The conference was a great success with a total over 265 DFI and KCP Fellows attending. Thirty-six Fellows presented their research over the three-day event in the form of a presentation, poster or performance. Guest speakers, Dr. James Anderson, Gutsgell Professor of Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, opened the conference ceremonies Friday morning, and Dr. Nancy ‘Rusty’ Barcelo, Vice President and Vice Provost for Equity and Diversity at the University of Minnesota, engaged the conference participants at the banquet Saturday evening.

Panel discussions and focus groups were held on various topics, including Faculty Success, Faculty Roles: Tenure Track and Alternatives, Breaking Into Academia, A Graduate Student’s Map to Success: Taking Initiative for Thriving in a New Campus Environment, Discovering the Art of Effective Teaching, Conceptualizing Your Research: Developing Research Questions and Study Design, Strategies to Successfully Finish Your Dissertation, and Transitioning from a Master’s to a Ph.D. These panel discussions and focus groups were lead and moderated by faculty and administrators at over fifteen institutions from Illinois and Michigan.

The Job Information Fair welcomed approximately ten community colleges and universities from Illinois and Michigan Friday afternoon. Many fellows attended the fair, and also had an opportunity to have their CV or resume critiqued by academic professionals from various institutions. Also during this time, representatives were available to provide information about working in community college and comprehensive university environments.

Sunday morning, the DFI and KCP groups met individually to discuss changes and opportunities specific to their individual state. An announcement was made indicating that this would be the final year for the Joint Fellows Conference and collaboration between DFI and KCP. Both programs will continue to operate and work to diversify faculty and administrators in higher education based on their own specific legislative goals. DFI will continue to focus on diversifying faculty within the State of Illinois. Certificates were also presented to fellows who graduated within the past year and were present at the state meeting.