair.

The target audience is new or emerging department chairs, although experienced chairs may also benefit. The program is scaffolded to connect sessions and build community among participants who can provide peer-peer support (“co-mentoring”) throughout and after the program. Chairs are encouraged to participate in all sessions, as much as their busy schedules allow.

March 6, 2025: Working effectively with senior administrators

How does a chair gain support for departmental goals and work effectively with senior administrators?

Understanding organizational structure and roles of other leaders

Understanding campus operating procedures for facilities/maintenance, budgets/purchasing, technology, institutional effectiveness/assessment, and other college business processes

Understanding accountability and supporting an institutional perspective on policies -Connecting back to the use of data (session 6) and navigating difficult conversations (session 3)

Please login to ACS Community to register for this session.

New Department Chair Programming Series - Using Data/Telling the Story.
2025-02-13 15:30 - 16:45
ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Department chairs are essential faculty leadership roles that influence and shape the institutional mission and student success. This year-long program will leverage a consortial approach to professional development and build community among participants while providing essential guidance, opportunities for self-reflection, and sharing of useful practices for effective leadership as a department chair.

The target audience is new or emerging department chairs, although experienced chairs may also benefit. The program is scaffolded to connect sessions and build community among participants who can provide peer-peer support (“co-mentoring”) throughout and after the program. Chairs are encouraged to participate in all sessions, as much as their busy schedules allow.

February 13, 2025: Using Data/Telling the Story

What data is useful to collect and how do I use it to advance departmental goals?

Collection and use of departmental data for external reviews; assessment; internal requests for positions, funding

Understanding and using institutional data

Relating data to goals for equity and inclusion – are all students successfully navigating courses, major, etc? Is any particular group of faculty or students being left behind and do we know why?

Connecting back to establishing an inclusive culture (session 2) and laying groundwork for working with other administrators (session 6) and maintaining a functional department (session 7)

Please login to ACS Community to register for this session.

New Department Chair Programming Series - Me, as department chair.
2025-01-16 15:30 - 16:45
ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Department chairs are essential faculty leadership roles that influence and shape the institutional mission and student success. This year-long program will leverage a consortial approach to professional development and build community among participants while providing essential guidance, opportunities for self-reflection, and sharing of useful practices for effective leadership as a department chair.

The target audience is new or emerging department chairs, although experienced chairs may also benefit. The program is scaffolded to connect sessions and build community among participants who can provide peer-peer support (“co-mentoring”) throughout and after the program. Chairs are encouraged to participate in all sessions, as much as their busy schedules allow.

January 16, 2025: Me, as department chair

Who is taking care of me?

Self-care

Avoiding burnout/exhaustion

How to maintain my own professional development as chair and as scholar

Identifying my needs for a mentor

Setting boundaries

Connecting back to the many responsibilities and challenges for a department chair (sessions 2 & 3)

Please login to ACS Community to register for this session.

New Department Chair Programming Series - Me, as department chair.
2024-11-20 15:15 - 16:30
ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Department chairs are essential faculty leadership roles that influence and shape the institutional mission and student success. This year-long program will leverage a consortial approach to professional development and build community among participants while providing essential guidance, opportunities for self-reflection, and sharing of useful practices for effective leadership as a department chair.

The target audience is new or emerging department chairs, although experienced chairs may also benefit. The program is scaffolded to connect sessions and build community among participants who can provide peer-peer support (“co-mentoring”) throughout and after the program. Chairs are encouraged to participate in all sessions, as much as their busy schedules allow.

November 20, 2024: Chair Connections – STEM Department Chairs

Please note that this session takes place at 3:15pm ET.

Chair Connections provides discipline-specific learning communities that offer peer support and timely guidance, helping department chairs address challenges unique to their fields while fostering a strong professional network.

Please login to ACS Community to register for this session.

New Department Chair Programming Series - Navigating a difficult conversation and delivering feedback to others: The good and the bad.
2024-11-14 15:30 - 16:45
ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Department chairs are essential faculty leadership roles that influence and shape the institutional mission and student success. This year-long program will leverage a consortial approach to professional development and build community among participants while providing essential guidance, opportunities for self-reflection, and sharing of useful practices for effective leadership as a department chair.

