The Mini Conference Series At A Glance
We invite faculty, administrators, staff, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students across the UT System to join our monthly webinar series. This series explores the enduring value of the core curriculum, and the foundational scholarly skills students gain through it.
Sessions will highlight how the core curriculum fosters cultural and social capital, analytical thinking, global citizenship, and interdisciplinary awareness—skills that prepare graduates to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing workplace and society.
Faculty-led conversations will also showcase innovative practices in student partnership, productive struggle in the age of AI, and new ways of making learning visible and durable. Together, these sessions affirm the power of higher education to future-proof our students while deepening the impact of teaching and learning.
Faculty at UT San Antonio are invited to register for the sessions at the following link:
Thursday, February 12th 2026 1:00 - 2:15 PM
Rooted in Resilience: Empowering Students to Thrive
Presented by Alyssa G. Cavazos, Elianna Olivo, & Ris Cortez | UT Rio Grande Valley
According to the American Psychological Association “Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress, such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors. It means ‘bouncing back’ from difficult experiences. Research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. People commonly demonstrate resilience.” Research also demonstrates that cultivating positive emotions builds our resilience and resilient college students persist and are successful in college and beyond (Wilson, 2016; Seligman, 2012; Seligman et al., 2009).In this session, we will explore how we can foster resilience in our teaching and learning practices through growth mindset and asset-based thinking approaches. Specifically, we will explore strategies for creating opportunities where we prioritize positive emotions, build character strengths, practice gratitude, hunt the good stuff, engage in rejuvenation, put things in perspective, and embrace optimism. Join us for a conversation rooted on resilience!
Thursday, January 15th, 2026 1:00 - 2:00 PM (CST)
Upcoming: Interdisciplinary Awareness
Presented by Jennifer Sells, and Dr. Mary Sizemore, MD Anderson
Building world-ready students through interdisciplinary awareness centers on Interprofessional Education (IPE) and active engagement across multiple disciplines. This discussion will involve the sharing of future-looking vision for interdisciplinary awareness at UTSA combined with UT MD Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC) sharing how interdisciplinary awareness is currently in-action across ten undergraduate healthcare programs in its School of Health Professions. Anchored in professional and educational frameworks, UTMDACC students are immersed in active learning in a monthly series of tailored activity and dialogue.
Thursday, December 11th 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Creating Global Citizens & International Education
This session highlights initiatives for global engagement that both take our students to the world and bring the world to our campus. Alongside study abroad programs designed for graduate students and staff, presenters also will discuss virtual exchange/COIL (collaborative online international learning) as a key strategy for internationalization at home. Heather Catton, director of international programs at SFA, will provide an overview of several high-impact opportunities, including support for students participating in the University Scholars Leadership Symposium. Dr. Carol Cirulli Lanham, professor of instruction and associate director in the Center for Teaching and Learning at UT Dallas, will describe the COIL program developed within the CTL and the opportunities it provides for students to collaborate with peers and faculty across institutions. Participants from each program will offer brief reflections on their experiences and the new possibilities that emerged.
Thursday, November 13th 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
UT Tyler’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) focuses on real-world problem solving as a means to strengthen students’ analytical thinking and applied learning. In this session, QEP faculty panelists will share their experiences integrating authentic, complex problems into their courses, highlighting the difficulties and opportunities that come with addressing complex real-world problems and strategies for assessing problem-solving activities both within and beyond traditional course content. The conversation will underscore how these practices highlight the enduring value of higher education and contribute to preparing world-ready graduates.
Thursday, October 9th 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Cultural and Social Capital
Dr. Bruce Rudy - University of Texas at San Antonio
In this session, Dr. Bruce Rudy, Associate Professor of Management, and Dr. Claudia Arcolin, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Experiences, explore strategies to help students leverage cultural and social capital for academic success, career readiness, and lifelong learning.
This session highlights how to recognize and build upon students’ diverse strengths to prepare them for the complexities of the global workforce.
Thursday, September 11th 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm
What is the value of higher education? Future proofing our students
Dr. Brent Iverson - University of Texas Austin
In this session, Dr. Brent Iverson discusses the importance of preparing college students for an unpredictable and rapidly changing future workplace.
He highlights how the traditional model of training students for specific careers is no longer sufficient, as many of today's graduates will likely retire from careers that haven't even been invented yet.
To address this challenge, Dr. Iverson describes the University of Texas at Austin's efforts to enhance its general education curriculum through the creation of the School of Undergraduate Studies and the implementation of the "Flags" program.
The Flags program aimed to complement the state's core curriculum by introducing specific skills and experiences across a variety of courses, rather than in designated core classes. This allowed the university to distribute the core curriculum more evenly across different colleges and departments, engaging faculty from diverse disciplines in the general education of students. The program was extensively assessed, showing positive impacts on student learning and preparation for life after graduation. Despite the success of the Flags program, it was ultimately discontinued in 2025, prompting a review of the state's core curriculum requirements.
Dr. Iverson sees this as an opportunity to further strengthen general education, aligning it with the skills and knowledge that employers are seeking in college graduates. He emphasized the importance of faculty support and recognition, as well as strong leadership from university presidents and provosts, in driving meaningful change in this area. Overall, the lecture underscored the need for higher education to adapt to the evolving demands of the modern workforce and prepare students for an unpredictable future.
Upcoming Sessions
- 1/15: Interdisciplinary Awareness: Presented by MD Anderson
- 2/12: Rooted in Resilience: Empowering Students to Thrive: Presented by UTRGV
- 3/12: Productive Struggle: Presented by UT Arlington
- 4/9: Mapping What Matters: Making Student Learning Visible Beyond the Gradebook
Credits:
Created with images by Alex Pios - "Group of diverse students celebrating by throwing their caps in the air during a university graduation, outdoors, with trees and buildings in the background." • Seak - "Student with a focused and resilient attitude, studying diligently at a desk surrounded by books and notes" • YouraPechkin - "Innovative medical technology allows detailed visualization of heart anatomy by a researcher" • eranicle - "Photo collage made of diverse world travel destinations" • peopleimages.com - "Theres a lot going on in the world currently.,Cropped shot of a group of young people protesting in the city." • Tierney - "Searching new job theme with person using a laptop on a white table"