Faculty & Staff Research Symposium

The Faculty and Staff Research Symposia provide an extraordinary opportunity for colleagues to exchange ideas and feel part of a dynamic intellectual and creative community. The events bring together faculty and staff from multiple disciplines, programs, and all five schools to present on their research, work, and creative projects–all in a non-time-intensive way. New initiatives, classes, and partnerships have emerged from these interdisciplinary conversations, as people learn about the incredible work being done on campus.

The symposia take place in two-year cycles with alternating formats:

Full Symposium: In Year A of the cycle, the full-day Symposium takes place in the fall, featuring 34 to 38 sessions spread across four time slots. The day includes breakfast, a midday lunch, and concludes with a reception. All faculty and staff are invited to present, and all sessions are held at Boatwright Library.

Mini Symposia Series: In Year B of the cycle, four half-day symposia take place throughout the academic year—two in the fall and two in the spring. Each event includes two time slots, with two (occasionally three) concurrent sessions per slot, all held at the Faculty Hub. These mini-symposia serve as curated showcases of talks and reimagined sessions from the previous year’s full-day symposium, giving attendees a chance to engage with presentations they may have missed. All presenters from the previous year are invited to present.

Both formats feature interdisciplinary panels, roundtables, forums, and poster presentations. Participants might discuss elements of a current book project or an article; a program, initiative or partnership; an artwork or performance (with clips and examples); a current line of research experiments; an archive or digital project; a musical composition or a piece of creative writing; an experience in leadership or strategy — or any work in which they are engaged.

The 2025-2026 academic year will feature the Mini Symposia on the following dates:
  • Friday, September 26, 2025
  • Friday, November 7, 2025
  • Friday, January 30, 2026
  • Friday, February 20, 2026
The next Full Symposium will be held in fall 2026.

Q&A for Mini Symposia:

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  • What is the Mini-Symposia Series?

    The Mini-Symposia Series is a new extension of the Faculty and Staff Research Symposium. Spread across the academic year, it features four half-day events—two in the fall and two in the spring—designed to highlight and revisit presentations from the previous full symposium. The goal is to offer more opportunities to engage with colleagues’ work in a more focused and accessible format.

  • How does the Mini-Symposia Series work?

    Each mini-symposium includes two time slots, with two (occasionally three) panels running concurrently per slot. Sessions are held at the Faculty Hub and include a shared lunch or light reception to foster continued conversation and connection.

  • What are the session times?
    There will be three different format options:
    • Option One: 9:00–10:15 a.m. and 10:30–11:45 a.m., followed by lunch
    • Option Two: 1:30–2:45 p.m. and 3:00–4:15 p.m., followed by a light reception
    • Option Three: 10:30–11:45 a.m. and 1:30–2:45 p.m., with lunch in between
  • Where are the Mini-Symposia held?

    All sessions for the Mini-Symposia Series are held at the Faculty Hub, providing a central and accessible location for participants.

  • Who can present at the Mini-Symposia?

    Those who presented at the last two full symposia will be invited to submit proposals for the Mini-Symposia Series. We welcome three types of submissions:

    1. Group submission: An updated version of a previous full session. (If the whole group is not available, presenters may submit as individuals).
    2. Individual submission: A revised version of a previous talk, to be grouped into new interdisciplinary sessions.
    3. Collaborative submission: A session highlighting a partnership that emerged from past symposium interactions (some presenters in this format may not have previously presented).
  • Can I present on work I didn’t present at the last full symposium?

    A key goal of the Mini-Symposia Series is to showcase work from the previous full-day symposium that people may have missed because of the many concurrent sessions. You may certainly present an updated or revised version of your previous presentation, but we ask you to save new work for next year’s full symposium.

  • What if there are more proposals than available slots?

    To ensure fairness, if we receive more proposals than can be accommodated, sessions will be selected by lottery.

  • When is the call for proposals?

    The call will go out in May, with a submission deadline in June, following the same timeline as the full symposium.

  • How many presenters will participate?

    Each mini-symposium will include two time slots, with two (occasionally three) panels running concurrently in each slot. With 4–6 colleagues per panel, the series will accommodate between 80-100 presenters in total.

  • Will there be food or social time?

    Yes! Each event includes either a lunch or a light reception where all presenters, chairs, and attendees are warmly invited to continue the conversation.

  • Do I need to register to attend?

    You don’t need to register to attend the symposia, though we will ask people to register for the lunch.