Co-Director, Teaching & Leadership Institute
Teaching & Learning Track
Two-Year Appointment: 2026-27
The Appalachian College Association seeks applications for Co-Director of the Teaching & Learning Track of its annual Teaching and Leadership Institute (TLI). It is expected that this person will be a continuing, full-time member at one of the ACA member institutions throughout the time of appointment. The position includes responsibilities for planning and administering the Teaching & Learning Track of the 2026 and 2027 TLI, which will be hosted at Young Harris College. A stipend attaches to this position, paid following the completion of the TLI each year.
The successful applicant will demonstrate the qualities and experience necessary to excel at both the teaching and administrative components of the position. Planning for the event occurs virtually during the academic year; the co-director will only need to be on-site at the host campus during the week of the Institute each summer.
The TLI is an extensive week-long series of workshops held in early June each year and focused upon a selected theme related to teaching and learning in the context of ACA institutions. The 2026 track’s theme (furnished below) will explore how to foster resilience and healthy risk taking in their students through active, engaged learning strategies. Duties of the TLI Co-Director include the following:
- In concert with track co-director and ACA central staff, develop, plan, organize, and implement the Teaching & Learning Track of TLI;
- Develop and prepare the curriculum prior to the Institute with other Institute instructional staff;
- Manage and contribute to instructional staff meetings prior to and during the Institute;
- Provide instruction at the Institute during assigned sessions; and
- Participate in a timely manner in the activities of the Institute.
In preparation for the 2026 TLI, this appointment will collaborate with the TLI’s continuing (senior) co-director. During the preparation and in the delivery of the 2027 Institute, this position will take on this more senior role and furnish support to the next co-director.
To ensure full consideration, applicants must submit the following materials in PDF format at the special application submission page:
- A letter of application (no more than two pages) that outlines one’s interest and qualifications in this position; and
- An abridged current curriculum vitae of no more than five pages that outlines qualifications and experiences relevant to this position.
In addition to these materials, one’s Chief Academic Officer must submit a letter of endorsement that outlines the applicant’s qualities regarding this position and confirms the likelihood of the applicant’s continuation in her/his current position at home institution. Applicants are responsible for procuring CAO endorsement; applications are not considered complete until the CAO’s letter is submitted.
To ensure full review of one’s application, please submit your materials by Friday, October 3, 2025; the search will continue until the position is filled. Any questions regarding the position or the search process should be referred to Dr. Larry Hall, Vice President for Academic Programs at the Appalachian College Association.
Applicants: Submit Your Materials
CAOs: Submit Your Endorsement Letter
2026 Teaching and Learning Track Theme
"Thriving through Challenge: Helping Students Embrace Risk to Build Resilience"
In today’s rapidly changing academic and professional landscape, cultivating resiliency and constructive risk-taking in students is crucial. College graduates are entering a world marked by technological disruption, shifting career pathways, and complex global challenges. These circumstances demand adaptability, problem-solving, and the confidence to navigate uncertainty. Yet, many of our students arrive in higher education risk-averse, fearful of failure, and hesitant to step outside the safety of familiar learning patterns. By embracing active, engaged learning approaches, educators can create classroom experiences that encourage students to experiment, persist through setbacks, and view challenges as opportunities for growth. Now more than ever, college faculty have a pivotal role in equipping students with the mindsets and skills they need to succeed academically and thrive in a world where resilience and positive risk-taking are indispensable.
In the 2026 Teaching and Leadership Institute, Teaching & Learning Track, educators from across our ACA institutions will explore how to foster resilience and healthy risk-taking in their students through active, engaged learning strategies. The workshop sessions will blend research-based theory with hands-on experiential approaches drawn from the best practices of ACA master instructors as well as an invited lead instructor. These instructors will share practical techniques for creating classroom environments that normalize risk-taking, cultivate adaptability, and promote openness to continual learning. Participants will engage in reflective exercises to identify where their teaching styles encourage and/or discourage student perseverance and will examine how failure can be reframed as a valuable step in the learning process. The workshop’s immersive approach will ensure that participants learn about resilience in theory and embody it in their own teaching practice, creating lasting change in how they guide their students to take intellectual risks, embrace feedback, and recover from setbacks.
