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Summer Institute 2023 focuses on reimagining Southwest

By Communications and Marketing Staff 

Tennessee Board of Regents Executive Vice Chancellor for Policy and Strategy Russ Deaton at the opening of Summer Institute 2023.
Tennessee Board of Regents Executive Vice
Chancellor for Policy and Strategy Russ Deaton at
the opening of Summer Institute 2023.

Southwest’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence kicked off its 21st annual Summer Institute for faculty and staff on May 9, 2023. 

The week-long event of professional development workshops provided faculty and staff with a host of engaging environments, from learning strategies for teaching small classrooms, to how to handle life-threatening medical or trauma emergencies. 

“Summer Institute allows all Southwest employees to participate in diverse professional development opportunities,” said Associate Dean for the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Matthew Lexow. “Southwest employees are often thankful for an opportunity to convene, share, and learn from their colleagues and our guests. I am particularly proud that we included colleagues from community colleges around the state of Tennessee this year. Faculty and staff from Nashville State, Walters State, Jackson State, and Pellissippi State participated in this year’s Summer Institute. It shows that we stand to learn much from our colleagues here and across the state.”

Lexow said that reimagining Southwest was the primary focus of the Summer Institute this year. Many of the offerings centered around learning more about statewide plans to emphasize workforce readiness. Attendees could participate in sessions on career readiness, career and technical education, and soft skill development. “These topics are relevant to all employees at Southwest who play an integral part in helping our students and our community fashion a brighter future,” he said. 

Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) Executive Vice Chancellor for Policy and Strategy, Russ Deaton, was the keynote speaker. Deaton spearheaded conversations with faculty and staff on how TBR is reimagining its colleges across the state. He referenced the uniqueness of TBR colleges as open access institutions and for offering the Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect scholarships. He also gave a snapshot of the direction TBR is charting for its future. 

“TBR is built on three pillars of our strategic plan that include strengthening of collaborations, harnessing innovation and enhancing the capacity of our colleges to solve problems and fulfill our equity mandate,” Deaton said. “We are setting the stage for where we will be in the next four to five years.”

For more information about the Summer Institute, contact Matthew Lexow at mlexow@southwest.tn.edu.