Prompt #1: What supports your involvement in professional growth and transformation communities? Is it structured department routines like weekly check-ins, attending regional or national conferences, engaging on social media, connecting through myAMATYC communities, or having regularly scheduled conversations with peers?
Prompt #2: What is an example where you did/did not feel a sense of community in a professional setting? What was it about the situation that made you feel that way?
These past 2 prompts sparked a realization about something I've found incredibly valuable: attending conferences as a collaborative cohort. For several years, I've had the opportunity to attend conferences with a group of about 10 colleagues from 5 different campuses. What made this experience so powerful wasn't just the individual sessions we attended, but the conversations we had afterward - processing ideas together, challenging each other's thinking, and figuring out how to apply what we learned to our specific contexts.
Due to our teaching schedules across different campuses, we rarely have opportunities to communicate, connect, learn, process, and ideate together in our day-to-day work. These conference experiences became our primary vehicle for collaborative professional growth.
This year, our college administration made two policy changes that seem counterintuitive to effective professional development:
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No more than 2 faculty can attend a conference with college support
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The college will no longer pay for professional association memberships
I'm struggling with these decisions because they essentially dismantle the collaborative learning mechanism that was maximizing our conference investment. Instead of ten people returning energized with shared vocabulary and collaborative implementation plans, we'll now have isolated individuals trying to process and apply learning alone.
The membership decision compounds this issue by cutting off the ongoing professional connections that sustain growth between conferences. Those associations provide the networks, resources, and continued learning opportunities that bridge the gaps between major events.
I understand budget constraints are real, but I can't help feeling this is penny-wise and pound-foolish. The collaborative model we had was generating exponential returns on investment through shared learning, cross-pollination of ideas, and coordinated implementation efforts.
I wonder:
Have others experienced similar policy shifts at their institutions? How have you responded?
What alternative models might preserve collaborative learning while addressing budget concerns? (Rotating full support, partial funding models, virtual participation options?)
How do you maintain that sense of professional community when institutional structures are reduced?
I'm curious about your experiences and any creative solutions you've found for maintaining collaborative professional growth in challenging budget environments. The conversation from those two original prompts reminded me that we need both the structural support AND the authentic community connection to truly thrive professionally.
What are your thoughts?
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Julie M. Phelps, Ph.D.
Valencia College, East Campus
Professor of Mathematics
AMATYC Standards Committee Chair
jphelps@valenciacollege.eduOffice Phone: 407 582 2527
Cell Phone: 321 689 3288
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-14-2025 15:27:58
From: Dennis Ebersole
Subject: IMPACTful Discussions: A Sense of Community
What is an example where you did/did not feel a sense of community in a professional setting? What was it about the situation that made you feel that way?
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Dennis Ebersole
Professor
Northampton CC retired
Bethlehem PA
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