Thursday, February 18, 2027 Noon – 4:30 p.m. Eastern  
Friday, February 19, 2027 8:30 a.m. – Noon Eastern  

Virtual and Free via Zoom  

Ball State University’s Teaching Innovation Team in the Division of Online and Strategic Learning, Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, and Office Strategic Planning Support are pleased to announce the 2027 Provost’s Faculty Summit: The Human Element in Higher Education. This event is free and virtual.  

 

The summit will showcase the meaningful work of faculty, staff, and students in higher education institutions. Presenters will share teaching practices, especially those related to experiences that cultivate kindness and create a sense of belonging for teachers and learners.  

Sessions will address these themes:

  • Assessment Practices: Assessment data, strategies, and/or tools that inform your practices in and out of the classroom space 
  • Pedagogy of Belonging Practices: Pedagogical approaches that support a sense of belonging  
  • Empowering and Supporting Faculty: Strategies that empower and support faculty in their work with learners 
  • Trends in Higher Education: Strategies for addressing current and emerging influences in higher education   
Keynote Speakers

Meet Liz Norell 

Dr. Liz Norell serves as Associate Director of Instructional Support in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at the University of Mississippi. She has spent more than 20 years teaching in higher education, including stints in composition, journalism, new media, and political science--much of that as an adjunct faculty member teaching simultaneously at multiple institutions, including community colleges. She completed a PhD in political science at the University of Texas Dallas.  

Liz’s first book, The Present Professor: Authenticity and Transformational Teaching, is published in the University of Oklahoma Press’s brand-new series, Teaching, Engaging, and Thriving in Hihr Ed, co-edited by James Lang and Michelle Miller. Liz is passionate about equitable, inclusive teaching, constructive conversations across differences, and fostering meaningful learning. She is also dedicated to boosting awareness of disability in higher education. You can find Liz on social media (@liznorell) and at her website, liznorell.com. 

 

Meet Dave Call 

Dr. Dave Call is a Professor of Geography and Meteorology at Ball State University where he been since 2007. A 2026 Outstanding Teaching Award winner, he enjoys the challenges of connecting with non-majors in introductory classes in physical geography and meteorology. He also loves engaging with highly-motived meteorology majors in advanced classes such as mesoscale, thermodynamic, and satellite and radar meteorology. He has taken more than 150 students storm chasing across the central United States, logging 135,000 miles in the process and observing nearly every facet of thunderstorms, from benign mammatus clouds to deadly tornadoes. 

His research examines how society copes with hazardous winter weather events. His book Superstorm 1950: The Greatest Simultaneous Blizzard, Ice Storm, Windstorm, and Cold Outbreak of the Twentieth Century was published by Purdue University Press to positive reviews. 

He regularly speaks with the media about hazardous weather events and has been quoted by the AP, Vox.com, and others. He’s also been on the top two weather podcasts, Weather Geeks and WeatherBrains, talking about his book, storm chasing, and how to connect with today’s students. Dr. Call received his BS in Meteorology with honors from Penn State and his MA and PhD in Geography from Syracuse University.