Center for Faculty Development
Fall 2023 Educator's Retreat
The Fall Educators’ Retreat: Tools, Techniques, and Trends in an AI-Enhanced Higher Education is a half-day mini-conference hosted on Thursday, October 12, 2023, during Fall Break,
that brings together faculty, administrators, and staff to discuss strategies for
effectively implementing generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies at Southern
Miss. The goal of the event is to help educators at all levels harness the power of
generative AI to enhance student learning, research productivity, and job performance.
Grant Writing Workshop Series
In collaboration with the School of Humanities, the CFD will be hosting a grant writing
workshop series open to faculty, graduate students, and staff this academic year.
Across several monthly two-hour sessions, participants will gain more information
on finding grants, creating a plan and timeline for applications, reviewers' perspectives,
and how grants across multiple disciplines function.
Attendees will also get opportunities to foster collaborations with other participants and time to work on an application with support from the group. Sessions will be held on Friday mornings from 9 a.m.- 11 a.m.
First Year Foundations: Programing for New Faculty
The First-Year Foundations Program (FYF) expands the training and conversations that
start at New Faculty Orientation. This series aims to support new faculty in their
teaching, research, and overall success as a new member of our Southern Miss community.
23 - 24 Graduate Mentorship Training and Workshop Series
Click to register for individual sessions by date
First-Year Retention Rates Higher for Students of ACUE Faculty at Southern Miss
At The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), faculty began taking ACUE microcredential
courses in Fall 2016. Given the phase-in of USM faculty who take ACUE courses over
time, some students may take courses taught by ACUE faculty while others may not.
This analysis focuses on two cohorts of first year students at USM in academic years
2017–18 and 2018–19. Over these years, first-year students took courses taught by
62 ACUE faculty and 775 non-ACUE faculty. The analysis finds evidence that first-year
students who took at least one course taught by an ACUE faculty had a higher likelihood
of returning to USM in the subsequent academic years.
Click for full brief and key findings