The target audience is new or emerging department chairs, although experienced chairs may also benefit. The program is scaffolded to connect sessions and build community among participants who can provide peer-peer support (“co-mentoring”) throughout and after the program. Chairs are encouraged to participate in all sessions, as much as their busy schedules allow.

November 14, 2024: Navigating a difficult conversation and delivering feedback to others: The good and the bad.

How does a chair deliver meaningful feedback with empathy and effectiveness?

Performance reviews (including performance reviews of full professors if you are an associate professor)

Tenure letters

Inheriting prior information

Being the designated grown-up in difficult conversations

Documenting areas of improvement and helping faculty navigate a plan to address them

Asking for feedback

Please login to ACS Community to register for this session.

2024 VP of Student Life & Dean of Students Meeting
2024-11-13 14:00 - 2024-11-15 15:30

New Department Chair Programming Series - Establishing an inclusive and collaborative departmental culture.
2024-10-10 15:30 - 16:45
ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Department chairs are essential faculty leadership roles that influence and shape the institutional mission and student success. This year-long program will leverage a consortial approach to professional development and build community among participants while providing essential guidance, opportunities for self-reflection, and sharing of useful practices for effective leadership as a department chair.

The target audience is new or emerging department chairs, although experienced chairs may also benefit. The program is scaffolded to connect sessions and build community among participants who can provide peer-peer support (“co-mentoring”) throughout and after the program. Chairs are encouraged to participate in all sessions, as much as their busy schedules allow.

October 10, 2024: Establishing an inclusive and collaborative departmental culture.

How do you foster and maintain an inclusive departmental environment?

Faculty mentoring

Onboarding new faculty

Leading meetings

Making decisions as a department

Staffing introductory courses

Attending to student concerns

Connecting back to my preferred leadership style (Session 1)

Please login to ACS Community to register for this session.

New Department Chair Programming Series - Me, as department chair.
2024-09-19 15:30 - 16:45
ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Department chairs are essential faculty leadership roles that influence and shape the institutional mission and student success. This year-long program will leverage a consortial approach to professional development and build community among participants while providing essential guidance, opportunities for self-reflection, and sharing of useful practices for effective leadership as a department chair.

The target audience is new or emerging department chairs, although experienced chairs may also benefit. The program is scaffolded to connect sessions and build community among participants who can provide peer-peer support (“co-mentoring”) throughout and after the program. Chairs are encouraged to participate in all sessions, as much as their busy schedules allow.

September 19, 2024: Me, as department chair

Who am I as a leader and how do I apply my leadership strengths to the role of department chair?

Understanding my preferred style and how it impacts communication with others

Adapting my leadership to fit particular situations

Asking for feedback from peers and mentors to support continuous leadership growth and self-awareness

Please login to ACS Community to register for this session.

2024 Chief Academic Officers Meeting
2024-09-19 14:00 - 2024-09-21 11:00

Summer Virtual Workshop 2: Building an Inclusive Generative AI Toolset for Student-Centered Learning Activities
2024-08-15 14:30 - 16:00
Workshop Leaders: Andrew Bell (University of Richmond), Saif Mehkari (University of Richmond), Horace Ballenger (Morehouse College), and Melanie Hoag (Southwestern University)

Recommended Participants: All are welcome, but the workshop is designed primarily for faculty who want to explore the use of generative artificial intelligence in their classroom and assignments.

Register: Register in advance for this meeting: ACS WS 2 Building an Inclusive Generative AI Toolset

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Description:

Understanding how generative AI tools impact teaching and learning is challenging, and offering students an inclusive and effective toolset is even more so. This workshop draws on experiences from faculty and academic staff exploring generative AI integration at the University of Richmond, Morehouse College, and Southwestern University. Participants will:

1. Identify specific use cases for ethical, effective, and inclusive generative AI tools that support both faculty and students, such as building custom GPTs for assignment description generation and prompt engineering for data visualization coding tutors.

2. Explore various models for providing generative AI tools to faculty and students, including open-source options.

3. Develop best practices for addressing challenging discussions around generative AI, including academic integrity and data privacy, with take home resources for further exploration.

4. Describe emerging paradigms for teaching and learning that are emerging based on the integration of AI into the learning environment.

