Thursday, February 18, 2027 Noon – 4:30 p.m. Eastern Friday, February 19, 2027 8:30 a.m. – Noon Eastern Virtual and Free via Zoom
Ball State University’s Teaching Innovation Team in the Division of Online and Strategic Learning, Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and Office Strategic Planning Support are pleased to announce the 2027 Provost’s Faculty Summit: The Human Element in Higher Education. This event is free and virtual.
REGISTER HERE
Keynote Speakers
Meet Liz Norell
Dr. Liz Norell serves as Associate Director of Instructional Support in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at the University of Mississippi. She has spent more than 20 years teaching in higher education, including stints in composition, journalism, new media, and political science--much of that as an adjunct faculty member teaching simultaneously at multiple institutions, including community colleges. She completed a PhD in political science at the University of Texas Dallas.
Liz’s first book, The Present Professor: Authenticity and Transformational Teaching, is published in the University of Oklahoma Press’s brand-new series, Teaching, Engaging, and Thriving in Higher Ed, co-edited by James Lang and Michelle Miller. Liz is passionate about equitable, inclusive teaching, constructive conversations across differences, and fostering meaningful learning. She is also dedicated to boosting awareness of disability in higher education. You can find Liz on social media (@liznorell) and at her website, liznorell.com.
Meet Dave Call
Dr. Dave Call is a Professor of Geography and Meteorology at Ball State University where he been since 2007. A 2026 Outstanding Teaching Award winner, he enjoys the challenges of connecting with non-majors in introductory classes in physical geography and meteorology. He also loves engaging with highly-motived meteorology majors in advanced classes such as mesoscale, thermodynamic, and satellite and radar meteorology. He has taken more than 150 students storm chasing across the central United States, logging 135,000 miles in the process and observing nearly every facet of thunderstorms, from benign mammatus clouds to deadly tornadoes.
His research examines how society copes with hazardous winter weather events. His book Superstorm 1950: The Greatest Simultaneous Blizzard, Ice Storm, Windstorm, and Cold Outbreak of the Twentieth Century was published by Purdue University Press to positive reviews.
He regularly speaks with the media about hazardous weather events and has been quoted by the AP, Vox.com, and others. He’s also been on the top two weather podcasts, Weather Geeks and WeatherBrains, talking about his book, storm chasing, and how to connect with today’s students. Dr. Call received his BS in Meteorology with honors from Penn State and his MA and PhD in Geography from Syracuse University.
Submit a Session
The summit will showcase the meaningful work of faculty, staff, and students in higher education institutions. We invite you to share your teaching practices, especially those related to experiences that recognize and nurture the human experiences, relationships, and connections at the heart of teaching and learning.
The following are topics to consider as you put together your session proposal:
- Relationship Rich Experiences: Share approaches that build interpersonal connection, mutual respect, and meaningful student-teacher and/or student-student interactions.
- High Impact Practices: Share evidence-based teaching and learning strategies that feature real-world application, faculty and peer interactions, inclusiveness, and reflection. See Ball State’s High Impact Practices webpage for additional key features of HIPs courses.
- Assessment Practices: Share strategies, data, or tools that use authentic assessment and meaningful feedback to support student learning, growth, confidence, and trust.
- Empowering Faculty Success: Share approaches to mentoring, collaboration, faculty well-being, or sustainable teaching practices that support faculty in their work with learners.
- Teaching and Learning with AI and Other Technologies: Share ways to utilize AI or other emerging instructional technologies to support learning and engagement while preserving human judgment, student agency, and meaningful connection.
PRESENTATION FORMATS
- Individual Submission: A single-presenter session of 20 or 45 minutes.
- Full Panel Submission: A 45-minute session with a session chair and up to three presenters. The chair organizes the panel and submits the complete proposal.
SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL HERE by November 15, 2026, 5 p.m. Eastern time.