2026 Fall Faculty Institute: Reimagining the Future of Higher Education in Uncertainty

Presenter(s): Sallie Han, Erin Francisco, Chris Keegan, Molly Eldridge, Dejeanae Dillon

Dialogue for Dinner (D4D) is student-led initiative founded at SUNY Oneonta during Spring 2026. Its aim is to advance civic discourse and constructive dialogue, which are necessary elements for building community and combating discrimination, harassment, and hate. D4D invites students and employees at SUNY Oneonta to monthly gatherings where they engage in moderated conversation over dinner on topics of importance in our community today. This initiative, led by SDEIC chair Molly Eldridge with advisement from faculty, was one of only five projects awarded a Spring 2026 SUNY Building Bridges Civic Engagement Student Leadership Grant.

In this presentation, D4D student organizers and faculty advisors will reflect on the successes and lessons learned during Spring 2026. Data collected in post-event surveys point to meaningful positive impacts on guests’ reported feelings of comfort and willingness to talk about topics such as AI; what is the difference between a “protest” and a “riot”; and what is a university for. The presentation will lead the audience through the methods and materials developed to facilitate D4D conversations, including rituals for getting started, ground rules, and a “DIY” kit to encourage and support individuals to host their own occasions. The session will conclude with discussion of the future directions for this initiative, which will continue during the 2026-2027 academic year.

Presenter(s): Wonda Grobblearr

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of everyday teaching and learning, but it also presents new challenges for higher education. While AI can help students access information and complete tasks more efficiently, it cannot replace the professional judgment needed to make informed, ethical, and context-specific decisions. Developing these skills is becoming an increasingly important responsibility for educators.

This session shares the early findings of a classroom pilot study that explored practical approaches to developing professional judgment within an AI-enabled learning environment. Drawing on examples from my own teaching, I will discuss learning activities and assessment strategies that encourage students to critically evaluate AI-generated responses, justify their decisions, and recognise when human judgment is essential. I will also reflect on what worked well, the challenges encountered, and how the pilot is informing the next stage of the project.

Audience participation will be encouraged through a short interactive activity in which participants will evaluate an AI-generated response and discuss how a similar approach could be adapted within their own courses. Time will also be provided for discussion, questions, and the sharing of ideas and experiences.

This session aligns with the conference theme by exploring how educators can integrate AI into teaching while continuing to develop the critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and professional judgment that graduates need to work effectively and responsibly in an AI-enabled world.

Presenter(s): Brian Lowe

Recent research about the mental health and well-being of American undergraduates indicates that they are reporting higher levels of psychological distress and difficulties in maintaining focus and concentration than did their peers a decade ago. These trends are placing additional stress on higher education in responding to heightened mental health challenges and the corresponding decline in undergraduate academic performance. One possible strategic response for higher education under these conditions is to pursue the benefits of mindfulness training for undergraduates and for the staff and faculty that work with them. We in the Oneonta Mindfulness Initiative (OMI) are a group of faculty and staff that share and teach activities drawn from different contemplative traditions in the hopes of fostering greater mental well-being. This semester we are very fortunate to be able to offer meditation instruction through our partnership with the Samye Hermitage, a local meditation and retreat center in Cooperstown, in our meditation room in Lee Hall on Tuesday afternoons from 4:00-5:00 PM. We are also holding “drop in” meditation practice for anyone who might want to learn a bit more about what this “meditation stuff” is all about. We will also be offering yoga instruction and, through the generous support of the Office of Student Development, mindfulness instruction for undergraduates after several of our members receive instruction and certification through the Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults (MIEA).

Our presentation will involve a brief discussion of some of the documented benefits of mindfulness followed by short sessions of mindfulness practices and will conclude with an invitation to practice in the meditation room.

Presenter(s): Corrine Armstrong, Serap Gurak Ozdemir

Presenter(s): Kelsey Stokes

This session will be a research presentation over findings working with in-service teachers, pre-service teachers, and K-12 students around their understandings of AI and different kinds of educational platforms. As platformization of education increases, there is a need for more nuanced perspectives surrounding ownership, governance, data and privacy, technical operations, and social relationships with EdTech. Teachers and students demonstrated a wide variety of depth of understanding of AI and educational platforms. This presentation will show findings and offer some solutions on how we can more deeply engage our students with the complicated world of EdTech.

This algins with the conference’s goal of discussing our relationships and ethics surrounding AI usage in the academy and in education.

Presenter(s): Scott Maybee

Artificial intelligence is a topic of increasing focus in creativity research today. Drawing from the literature, the purpose of my proposed presentation is to address the benefits and limitations of outsourcing creative work to AI models. This topic will expand to cover how this phenomenon is shaping today’s classrooms. I plan to engage the audience using a visual and Socratic presentation style designed to provoke thought and discussion. I believe this session topic aligns well with the conference theme because it directly focuses on trends in emerging technologies and higher education.

Presenter(s): Diana Moseman

This session will provide a practical demonstration of the tool, including how faculty can enter, manage, review, and prepare activity information for annual reporting. In a time of uncertainty, rapid technological change, and growing demands on faculty and staff work, This tool was designed to be more intuitive, user-friendly, and better aligned with the academic environment. Participants will have the opportunity to see the system in action, ask questions, and offer feedback as we continue refining a reporting process that supports faculty work while reducing unnecessary complexity.

Presenter(s): Josh Palmatier

This presentation will be a talk about how the Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics Department here at SUNY Oneonta has been attempting to adapt to the changing teaching environment, specifically the academic skills of current students, with the start of a Mathematics Learning Center. We will discuss what prompted the creation of this tutoring center, how it was developed as not simply a tutoring center but a community space for students and professors, how it was funded and implemented, and how it is proceeding as we enter the second semester of its implementation.

Presenter(s): Audrey Porsche, Daphne Monie, Barbara Hein

Not sure how to secure the funding you need for your research or creative project, especially in this changing landscape? Members of the University Grants Team have ideas and strategies for advancing your scholarly work amid these uncertain times.

This session will highlight the current trends in grant funding and provide ideas for finding the right opportunities and creating strong proposals, whether you’re seeking support through federal, state, or private foundations and corporate programs. We’ll also look at how to leverage internal funding to further your scholarly activities and help obtain external funding.

• UDL Academy: Spring Cohort Opportunity – Emily Riddle
• Human-Centered Learning, AI Literacy, and Student Belonging – Remi Alapo

Presenter(s): J. Chester

QPR is a structured presentation/program from the QPR Institute that is evidence-based and designed to help participants feel empowered to initiate discussions in the service of preventing suicide. There is a mix of short videos, an interactive True/False exercise, and Q&A.

In terms of the conference theme, I believe it connects with community building, compassion / compassion fatigue among faculty, as well as student retention (particularly because many students leave due to mental health reasons). It seems like some faculty members feel intimidated to ask about suicidality, and this presentation may make it feel more approachable.

Presenter: Cindy Falk

As SUNY Oneonta welcomes more students with significant life and work experience, there is greater opportunity to award credit for learning that happens outside the traditional classroom. In this workshop, faculty will learn about the development and review of student portfolios to demonstrate the fulfillment of learning outcomes. Faculty should bring a syllabus for a class that may lend itself to prior learning credit.