Summer Virtual Workshop 1: Setting the Stage for Inclusivity: A Scenarios Workshop for Faculty of All Academic Disciplines and Career Levels
2024-08-02 12:00 - 13:30
Workshop Leaders: Patricia Herrera of the University of Richmond, Wilson Terrell, Jr. of Trinity University, Leslie Wingard Cunningham of W & L University, and Maha Zewail-Foote of Southwestern University

Recommended Participants: All ACS members are welcome, but the workshop is designed primarily for faculty members of all career levels and all academic disciplines. Department and program chairs are also encouraged.

Register: Register in advance for this meeting: ACS WS 1 Setting the Stage for Inclusivity

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Description:This scenarios workshop is led by four professors of color (two in STEM fields and two in humanities and social science fields) and intended for fellow faculty and administrators of ALL backgrounds, academic disciplines, and stages in their careers. Join others determined to foster an inclusive environment and enable continued faculty success at ACS schools. Participants will first discuss real-life scenarios from ACS campuses and then will create some of their own to add to a growing inventory of recent scenes that other campus leaders can utilize in the future. Some scenes that participants may explore will allow the group to discuss:

1. Best practices for welcoming new colleagues who we plan to retain in our departments;

2. Regularly including conversations about diversity and equity even in classrooms that are based in STEM or other arenas seemingly less applicable – and in which there is also not much time to add content, and

3.Teaching, advising, Chair-ing, or Dean-ing in ways that consider a wider variety of viewpoints and experiences. Brief readings, podcast episodes, or video clips could be assigned for review before this 90-minute workshop and a resource guide to share with colleagues may be provided later.

New Department Chair Programming Series - Topic to be selected by group in early February.
2024-04-02 15:00 - 16:00
Please login to ACS Community to register for this session.

New Department Chair Programming Series - Support for Chairs.
2024-02-29 16:00 - 17:00
Support for Chairs: In this session we will explore resources available for avoiding burnout and promoting self-care (after all, we are rapidly approaching mid-terms!). We will provide some examples for when faculty feel distant from their identities as scholars (when taking on administrative duties); delegating; saying “no” when appropriate. We will discuss effective conversation and use of email, humor, ways to listen, understanding the need to collaborate with other units, the limits of what a chair can and cannot do. The goal of this session is to let you know that you are not alone in feeling a bit of burnout, and share a few solutions.

Please click here to register: https://www.acsouth.edu/forms/new-department-chair-programming/

Quarterly Meeting of Campus Safety/Campus Police
2023-02-21 15:00 - 16:00
Please contact us at office.admin@acsouth.edu for more information.

Quarterly Meeting of Center for Teaching and Learning Directors/Faculty Development
2023-02-14 13:00 - 14:00

New Department Chair Programming Series - The Budget.
2024-02-05 16:00 - 17:00
The Budget: dispelling myths and rumors. The goal of this session is to learn how the departmental (or divisional) budget is formed, how to make compelling data-driven requests, and to gain a better understanding of resources and finance in higher education.

Please click here to register: https://www.acsouth.edu/forms/new-department-chair-programming/

Bimonthly Meeting of Residence Life Directors
2023-02-23 15:30 - 16:30

New Department Chair Programming Series - Supporting Departmental Faculty as Chair.
2023-11-02 16:00 - 17:00
Supporting Departmental Faculty as Chair. The goal of this session is to promote faculty/staff (and students) through developing an inclusive environment and a positive departmental culture. We’ll talk about mentoring new faculty, resolving faculty conflicts, and revisit course scheduling.

Please click here to register: https://www.acsouth.edu/forms/new-department-chair-programming/

New Department Chair Programming Series - Supporting Students as Department Chairs.
2023-10-05 15:00 - 16:00
Supporting Students as Department Chairs. This second session recognizes that the new department chairs are settling in to their new roles, and are moving towards both mid-terms and the development of the spring schedule. This session will intentionally look at ways that the department chair is called upon to support students – sometimes navigating conflict when student expectations and faculty expectations are not aligned. Topics include developing the schedule that accounts for student needs, as well as the needs of the departmental faculty and the institution (as a whole), maintaining the department as an inclusive environment, balancing tensions between faculty and students (if in conflict). When does a decision become less of a departmental matter, and more a matter to resolve institutionally. The goal of this session will be to remind us all that issues are often seen through different perspectives and that this complicates the decision-making; attending this session will help us learn to mediate conflict.

Please click here to register: https://www.acsouth.edu/forms/new-department-chair-programming/
