June 18, 2020

Dear Network Colleagues,

We would like to send you and your loved ones our best wishes for continued wellness and safety during this unprecedented time.

The Coronavirus [COVID-19] has had an impact on all of our work, including our Network events. We are a team that is dedicated to gathering people together to share, learn, experiment, and build community. Toward those ends, we are rethinking and redesigning our meetings, including creating virtual gathering spaces. For those who are interested and able to participate, here is what we know about the future of our planned events:

Since we cannot meet in person in the near term, we are expanding our virtual opportunities. As we look to the fall and consider our next actions, we hope you will join us in the following opportunities:

• Navigating Uncertainty Together, a conversation series this summer for students, faculty, staff, and administrators to problem solve together about urgent opportunities and challenges we face in preparing for the fall, with a focus on equity-minded practices and pedagogies. Register for our conversation series now!
• Virtual Knowledge Center, an online resource launching in the fall with memos that contain synthesized information and links.
• Equity-Minded Teaching and Learning Online, a workshop series this fall from scholars at the Center for Urban Education, who will use their nationally renowned curriculum to focus on creating learning environments that are race conscious and equity-minded (registration details coming soon).
• Our first annual Student Success Conference, offered in a virtual format this fall, called Building a Student-Ready Campus: Shared Opportunities for Equity and Transformation.
• Middle Leadership Academy, a year-long, project-based experience that supports teams of faculty, staff, and administrators as they explore and apply strategies that focus on closing opportunity and outcomes gaps. This year’s teams will address equity-based, student-centered issues, and consider what it means to lead during and after these times of crisis. Submit your letter of interest now!

In community,

The Network team