Showcasing the expertise of Board of Trustees Awards Educators of the Year
Minnesota State is filled with incredible faculty who are doing amazing work focused on their teaching craft. The purpose of the Network for Educational Development (NED) Excellence in Teaching Series is to continue honoring and showcasing the experience and expertise of the Board of Trustees Awards for Excellence Educators of the Year through the opportunity to present, share, or teach about teaching and learning topics that have contributed to their recognition as excellent educators.
The Faculty Journey Mid Career

Join the second installment of the NED Excellence in Teaching Series, “The Faculty Journey Mid-Career,” which has three sequential sessions that take place on March 23, March 30, and April 13.
This virtual workshop is facilitated by:
Janet Tilstra, 2020 Educator of the Year
St. Cloud State University
About the Workshop
Have you been teaching in higher ed for a while? Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed or burned out? Disconnected? Perhaps you just got tenured and are wondering what’s next? Maybe you’re evaluating your job satisfaction or security? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this workshop is for you.
This is an action-focused workshop for mid-career faculty and staff. In teaching-focused institutions, mid-career can be a challenging time to intentionally choose where you wish to engage and have impact while being true to your personal values and priorities. The structure of this workshop will offer you a space to consider and initiate an important, doable change to align your values and practices AND an accountability group to assure you follow through.
Session One: March 23 from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Taking inventory. In this session you will complete reflective exercises with other faculty to examine your journey in higher education and your values. We will discuss familial-cultural, geographic, gender, and racial scripts that may influence your internal narrative, impact how you do your work, and affect your wellbeing.
Session Two: March 30 from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Aligning values and practices. In this session, with other participants, you will reflect on personal stuck points, internal and external, that create a mismatch between your values and practices. We will share grounding practices and time prioritization techniques. By the end of this session, you will identify a small, but meaningful practice you can add or change to better align your values and work priorities.
It is critical to attend or watch the recording of session one before joining session two.
Session Three: April 13 from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Sustaining change and taking care of future you. In this session, participants will share experiences of their change practices and develop a personal plan for figuring out “what comes next.” Participants will share and gain resources related to self-compassion, noting, and other grounding practices. An important part of this final session will be looking forward to the next chapter in your journey and writing a message to your future self.
It is critical to attend or watch the recording of sessions one and two before joining session three.
The Board of Trustees Awards for Excellence acknowledge and provide system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement of our college and university teaching and service faculty.
Questions?
Contact facilitator Janet Tilstra.
View videos and programs from previous Board of Trustees Awards at MinnState.edu/BOTAwards.
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