Imagination, Innovation, Inspiration, and Indigenous Ways: Keys to Student Engagement

With the changing post-pandemic educational landscape of remote learning; increased challenges to diversity, equity, and inclusion; movements toward corporate removal of 4-year degree hiring requirements; and declining student enrollments, we face the demand for re-imagining education and readdressing the students “WHY” for higher education.

Specifically, this presentation will share diverse faculty’s approaches to learning, and provide high impact practices supported by interdisciplinary literature that explore new strategies focused on cultivating imagination, innovation, inspiration, and indigenous ways that can stimulate students’ engagement, motivation, belonging, and thus, retention.

Join us on Zoom.

Dr. Margaret Vaughan is an associate professor of ethnic studies in the College of Liberal Arts at Metro State University in Saint Paul. She is also a graduate programs director and currently the coordinator of the Ethnic Studies Program and Liberal Arts Major. Her interests focus on Indigenous knowledge, popular culture through an ethnic studies lens, with a developing interest in Indigenous arts.

Dr. Denise E. Williams aka Dr. DEW is a tenured full professor and department chair of Management, Entrepreneurship, and Human Resource Management in the College of Business and Management at Metro State University in Saint Paul. Her teaching and research focus addresses: innovative mindset, diversity in entrepreneurship, women leadership, positive behavior, and career readiness. Combining over 20 years of intrapreneurship with national industry leaders in USA and Zimbabwe Africa, with earning a PhD and Master’s from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University; an MBA from The Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania; a bachelor’s in Economics from HBCU Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia; ordination with One Spirit Alliance seminary in New York; and several national certifications in innovation. Dr. Williams empowers students through transformational and experiential learning and coaching.