The Adjunct Faculty Advisory Committee [AFAC] is pleased to issue a call for proposals to present at our Fall 2026 Innovation Day, October 10, 2026.
Held at UMBC, our conference celebrates the invaluable contributions of adjunct faculty to UMBC and the higher education community; providing a platform for adjunct faculty to showcase their research, innovate pedagogies, and professional development insights.
Conference Theme:
Innovation
Topics of Interest:
Adjunct-led research projects
Adjunct faculty working conditions
Innovative pedagogy
Application of new technology in the classroom
Strategies for student engagement and motivation
Professional development opportunities for adjunct faculty
Best practices in course design and assessment
Support of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in higher education
Submission Guidelines:
Presentation proposals should be submitted using the provided Google Form.
Each proposal should include:
Title of the presentation
Abstract (maximum 250 words)
Presenter(s) name(s) and affiliation(s)
Contact information (email, phone)
Presentations can be in the format of workshops, panels, roundtable discussions, or individual presentations.
Proposals will be evaluated based on relevance to the conference theme, clarity, and potential impact.
In four parts, this series presented by NCPH and the American Conservation experience (ACE) will ask experts to help public historians and public humanitarians tackle questions like: what do we mean when we talk about gen AI? How do we recognize it, and what AI tools have potential use cases for the public humanities? How can we ethically engage with generative AI tools as public historians, museum practitioners, writers, archivists, and educators?
For all four events, closed captioning and American Sign Language interpretation will be provided. Registrants will receive resource lists and recordings of the events for which they register. Register for all four events, or choose the ones that are most meaningful to you. This event uses our "pay what you can" model, which allows us to design programming for all members of our community regardless of their financial status; if you can afford to select one of the paid registration tiers, we are deeply grateful for your support in subsidizing free registrations for those who need it most.
Part 1: Defining and Demystifying "AI" and "Machine Learning"
Thursday, January 29, 2026 | 4:00 pm Eastern
Facilitator: Jessica Dauterive, Program Manager, Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies, and Digital Humanities Consultant, ACE
Speakers: Zoe LeBlanc, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Jeri Wieringa, Assistant Director, Center for Digital Humanities at Princeton University
Part 2: The Ethics of AI: What's the Harm?
Thursday, February 12, 2026 | 12:00 pm Eastern
Facilitator: Jessica Dauterive, Program Manager, Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies, and Digital Humanities Consultant, ACE
Speakers: Adio-Adet Dinika, Research Fellow, Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research (DAIR) Institute
Adrienne Williams, Research Fellow, Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research (DAIR) Institute; Public Voices Fellow, The OpEd Project; activist and organizer
Part 3: Ethical AI Use in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM)
Thursday, February 26, 2026 | 2:00 pm Eastern
Facilitator: Angela Fritz, School of Library and Information Science, University of Iowa
Speakers: Additional speakers from the upcoming Collections special issue on AI, TBA
Part 4: AI and History Education
March 17, 2026 | 2:00 pm Eastern
Facilitator: Lindsey Passenger Wieck, Director of Public History, St. Mary's University
Speakers: Wendi Manuel-Scott and George Oberle, Center for Mason Legacies, George Mason University
Victoria Sanchez, 6th Grade World Cultures Educator, Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders
Don Solomon, Vice President for Communications and Marketing, National Humanities Center
Many academics struggle with the desire to share their expertise with mainstream audiences, worrying about how they and their work will be represented. In this session you'll learn how to work with traditional media, including how to engage reporters and get them interested in your work, how to handle press inquiries, and how to make sure your version of the story gets written.
Don Solomon has over 30 years experience sharing stories about products, people, and organizations of all kinds, and since 2006 he has led communications and marketing at the National Humanities Center. Prior to joining the Center, Don was co-founder and principal of Distill Consulting, and has worked with a wide range of clients that includes Michelin, Hanes, IBM, Rhone Poulenc, CooperTools, and the March of Dimes, among others.
]]>This is a self-nomination scholarship. While the application portal opens on Tuesday, January 6, students are encouraged to review the requirements and begin preparing materials in advance.
Application Deadline: Friday, February 6
Requirements: Completed application, including a letter of recommendation
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate USM students in good academic and disciplinary standing
Dear UMBC Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students,
I am excited to announce two members of our UMBC community who will join The Graduate School's leadership team on January 26, 2026.
Dr. Ravi Kuber (he/him) will serve as the Associate Dean for Graduate Education. Dr. Kuber started at UMBC in 2008 and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems. His research examines the ways in which the sense of touch can be leveraged to support access to interfaces when the user's visual channel is blocked, restricted or overloaded. Examples of activities include designing solutions to better match the needs and abilities of individuals who are blind, older adults, and individuals with situational impairments. Dr. Kuber has served in various leadership positions including Graduate Program Director for Human Centered Computing and most recently, Undergraduate Program Director for Business Technology Administration. As a leader and scholar, he focuses on access and student success and will bring a depth of experience to this crucial position within The Graduate School. Dr. Kuber received his Ph.D. from Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees from University College London, UK.
Dr. Sundiata "Sunji" Jangha (he/him) will serve as the Senior Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and Special Initiatives. Dr. Jangha started at UMBC in 2008 and currently serves as the Director of Pipeline Programs within the Office of Academic Opportunity Programs and The Graduate School. He oversees the Upward Bound Math and Science Center and actively recruits and supports undergraduate students in STEM fields and graduate students across all disciplines. In this newly repurposed position, Dr. Jangha brings extensive experience necessary to bridge the critical gap between graduate student admission and degree completion by establishing and sustaining initiatives that support academic excellence, broaden participation, and accelerate progress through key milestones. He earned his B.S. degree with high honors from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and an M.S. degree from Georgia Institute of Technology, both in mechanical engineering. He also earned his M.P.P. and Ph.D. in Public Policy from UMBC, specializing in quantitative evaluation and analytical methods. His Ph.D. work focused on STEM college student success through developmental math pathways. Dr. Jangha has been nationally recognized for his ongoing commitment to empowering students to succeed.
I want to formally thank Dr. Robin Cresiski and Shirl Curtis for their service in leading these searches, as well as their effort and commitment to The Graduate School and to graduate students during this time of transition. Thank you also, to all The Graduate School staff members and graduate students who participated and shared their feedback for these two important roles.
Please join me in welcoming Drs. Kuber and Jangha!
Thank you,
Dr. Christa Porter
Vice Provost & Dean