The Initiative for Faculty Success and Equity (IFSE) Inclusive Excellence Series will be held throughout the Fall 2026 semester, bringing Penn State faculty together for a series of workshops and a keynote presentation focused on fostering civic dialogue, civil discourse, and inclusive teaching practices.
The series begins with a faculty workshop on Wednesday, Sept. 3, continues with the IFSE Keynote featuring Lara Schwartz on Thursday, Sept. 24, and concludes with a second faculty workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
The Sept. 3 and Oct. 15 IFSE workshops will provide faculty with hands-on opportunities to explore course design strategies and practical approaches for integrating civic dialogue into their teaching. Additional workshop details will be announced as they become available.
The IFSE Keynote event on Sept. 24 is available in-person at the Nittany Lion Inn and via Zoom for remote participants. In-person participants are welcomed to have lunch followed by an interactive workshop on course design for civic dialogue and civil discourse facilitated by Lara Schwartz, founding director of the American University Project on Civic Dialogue. A live question-and-answer session will follow.
The series is sponsored by SSRI, the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research's Interdisciplinary Research Institutes, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity.