2026 Office of Academic Innovation Winter Institute Highlights Cross-Campus Collaboration for Inclusive Academic Excellence
The 2026 Office of Academic Innovation Winter Institute brought together faculty and staff across campus for a two-day interactive experience focused on advancing inclusive academic excellence through collaboration and mentorship.
Hosted by the Office of Academic Innovation, the January 14-15 institute centered on the theme “Cultivating Partnerships for Inclusive Academic Excellence,” spotlighting the Kellogg Honors College as a model for fostering cross-campus partnerships that support equitable student success.
Since its founding in 2003, the Kellogg Honors College has advanced learning through a strong emphasis on community, honors coursework, civic engagement, and undergraduate research, contributing to high student outcomes. Using the Honors College as a case study, the Winter Institute explored how intentional collaboration across academic and student service units can create inclusive environments where both students and educators are empowered to thrive.
Throughout the institute, participants engaged in hands-on sessions and facilitated discussions exploring themes such as inclusive mentorship and advising, engaged learning, connection and belonging, and undergraduate research and faculty partnership. These sessions encouraged attendees to reflect on their own practices while identifying transferable strategies that can be applied across disciplines and programs.
The Winter Institute also emphasized strengthening collaboration between academic and student service units and examining ways to expand mentoring capacity and program resilience through student leadership. Participants shared examples of effective partnerships, explored opportunities for innovation within their own departments, and considered how inclusive mentorship practices can be sustained at scale.
“We want to create an environment where all the students can get the most out of their CPP experience, and we want to support strong outcomes and post-graduation,” said Claudia Garcia Des-Lauriers, Kellogg Honors College director.
The Office of Academic Innovation encourages faculty and staff to stay tuned for updates on the upcoming Summer Conference, scheduled for Wednesday, June 3 through Thursday, June 4, which will continue last year’s exploration of artificial intelligence in higher education.
For information on the Winter Institute or the Summer Conference, please visit the Office of Academic Innovation website or contact the team at ai@cpp.edu.