Megan Phelps-Roper, a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church, opened the second annual Faculty Colloquium with an inspirational recount of her experiences. She described the transformation that took place as she experienced and learned to appreciate other points of view through social media. Her message – that empathy can overcome hate and tolerance can bridge ideology – resonated with many in the audience. Megan’s presentation set the tone for the Colloquium, one in which faculty celebrated the College’s dedication to intellectual openness and curiosity.

Our own faculty presenters then shared some of the amazing and inventive ways they reach students in the classroom over three sessions. Attendees learned new ways to use technology in the classroom and new ways to communicate with students. Presenters also shared new ideas from their fields. 

During the lunch session, provided by the Faculty Union, Dr. Wall recognized the Distinguished Faculty Award and Adjunct Award recipients. Dr. Justin Bateh, Professor of Business; Dr. Tim Gilmore, Professor of English; Christina M. Goodell, Professor of Business; Robert Massicotte, Professor of Fire Science Technology: and Dr. Holly Wiegreffe, Professor of Chemistry were all recipients of the 2017-18 Distinguished Faculty Award. Additionally, Dr. Gail Bondi, Professor in our ESL department, received the Adjunct Award. We thank all of these awardees for their contributions to the College’s mission and their work in encouraging our students’ success.