MESH Conference
MESH 2025: Managing Teaching and Self-Care During Times of High Stress
Thursday, June 19, 2025
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (Social & Check-In: 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. with continental breakfast)
Location: DMACC West Campus
Theme: Managing Teaching and Self-Care During Times of High Stress
- Adjuncts and concurrent enrollment faculty will be paid
- Attendance will meet the annual professional development requirement for NACEP
- Full-time faculty can include this conference as time on QFP
- PLEASE plan on attending this conference IF you register. We use these registrations numbers for meal planning. It is FREE to attend, but food is EXPENSIVE, and funds are tight at the college.
- Register for the MESH Conference
Deadline for proposals: Friday, June 13, 2025
Deadline for registration: Friday, June 13, 2025
Conference Contacts: Tiffany Lauer or 515-423-7203 (text)
Proposals
This year we are soliciting proposals for two types of sessions:
- Leader-led sessions that are focused on a specific topic of interest. These sessions
are flexible in format: they can include facilitator presentations, panel discussions,
roundtable discussions on focused issues such as grading, class structure, discussion,
or best practices for encouraging participation, challenges particular to adjunct
or concurrent-enrollment faculty, or any other format/topic that you believe will
engage your peers.
- Open-ended roundtable discussion facilitators. This year we will be dedicating one of our breakout sessions to a set of informal roundtable discussions geared around the following disciplines: speech, writing, and other literature/humanities – please indicate which classes you would LIKE to see a round table discussion for. Participants will choose which topic they are interested in, and conversation will be free-flowing and casual. Facilitators will be tasked only with keeping the discussion going.
Keynote Speaker - Pat Dwyer
With over 20 years of professional improv comedy, sketch comedy, live theater and
professional speaking experience, Pat is completely unequaled in his ability to connect
with an audience and keep them engaged.
The last thing I expected, while nearly dying as a US Peace Corps volunteer, was to find a life as a professional comedian, but 15 years later I've had the chance to perform, tour and/or teach with renowned institutions like The Second City, iO Theater, ComedySportz, and Mi Productions.
Yet, through all of that fantastic experience, I've found that my greatest inspiration has been in the empowering nature of levity and a YES mentality for corporate cultures, leadership teams, and front-line doers and to see the myriad of organizations that I've worked with rediscover the capacity for joy in their day-to-day practices. It makes me smile to know that someone I've worked with is not only happier but more effective in their organization because of that insight.
Lucky for me, I'm now able to use these inspirations and lessons to deliver high impact, high energy keynotes, workshops and sessions that inspire not only the C-Suite but the front-line to approach each day with excitement, drive, and an ability to play their way into accomplishing their goals.