From August 13-17, 2018, sixty first-time Graduate Teaching Fellows will assemble at the Graduate Center for the inaugural Teach@CUNY Summer Institute. These students, who are preparing for their first semesters in the CUNY classroom as college instructors, come from 22 doctoral programs at the Graduate Center, and this fall they will each begin three-year teaching appointments on eight campuses: Baruch College, Brooklyn College, City College, College of Staten Island, Hunter College, John Jay College, Lehman College, and Queens College.

The Institute has been designed by the staff of the Teaching and Learning Center, and features talks, seminars, and workshops that will introduce and orient attendees to teaching undergraduates in the CUNY context. Our goal is to welcome these instructors into a community of scholars who are committed to teaching, and to connect them with methods, strategies, and pedagogies through which they can continue to build their identities as educators and scholars as they move forward in their graduate careers.

Each day of the Institute we’ll convene as a group for a presentation connected to our theme for each day. Monday is The Story of CUNY, with talks by historian Steve Brier and librarian Maura Smale. Tuesday—when we consider “Conceptualizing Your Course”—will begin with panel discussions of CUNY faculty and students who will each offer their perspective on course design. On Wednesday our theme is “In the Classroom,” and we’ll visit the Morgan Library and Museum where curators will walk us through the process of creating an exhibit and then we’ll have guided tours. On Thursday, we’ll consider “Positionality and Persona,” and will have a large group workshop to explore the development of own pedagogical identities and values, and think through how they may impact our approach to the classroom. On Friday is about “Translation and Reflection,” and all attendees will meet individually with TLC staff.

After the common events each morning, we’ll have seminars that will meet daily, where students from different disciplines will work through common challenges and opportunities in college teaching with fellow GC students, led by a TLC staff member. Then all attendees will select from a range of workshops organized by TLC staff in response to the trends and questions that were surfaced in pre-Institute surveys.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with other students teaching on their campuses, and with those teaching in their disciplines. And there will be time to work independently, or in dialogue with a TLC staff member. Then we’ll end with a celebration and discussion of how the TLC can best serve this cohort of Graduate Center students going forward.

The TLC is grateful to The Charina Foundation, The CUNY Central Office of Student Affairs, The Graduate Center Office of Student Affairs, The Graduate Center Provost’s Office, and The Graduate Center Office of Institutional Advancement, and the Morgan Library and Museum for their strong support of this Institute, and to the Center for the Advanced Study in Education for collaborating on the design of an evaluation of the Institute.