Staff and Faculty Symposium
Staff and Faculty Symposium
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The 2025 Staff and Faculty Symposium brought together faculty and staff for sessions on AI, digital security, student career readiness, collective resistance, being a nerd, and more. The day concluded with a cookie tasting and opportunities to connect with colleagues in a spirit of shared learning and discovery. The event was held on Thursday, October 16, from 9 to 5 in the Soda Center.
Symposium 2025 Photos
2025 Symposium Themes
Rooted in Community, Rising in Purpose: Surviving and Thriving at SMC
- Elephant in the Room: Finding Common Ground in Difficult Conversations
- Navigating Higher Ed in a Post-Truth Era
- Breaking Silos: Paving Collaborative Pathways at SMC
- Humble Brag: Finding Joy in Teaching and Learning
Sessions Schedule | October 16, 2025
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8:30-9:00 | Welcome and Check-In |
9:00-9:15 | Continental BreakfastSponsored by Staff Council (Thank you!) |
9:15-10:00 | Panel I: Countering Anti-DEI Attacks: Strategies for Collective ResistanceModerator: Ayanna Boben (Electronic Resources Manager, Library) |
10:05-10:35 | Unlocking First-Gen Student Success: Navigating Internships and Career ReadinessChrissy Galli (Assistant Adjunct Professor of Kinesiology) New research on how SMC first-gen students explore their paths to networking, internships, and mentorship—keys to career readiness. Discover actionable insights on fostering equity and helping students overcome barriers. Using NACE competencies and the Kinesiology internship program as a case study, learn how to support first-gen students in breaking silos and thriving professionally. |
10:35-10:45 | BREAK |
10:45-11:15 | Lasallian Lessons from a Cooperative UniversityAaron Sachowitz (Professor of Media Technologies and Culture) Founded by Father Arizmendiarrieta under Spain’s Fascist regime in 1943, Mondragon Unibertsitatea is the world’s only cooperatively run university. By exploring the parallels between the Mondragon and Lasallian missions and educational philosophies, this presentation argues that converting Saint Mary’s to a worker run cooperative non-profit is both critical to our mission and our survival. |
11:20-11:35 | A Dork in the Road: How Nerdiness Made Me a Better TeacherKatie M Zeigler (Adjunct Professor, Writing Studies) Our passions, quirks, and experiences are just as essential to our students' learning environments as syllabi, learning outcomes, and exams. Through the lens of my life as a self-professed "dork" - a label reinforced by my alma mater's enthusiastic use of the nickname "Nerd Nation," let's embrace our individuality in the classroom by reinforcing these fundamental connections with our students. |
11:35-11:50 | Truth, Complexity, and AI: Preparing Leaders for Higher Education’s Post-Truth FutureAlfonso Montero (Program Director & Faculty, MA in Leadership) How can higher education prepare leaders in an era where truth itself is destabilized by AI and misinformation? This session explores systems thinking (DSRP) and posthumanist perspectives to reframe AI as a co-constructor of meaning. Through practical classroom examples, participants will see how reflective practices can cultivate discernment, resilience, and ethical courage—capacities essential for navigating higher education’s post-truth future. |
11:50-12:30 | LUNCHSponsored by the Office of Inclusion and Belonging (OIB) (Thank you!) |
12:30-1:15 | Keynote: Dr. Nicole BrownAssociate Professor of Sociology, Founding Director, Radical Imagination Lab |
1:20-1:50 | Doxxed for DEI? Digital Security for Academics and ActivistsNiloufar (Student Support / Essential Needs Program Coordinator) Is your personal information as private as you think it is? As targeted harassment and online abuse rise against academics and activists, we must equip ourselves with practical strategies for identifying & minimizing our digital presence. You’ll learn methods to reduce your personal data online and resources for responding to potential threats. |
1:55-2:25 | “Touch Grass”: Navigating the Reality Checks of Working in Higher Education as a Young Professional and SMC AlumniAlyssa Plummer (Manager of Academic Services and Budget Analyst, SOLA and SOS Graduate Programs) This discussion based session hopes to identify and address challenges, and celebrate accomplishments related to being a young professional, and/or SMC alum. The experience can be difficult to navigate and plagued with imposter syndrome. Grounded in honest conversation, we can work together to continue to build community, and find ways to troubleshoot workplace hurdles. |
2:30-2:50 | Cookie Bake-OffJoin us for a sweet showdown! Select staff and faculty will bring their best homemade cookies for you to taste and judge. Sample the delicious creations and help crown the best cookie at SMC for 2025! |
2:55-3:25 | Fast Facts at Your Fingertips: IPEDS Data on Demand (Practical tips to make IPEDS your go-to tool on the spot)Image
Milena Angelova (Director of Institutional Research) Need credible numbers on the spot? This lively 30-minute session will show you how to turn IPEDS into your go-to tool for quick, reliable insights. Explore powerful features to pull enrollment, retention, graduation, financial, and employee data; benchmark SMC with peer institutions; and translate fast facts into impact for grants, reports, and strategic decisions. Bring a laptop for this interactive session! |
3:30-4:15 | Panel II: Centering the Human in Gen AI LiteracyModerator: Julie McPherson (Education Librarian) Curious about where humans are landing in the Gen AI Literacy landscape? Join us to hear about how staff, faculty and students can humanize Gen AI Literacy and leave with new perspectives or ideas of your own relationship to and with these tools. |
4:20-4:30 | Cookie Bake-Off Results |
4:30-4:45 | Closing RemarksSymposium Committee |
2025 SponsorsThank you for your contributions to this event! Academic Affairs | |
Thanks to those who attended!
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What is the Staff and Faculty Symposium?
The Staff and Faculty Symposium is an all-day, conference-style professional development event powered by SMC faculty and staff. Open to all staff and faculty, it’s an opportunity to see what your colleagues are working on, share insights, and collaborate on innovative ideas.
This symposium originates in SMUG—Saint Mary’s User Group—an internal conference initially developed in 2019 by the Administrative Information Services (AIS) department in response to improving staff knowledge of Colleague (the institutional data depository). After the hiatus during the pandemic, mini-SMUG returned to campus in the spring of 2024 to serve a more expanded purpose of connecting staff and faculty on the topics of “share best practices, ideas, and what you are working on with colleagues and/or students.”
Testimonials
"The symposium left me feeling energized and excited about the work we are doing at Saint Mary's. I felt more strongly connected to the Saint Mary's community and impressed with the offerings of my colleagues. It is easy to get caught up in the work we are doing and wonder if we should be taking the time away, but it was absolutely worth it."
"The symposium is a great way to meet others from around the school and to hear about what they're dealing with and engaged with; see how our positions overlap while working towards a common goal; to see how the siloed departments actually work together to create SMC."
"This was an event full of dynamic, emerging and inspiring and learning from and with each other! We are all doing cool things and it is so great to hear about them!"
"I experienced 2 days of learning through panels, interactive opportunities, and community time, which opened my awareness to the diverse faculty and staff population on campus, and the mission and structure of different departments. I felt connected and engaged and left with incredible sensations of belonging and increased faith in—and dedication to—our fabulous SMC."
Symposium Committee Members
Swetta Abeyta - Library
Adriana Botello - IT Services
Makiko Imamura - Academic Affairs
Monique Lane - Faculty, KSOE
Sarah Vital - Library