Each year, students and faculty in Adult and Higher Education collaborate to support our community with the AHE Student-Faculty Retreat. This page will provide the information you need to better understand the purpose, details and logistics of the AHE Retreat. If you have additional questions, contact a member of the AHE Faculty or the Retreat Co-Chairs or Implementation Committee Members.
The purpose of the AHE Student-Faculty Retreat is to provide an opportunity for students, faculty and alumni/graduates to engage in thoughtful conversation in support of the community of AHE scholars & practitioners.
All current and prospective AHE graduate students, faculty, and interested alumni/graduates should attend the Retreat. Students at the Masters and Doctoral Level will find the retreat experience valuable!
Information on the 2008 Retreat will be posted when it becomes available. Recent changes include:
- An earlier retreat...that doesn’t conflict with a game! Feedback on the needs assessment survey indicated students wanted the retreat earlier in the semester, and not on a home football game weekend.
- A different location...now in DeKalb! The needs assessment indicated that students preferred a location closer to campus.
Here are some representive activities that have been scheduled at previous retreats:
- Sessions designed for students in each stage of their program! So that students can ask questions and learn about specific issues of interest to them in their particular stage of the program, we have expanded sessions to individually address:
- Prospective Students/Students-at-Large
- Masters Students
- Doctoral Students–Program of Courses to Qualifying Exam Stage
- Doctoral Students–Candidacy Exam to Proposal Stage
- Doctoral Students–Dissertation Stage
- Expanded educational sessions on emerging issues in adult and higher education! The needs assessment showed that students wanted more content--to learn about new/emerging issues, to accent concepts covered in class, and to better prepare for comprehensive/qualifying/candidacy exams and professional practice in adult and higher education. This year's retreat will have expanded educational sessions on broad themes in adult and higher education, including:
- Emerging Research and Assessment Skills. These sessions will cover innovative workshops to improve the research/assessment skills of our students.
- Professional Preparation in Adult and Higher Education. These sessions will cover topics important to post-graduation issues. Preparing for campus interviews, marketing your AHE degree in the job search process, preparing for faculty positions, and more!
- Theory-to-Practice Application of Emerging Research on Adult Learning and Student Development Theory. Faculty and special guests will address new theories in adult learning and student development, and demonstrate how to make theory-to-practice applications of these emerging models.
- Future of Education Leaders Panel Luncheon. The keynote for the 2006 retreat included a panel of select leaders in adult education, community education, human resource development, and higher education/student affairs. Panelists will be established leaders in the field of adult and higher education, and will share their thoughts on the future of education in our society.
- Roundtables for scholarly conversations on issues facing adult and higher education. Participants can volunteer to facilitate a roundtable discussion of interest when they register online for the Retreat.
The Retreat is casual. Participants should dress comfortably and for the weather!
The AHE Student-Faculty Retreat will include a number of large-group and small-group break-out sessions on a variety of topics of interest to students in adult and higher education. For information about new parts of the AHE Retreat, see the What’s new at this year’s Retreat? section above. When the agenda for the day is finalized with the names and abstracts of individual break-out sessions, it will be posted on the this webpage.
A General Schedule for the Retreat is:
- Breakfast and Registration (8-8:45am).
- Opening Session (8:45-9am).
- Emerging Research and Assessment Skills Break-Out Sessions (9:10-10am).
- Pathways Through the Program Break-Out Sessions (10:10-11am).
- Future of Education Leaders Panel Luncheon (11:20-1pm).
- Professional Preparation in AHE Break-Out Sessions (1:10-2pm).
- Theory-to-Practice Application of Emerging Research on Adult Learning and Student Development Theory (1:20-3pm).
- Closing Session (3:45-4pm).
Registration materials will be posted as they become available.