{"id":3,"date":"2026-07-03T10:28:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T15:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/new-spring-conference\/?page_id=3"},"modified":"2026-08-20T09:58:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T14:58:26","slug":"2026-spring-conference-for-wisconsin-educators","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/spring-conference\/2026-spring-conference-for-wisconsin-educators\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Spring Conference for Wisconsin Educators"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Thursday, April 23 & Friday, April 24, 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In-Person at the Memorial Union, Madison<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

We are living in challenging times with several external forces pressuring us to change and comply, sometimes in ways that contradict our core values as educators. Higher education, including here in Wisconsin, continues to be disrupted with distractions that attempt to shift us away from our purpose of teaching and learning. Speaking of distractions in the context of racism, Toni Morrison in 1975 said: \u201cIt keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining over and over again, your reason for being\u2026 None of that is necessary. There will always be one more thing.\u201d Our teaching and learning context may be different, but Morrison\u2019s explanation of distractions strikes a chord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building on Mariame Kaba\u2019s (2024) idea that \u201chope is a discipline,\u201d we embrace \u201cactive hope\u201d as a practice that does not require our optimism but rather challenges us to focus on our intentions. How are you reclaiming hope in this current moment of change? What new teaching approaches are you trying, and how do you know they are working? In what ways are you sustaining yourself and nurturing relationships?  How can we co-create spaces for moments of grief and hope that foster resilience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We invite you to join our systemwide conversation about The Joys of Teaching & Learning: Reclaiming Hope<\/em> by presenting at OPID\u2019s 2026 Spring Conference.  Please share your experiences, ideas, insights, questions, failures, and accomplishments so we can collaborate and learn together to explore possibilities for strengthening our teaching and learning for all students \u2013 even in times of uncertainty and change, especially<\/em> in times of uncertainty and change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Jos\u00e9 Antonio Bowen<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThriving in an Age of Uncertainty: Relationships, Resilience, Reflection\u201d<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Thursday, April 23, 2026<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Higher education is in a unique position to understand and combat the current uncertainty and threats to human, academic, environmental and psychological well-being. The power of relationships, resiliency, and reflection have never mattered more \u2013 especially in this age of AI. The 3 Rs<\/em> support our mission to help students ask critical questions that generate meaningful answers, and to help us thrive in these times of constant change, distractions, and uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jos\u00e9<\/strong> Antonio<\/strong> Bowen<\/strong> has won teaching awards at Stanford and Georgetown, served as dean and president, has written over 100 scholarly articles and appeared as a musician with Stan Getz, Bobby McFerrin and others. He is the author of Teaching Naked<\/em> <\/a>(2012, awarded Best Book on Higher Education), Teaching Change<\/em><\/a> (2021) and Teaching with AI<\/a> with C. Edward Watson (2024; 2nd edn 2026). Stanford honored him as a Distinguished Alumni Scholar (2010) and he has presented keynotes and workshops<\/a> in 22 countries. In 2018, he was awarded the Ernest L. Boyer Award<\/a> (for significant contributions to American higher education). He is a senior fellow for the American Association of Colleges and Universities and does consulting for a wide variety of Fortune 500 companies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Anchor Plenary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Valerie Barske (UW-Stevens Point) &<\/strong>
Dr. Heather Pelzel (UW-Whitewater)<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNavigating the Labyrinth of Hope: Intentions, Practice, and Freedom\u201d<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Friday, April 24, 2026<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

During the Covid pandemic when many of us felt disconnected and even hopeless, OPID opened a space for us to embody hope as the possibility to \u201cenvision a future in which we wish to participate\u201d (Amie Filkow 2020). Today the practice of hope as a discipline (Mariame Kaba 2024) once again feels essential to our work in teaching and learning. Our closing plenary represents the culmination of our five years collaborating as the Co-Directors of the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program. We will model our signature facilitation of professional development sessions for equity-minded SoTL practitioners, including moments of embodied mindfulness, guided reflections, \u201cplay pedagogy\u201d activities (Marna Winter 2025), and rest as resistance. We invite all participants to join us in navigating the labyrinth of \u201ccritical hope studies,\u201d which challenges us to reject toxic positivity, to hold space for grief, and to embrace discomfort as central to transformation (Jessica Riddell 2024).  In the end, we seek to inspire new ideas for applying critical hope studies to address perhaps the greatest \u201cgrand challenge\u201d of higher education \u2013 to envision our purpose as advancing a path to global social justice and freedom for all.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Conference Lodging<\/h3>\n

Lodging is available near the Memorial Union. Room blocks will offer discounted rates to all UW conference guests. A limited number of rooms are available at each hotel.<\/p>\nHotel Information<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Questions?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Programmatic inquiries may be directed to:<\/strong> <\/h6>\n\n\n\n