Here’s what past retreat participants have said about their experience:
- “The time to connect with colleagues was by far the best! All the ‘wayside’ conversations and leaning helped me immensely and I went back to my home institution with new ideas!”
- “I love this retreat. It gives me time to think and clear my head.”
- “Semi-structured time (team time, receptions, mealtimes) with colleagues from my home institution was fantastically useful.”
Recent retreats have been held at the Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford, CT. When we have compared retreat locations on cost, space, cleanliness, food, and proximity to transportation options, we have yet to find a site that can beat this religiously-affiliated retreat center. We believe that keeping the cost down, and keeping the access of campus teams up, has been critical to the ongoing involvement of participants.
West Hartford, CT is a wonderful town filled with many attractions just minutes away from the retreat center. Sites of local interest include: Wadsworth Atheneum, The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, and Mark Twain’s House & Museum. Our participants not only join enriching discussions at the retreat, but can enjoy the various amusements and history nearby. For more attractions in the area, click here.
Past retreat topics:
2016 – Engaging Student Voices: Building Community
Keynote speaker: Rashne Jehangir, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development
2015 – The Pivotal Role of Appreciative Inquiry in First Generation Student Success
Keynote speaker: Joye Hardiman, Ph.D., Evergreen State College and Ancestral Art Works. Keynote Slides and Follow up discussion
2014 – Full STEAM Ahead
Keynote speaker: Piet Hut, Ph.D., Astrophysicist and Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Princeton University’s Institute for Advanced Study
2013 – Creating and Sustaining Community in Challenging Times
Keynote speaker: Paul Loeb, author, Soul of a Citizen
2012 – Integrated Learning for All: Engaging Students at Every Level
Keynote speaker: Gillies Malnarich, Co-Director of the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education.
2011 – Learning Communities and the First-Year Student
Keynote speaker: Betsy Barefoot, Vice President and Senior Scholar, John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education.
2010 – Best Practices in Learning Communities: ACLC Celebrates a Decade of Progress
Keynote speaker: Barbara Walvoord, Professor Emerita of the University of Notre Dame.
2009 – Learning Communities in the Community: Practicing Civic Engagement
Keynote speaker: Richard Guarasci, President of Wagner College.
2008 – Using Learning Communities to Promote Student Success in Math and Science
Keynote speaker: Ellen Goldeye, Professor of Biology, Wofford College
2007 – Integrative Learning: What does it Mean? How do We do it? How Do We Know it Works? Why is it Important?
Keynote speaker: Veronica Boix-Mansilla, chair of the Future of Learning Institute at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Project at Harvard, Project Zero.
2006 – Learning Communities: Creating Cross-Campus Conversations
2005 – Assessment in Learning Communities
2001 – 2004 – curriculum planning retreats, no themes
Recent retreats have been held at the Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford, CT. When we have compared retreat locations on cost, space, cleanliness, food, and proximity to transportation options, we have yet to find a site that can beat this religiously-affiliated retreat center. We believe that keeping the cost down, and keeping the access of campus teams up, has been critical to the ongoing involvement of participants.