The Learning Org
Volume 6 no. 7
| | Strengthening SUNY Through Spring Conferences | | |
The spring semester is SUNY’s busiest conference season, and this year the SUNY Center for Professional Development delivered an impressive seven conferences in just ten weeks — General Education Conference, Internship Summit, SURC, Graduate Research Conference, SUNY Technology Conference, Conference on Instruction and Technology, and AIRPO. Conferences remain one of our strongest strategies for professional development, community building, and supporting learning across the system.
A sincere thank‑you to the CPD team who made this possible, especially the Delivery and Services team led by Michaela Rehm, whose coordination and dedication ensure high‑quality experiences for SUNY faculty, staff, and students.
It’s also time to refresh our annual SUNY Alphabet Soup. This resource is essential for onboarding new SUNY colleagues and capturing the depth and breadth of SUNY’s work. Please send new or updated acronyms to the CPD General Email Inbox so we can keep it current.
Lisa Raposo
Executive Director
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We’re excited to share our own Meghan Mesanovic has recently stepped into the role of Accessibility Program Manager, where she’ll be leading efforts to strengthen our commitment to inclusive, accessible experiences for everyone. In this role, she’ll help shape strategy, support teams, and champion accessibility across the organization.
A big part of this work includes accessibility training programs—engaging, practical learning sessions that help teams build products with accessibility in mind from the start. These trainings cover essentials like inclusive design, assistive technologies, and WCAG standards, and give teams hands-on tools to create experiences that work for all users.
We’re excited to see Meghan help drive accessibility forward in such a meaningful way!
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Department Chair Academy
The SAIL Institute’s Department Chair Academy is a live online leadership development program designed to strengthen the skills and confidence of current and aspiring department chairs, coordinators, and academic leaders through interactive workshops, coaching, DiSC Work of Leaders assessment, and asynchronous learning opportunities.
Starts June 23, 2026
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OTTER Institute 2026 – Triple A Edition
Join the 2026 OTTER Institute—this year’s “Triple A Edition” focused on Accessibility, Artificial Intelligence, and Adaptability—for free professional development webinars on the latest trends and innovations in online education, open to all SUNY members and available by recording after the event.
Starts June 8, 2026
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Mindful Leadership Essentials
Build wellbeing and resilience through this 7-week, self-paced course focused on meditation, self-care, and mindful communication for working professionals.
Starts June 2, 2026
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Supporting Neurodiversity Across SUNY
Enrollment is open on a rolling basis for Supporting Neurodiversity Across SUNY: Practical Strategies for Our Campus Communities, a new self-paced systemwide training that equips faculty, staff, and student leaders with practical strategies to better support neurodiverse students across academic and campus life settings.
Weekly enrollment
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NYS Community College Leadership Academy – Now accepting nominations
Nominations are now open for Cohort 4 of the 2026–2027 NYS Community College Leadership Academy, with submissions due August 1 and program details available at the nomination portal and the program website.
Closes Aug 1, 2026
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Don’t See What You’re Looking For?
Browse our full calendar of conferences, workshops, and online offerings.
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Instructor Spotlight: Tonka Jokelova, SUNY Canton
Tonka Jokelova teaches the Online Teaching Certificate with SUNY CPD, bringing expertise in Instructional Design, Online Education, and Accessibility. Her course guides participants through the process of designing and developing real online courses they can implement on their campuses.
The program is highly practical and collaborative, offering participants structured feedback from the instructor and their peers while allowing flexibility to align course design with their own teaching styles and institutional needs. Whether developing a few modules or a full course, participants gain hands-on experience in building meaningful online learning environments.
Tonka values the way participants’ questions and conversations shape the learning experience, helping refine and strengthen course design in real time. One of the most rewarding outcomes of the program is seeing participants’ completed courses reflect both their unique teaching voice and the shared learning journey of the cohort.
Through her work with SUNY CPD, Tonka continues to advance thoughtful, student-centered online teaching practices across the SUNY system.
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Science of Learning / Learning Science CoP
Faculty, instructional designers, librarians, advisors, and staff are invited to join the new Science of Learning Community of Practice launching this year, bringing together educators and professionals interested in how humans learn and how learning science can strengthen teaching and support practices across SUNY.
Complete the interest form before June 30, 2026
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Connect on Viva Engage
Join SUNY colleagues in Communities of Practice and topic-based groups through the SUNY Learning Commons
Open to anyone within the SUNY tenant
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