The Southern Regional Faculty and Instructional Development Consortium was born from an effort of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), one of the four regional compacts for higher education representing 16 states in the southern region of the US. In 1973, SREB secured a Carnegie Foundation grant under the "Undergraduate Education Reform Project" and organized a series of annual meetings for directors of faculty development centers. Hosted at different southern institutions, these six meetings, held between 1973 and 1979, brought together between 10 and 12 influential centers for teaching, where center directors shared ideas, networked, and supported the growth and establishment of faculty development and instructional improvement across the region*.
The original 11 institutional centers were located at University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Florida, University of Kentucky, Appalachian State University, Memphis State University, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at Austin, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
In 1980, the Southern Regional Faculty and Instructional Development Consortium was founded and the first annual "sharing meeting" of SRFIDC took place at the Gulf Park campus of the University of Southern Mississippi, February 25-27.
From then to now.
In the ensuing years, SRFIDC has held annual meetings hosted by a many of our institutions. We are currently sifting through available PDF archived materials and hard copy documents to put together a more complete list of each annual conference, where it was held, available information on themes or topics of interest and membership data. Here is an incomplete but growing list:
1980 - February 25-27. University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Park. 1981-1995 ? 1996 - February 3-6. Louisiana State University 1997 - 2001? 2002 - March 10-12. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC. Hubbard Center for Faculty & Staff Support. Dr. Kate Brinko, Dr. Sally Atkins, conference chairs. Conference theme: "Journey to the Mountain: Caring for Self, Caring for Others." Keynote: Dr. Avery Henderson. 2003 - March 9-11. Clayton College and State University, Morrow, GA. Dr. Martha Wicker host. Conference theme: "Establishing and Maintaining Faculty Development." Keynote: Dr. Alison Morrison-Shetlar. 2004 - March 14-16. University of Central Florida, Orlando. Conference theme: "Faculty Development: the silver lining in academe." Keynote: Dr. Charles Glassick, Mr. Kevin "Doc" Klein. 2005 - March 20-22. Lambuth Inn and Conference Center, Lake Junaluska, NC. Conference theme: "Catalyzing faculty development: Renewal through significant learning experiences." Keynote: Mr. Kevin "Doc" Klein, Dr. Dee Fink. 2006 - March 5-7. Marriot Stone Mountain Inn, Stone Mountain, GA. Conference theme: "Building Community for Teaching and Learning." Keynote: Dr. Milt Cox. 2007 - March 11-13. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Conference theme: "Learning is only natural: Expanding our learning environments." Keynote: Dr. Maryellen Weimer. 2008 - March 16-18. Broward County Community College, Plantation, FL. Conference theme: "Changing latitudes, changing attitudes: Connections that inspire learning." Keynote: Dr. Neil Fleming. 2009 - March 21-24. Sullivan University, Louisville, KY. Conference theme: "30th Anniversary" Keynote: Dr. Kathleen Brinko, Dr. Sally Khulenschmidt, Dr. Karen Adsit. 2010 - 2012? 2013 - March 10-12. Keiser University, Jacksonville, FL. Conference theme: "Reflection and transformation: A mindful approach to the professional development of faculty educators." Keynote: Dr. Christy Price. 2014 - March 1-4. Dalton State College, Dalton, GA. Conference theme: unknown. Keynote: Dr. Peter Felten. 2015 - March 1-3. Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Allison Morrison-Shetlar. 2016 - February 24-26, Florida Southern University, Orlando, FL. Theme: “Behind the Curtain.” Keynote: Dr. Chuck Dziuban. 2017 - March 1-3. Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA. Conference theme: “Running the Gauntlet.” 2018 - March 7-9. Founders Inn & Spa, Virginia Beach, VA. Theme: Creative Connections: Teaching, Learning, Open Education Resources. Keynote: Dr. David Wiley, Dr. Deri Draper. 2019 - March 6-8. North Georgia University, Dahlonega, GA. Theme: Creating Harmony: Bridges Between Teaching and Research. Keynote: Dr. Jeffrey Galle, Dr. Lori Gooding. 2020 - March 11-13. University of South Carolina Upstate. Spartanburg, SC. Dr. David McCurry and Dr. Toni DiMella co-chairs. Conference theme "Changing Seasons: Planting and Nurturing Practices for Academic Success." Keynote Speaker: Dr. John Zubizaretta, Columbia College, Columbia SC. 2021 - March 10-12 (Virtual) Hosted by SRFIDC. Conference chairs Dr. David McCurry and Dr. Toni DiMella. 2022 - March 9-11. Auburn University, Auburn, AL. Conference chair Dr. Lindsay Dukopolis. Conference theme "Relationship-Rich Education" Keynote speaker: Dr. Peter Felton, Elon University. 2023 - March 8-10. Auburn University, Auburn, AL. Conference chair Dr. Lindsay Dukopolis. Conference theme "Paying Attention: The Value of Focus and the Costs of Distraction." Keynote speaker: Dr. James M. Lang. 2024 - TBA 2025 - TBA 2026 - TBA