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In the latest Innovation Abstracts, "Emotional Labor: The Unseen Baggage Causing Faculty Burnout," Rachel Gallardo, Department Head, Psychology & Anthropology, Blinn College, discusses emotional labor, the effort of managing emotions required by certain professions, and the significant impacts on faculty well-being and productivity, and provides suggestions for overall workplace culture improvement.

Irma Hunt

Community College of Allegheny County

Irma Hunt is the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) in Pittsburgh. Her role aligns with CCAC's motto, "our goal is your success," which resonates with her teaching philosophy. Irma is inspired by CCAC's initiatives, including civic engagement programs, study abroad opportunities, and efforts to connect curriculum with workforce needs to prepare students for their future.

As a NISOD Liaison, Irma especially values NISOD's benefits, highlighting the annual conference, the NISOD Excellence Awards, and webinars as some of her favorites. "I feel that NISOD offers so much support to staff," she says. "It really is an easy way to provide professional development for your faculty and staff, to improve their careers and improve the institution."

Learn more about Irma Hunt on the Liaison Spotlight webpage.

Make an investment in you! Join us April 12-16 in Nashville at the nation’s largest community college gathering. AACC’s conference programming is designed to provide you the connections and tools you need to elevate your career.

• Entertaining keynote speakers
• Inspiring professional development
• Powerful (and fun) networking opportunities
• Engaging workshops
• Celebrations honoring notable faculty
• And more!

Special rates for faculty include a $350 registration discount. View the details and register today at aaccannual.com.

Registration Is OPEN for #NISOD2025!

Gather your colleagues and secure your spot today for the 47th annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, May 24-27, 2025, in the heart of Austin, Texas. This is the premier event for educators at community and technical colleges to learn, share and grow together. Register now to take advantage of early bird savings!

Interested in Presenting? 

The deadline to submit is February 21, 2025. Learn more and submit your presentation proposal here. Your proposal can be crafted to match one of three types of sessions:

• Breakout Sessions represent the core of the conference offerings, in a classroom-style or theatre-style format, and feature a successful practice, program, or key issue.
• Make-and-Take Workshops bring faculty together to learn a successful pedagogical technique. Examples might include group activities that help students apply their learning, innovative assessment ideas, or innovative ways to incorporate technology in teaching.
• Campfire Sessions are small, informal, and conversational sessions designed to encourage peer-to-peer learning and group discussion.

Suanne Davis Roueche Faculty Scholarship

Named in honor of the late Suanne Davis Roueche, who served as NISOD’s director from 1985 to 2000, this scholarship covers the cost of conference registration, lodging, and up to $400 toward travel to Austin, Texas, for each of the five recipients. Faculty members at NISOD member colleges who would like to attend the annual conference, but lack the financial means to do so, are encouraged to apply here.

Increasing Enrollment: Successful Strategies from Three Community Colleges

What successful strategies did community colleges use to maintain or improve their enrollment figures since the pandemic? This article features NISOD member colleges with case studies from Ivy Tech Community College, Wake Technical Community College, as well as insights from Community College of Aurora.

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To view past issues of NISODirect, click here.