ACUE was thrilled to join more than 900 educators in San Francisco last week for this year’s record-breaking POD Conference, a distinguished annual gathering of some of higher education’s most committed faculty developers.
The Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network is devoted to improving teaching and learning in higher education. For nearly four decades, POD has stayed true to its mission — supporting, advocating for, and connecting higher ed professionals in a number of ways, including its yearly meeting. POD’s continued focus and dedication as an organization and a community are just a few reasons why I’ve been a member for 15 years.
The record turnout for this year’s conference reinforces that the focus on faculty development has never been greater. That momentum was punctuated by last week’s Educause Learning Initiative survey, which found that faculty development was the top teaching and learning issue of higher education this year.
The 2015 POD Conference last week was particularly special for ACUE. POD President Deandra Little, President-Elect Kevin Barry, and Executive Director Hoag Holmgren carved out time during a busy agenda for us to meet with POD’s Executive Committee to explore possible areas of collaboration. Many thanks to Deandra, Kevin, Hoag and the Committee members.
The song may say “I left my heart in San Francisco,” but this year I literally lost my voice. There were just too many engaging conversations with friends and colleagues. See you next year!
Kevin Kelly is the Executive Director for Teaching and Learning at ACUE.
