THEE Next Level · SOAR 2026
Five focused programs designed to help you grow as a teacher, scholar, and colleague — spanning AI integration, course redesign, scholarly writing, promotion and tenure, and faculty-led peer support.
Welcome to SOAR 2026
SOAR 2026 brings together five focused programs designed to help you grow as a teacher, scholar, and colleague — spanning AI integration, course redesign, scholarly writing, promotion and tenure, and faculty-led peer support.
Choose the support that fits your summer goals, from AI teaching strategies and course redesign to writing accountability, promotion preparation, and faculty leadership. Zoom links for all sessions will be added directly to your JSU faculty calendar ahead of each date — no separate registration required for most sessions.
This is your season.
Choose your summer focus
🤖 AI in Teaching & Learning
AI Tigers Peer Mentoring Program
Be guided by a faculty member in your college who has completed our AI Tiger training this spring. Mentors will work with 2–3 mentee colleagues over the summer, offering personalized, discipline-relevant support as you explore AI in your teaching.
AI-Resilient Teaching & Learning
Join a Zoom session in late June introducing five assessment strategies for the AI era. Afterward, weekly office hours (virtual or in-person) help you apply those strategies to the specific challenges in your own courses.
Zoom Session
June 24 at 12 pm CST
Office Hour Sessions — Virtual or In-Person:
Packback Canvas Training
Hands-on training for Packback, an AI-powered discussion tool designed to deepen student engagement and promote higher-order thinking. Join JSU colleagues and guest presenter Dr. Chevon Thorpe of Virginia Tech, who has been integrating Packback into her courses for five years, for a practical session on getting started and making it work in your courses.
Session
Monday, June 22 at noon · Zoom
📝 Course Design Support
1:1 conversation, in person or via Zoom
Schedule a 1:1 conversation, in person or via Zoom, to redesign a course or rethink your teaching approach. Support includes AI-resilience redesign for faculty navigating how to teach effectively in the AI era.
Available Sessions — Virtual or In-Person:
Zoom links for virtual sessions will be added to your JSU faculty calendar ahead of each date.
🏆 Promotion & Tenure Support
Overview for Fall 2026 or 2027 candidates
A Zoom overview for faculty pursuing promotion or tenure in Fall 2026 or 2027. Get oriented on the process, ask questions, and connect with colleagues on the same path.
Session
Wednesday, June 17 at noon · Zoom
Personalized guidance on your dossier
Get personalized guidance on your dossier, timeline, or strategy throughout the summer. Available to all faculty at any stage of the promotion and tenure process.
Available Sessions — Virtual or In-Person:
🏫 Faculty Teaching & Learning Fellows
Become a Faculty Fellow
Faculty Fellows design and lead professional development for their colleagues, shaping JSU's teaching culture from the inside. If you are passionate about teaching and want to support your peers, this is your opportunity.
✏ Scholarly Writing & Productivity
Faculty Writing Accountability Group
A structured summer writing program built around small group accountability, shared writing time, and genuine community. Whether you are drafting an article, finishing a manuscript, or building a sustainable writing habit, this group holds space for your work.
Program Start
Begins the week of June 8
Not sure where to start?
Faculty Development can help you identify the summer opportunity that best fits your teaching, writing, or professional goals. Reach out to us — we're here to help you chart your summer path.
Your Summer 2026 awaits.
Five focused programs. One Faculty Development office. Choose what fits your goals and let us support your work as a teacher, scholar, and colleague.
Faculty Development for Student Success
Jackson State University
1400 John R. Lynch Street
H.T. Sampson Library, Suite 4108 (Fourth Floor)
Jackson, MS 39217-0280
Jackson State University
Jackson, MS 39217