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Professional Development

Calendar of Events

December 8

Dual Enrollment FYE (First-Year Experience) Courses: Supporting Readiness and College Success
10-11 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
As dual-enrollment programs expand, the transition from high school to college for these learners brings unique opportunities and challenges. This webinar will provide faculty and staff with actionable strategies to design and teach first-year-experience (FYE) courses specifically tailored to dual-enrollment students which helps them build college-level habits, deepen their academic identity, and persist toward credential completion. Participants will engage in practical discussions about course structure, partnership with high schools, scaffolded learning, and inclusive practices that meet dual-enrollment learners where they are and set them up for success. All attendees will leave with a sample syllabus and a checklist for building FYE content for dual enrollment learners!

Mathematics and OER Office Hours
3-4 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
The OERI is pleased to offer a series of math and OER office hours throughout the Fall term. These office hours will serve as a question-and-answer session where attendees bring in their math OER needs, requests, and questions. Attendees can also use this space to receive guidance and ask questions pertaining to MyOpenMath.

December 9

Physics and Open Educational Resources (OER) Office Hours
10-11 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
The OERI is pleased to offer a series of physics and OER office hours throughout the term. These office hours will serve as a question-and-answer session where attendees bring in their physics OER needs, requests, and questions. Attendees can also use this space to receive guidance and ask questions pertaining to MyOpenMath.

December 10

Understanding Depression 
8-9 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
How is depression different from sadness? An accessible guide to understanding causation, symptoms, and treatment options for depressive disorders. Learn practical tips for managing symptoms and helping others in this one-hour seminar with a licensed therapist.

Student Success Outlook 2026: Affordability, AI, and the Changing Campus Climate
11-12 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Join IHE & an expert panel to shed light on the survey findings and discuss what student success may look like in 2026.

December 11

The Psychology of People-Pleasing
8-9 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
People pleasing is a tendency to prioritize others' needs over your own, even at the expense of your own health, safety, and well-being. It can be a response to trauma or life experiences, or to manage anxiety about other people’s approval & reactions. Explore the roots of people-pleasing behavior and its impact on mental health, and learn how to set healthy boundaries, build self-confidence, and communicate more assertively in this one-hour seminar with a licensed therapist. 

How UAlbany Increased Family Engagement by 160% Through An FYE (First-Year Experience) Course For Supporters
12-1 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
In just one year, the University at Albany’s Great Danes 101: Supporting the College Experience has seen remarkable results: family participation grew from 533 to more than 1,300 learners—a 160% increase. Nearly 98% of parents reported that the program helped them better support their student’s success, and families spent an average of 112 minutes engaging with the course, with 81% remaining active throughout the semester.

This groundbreaking, semester-long online course redefines what it means to engage families in higher education. In this webinar, Dr. Linda Krzykowski, Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of the First Year Experience at UAlbany, will share how her team built a scalable, data-driven program that turns families into informed partners in student success. Powered by Innovative Educators’ ParentLingo platform, Great Danes 101 is transforming family engagement from a one-time orientation event into an academic experience that supports student persistence and belonging all semester long.

December 12

Higher Ed Trends 2025: What’s Next For 2026?
9-9:45 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Join us for a timely conversation that looks back at a rollercoaster year in higher education — and tries to make sense of what might come next. From shifting federal policy and ongoing funding cuts to the surge in dual enrollment and renewed debate over free speech on campus, 2025 was anything but quiet. We’ll dive into the biggest developments shaping transfer pathways, workforce-aligned programs, and institutional priorities across the country.

Come participate as we make some predictions you’ll want to keep an eye on as we look towards 2026 and reflect on 2025! Whether you work in strategy, policy, student services, or enrollment, this is the recap (and forecast) you didn’t know you needed — until now.

ZTC Progress Expenditure Report
10:30-11:30 a.m.
Attend in Zoom
Pre-registration required
Please join us to have an additional opportunity to ask questions and receive guidance related to the ZTC Progress and Expenditure Report #2. Chad Funk will be present to provide updates regarding the reporting process and will share how the data obtained from the colleges’ reports will be used to satisfy the reporting requirements in the final legislative report. Information related to the ZTC Implementation, Acceleration 1, Acceleration II, Impact and OER Expansion grant phases will be provided and questions for the data reporting external spreadsheet will also be discussed.

AHC Program Review and Planning or Core Topic Help with Patrick McGuire 
Meeting ID: 822 1354 3932
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Attend in Zoom
If you are working on your yearly Program Review and Planning or Core Topic documents and need assistance, you are welcome to join my weekly Zoom meeting. You may also contact me at pmcguire@hancockcollege.edu  to schedule a face-to-face meeting or to arrange another time.

Recordings