TerrapinSTRONG Symposium 2025
The TerrapinSTRONG Symposium expanded to a two-day event this year, offering both in-person and virtual programming centered on the theme of “Navigating Change: Turning Disruption into Direction.” Now in its third year, this collaborative effort of Belonging & Community, Office of Faculty Affairs, and University Human Resources continues to serve as a forum for bringing faculty and staff together to connect and learn from one another.
This year’s Symposium celebrated the resilience of individuals, leaders, and institutions as they learn, adapt, and grow through times of change. Day 1, held on October 28 in the Stamp Student Union, opened with an engaging panel discussion on how we can care for ourselves and one another during times of transition, setting an inspiring tone for the rest of the event. Moderated by Katie Hershey Conlon, a consultant with the Center for Leadership & Organizational Change, the panel featured insights from three UMD faculty and staff members: Erica Estrada-Liou (Director, Academy of Innovation & Entrepreneurship), Tiara Fennell (Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Public Health), and J. Gerald Suarez, Professor of the Practice, Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change, Robert H. Smith School of Business).
Throughout the day, approximately 175 participants attended 15 presentations that explored the Symposium’s theme of navigating change through different lenses. Sessions spanned a wide range of topics—from career transitions and academic freedom to cultivating belonging and managing burnout—each offering fresh ideas for turning disruption into direction. Many sessions encouraged active participation, with attendees jumping into improv exercises, joining restorative circles, and engaging in thoughtful facilitated dialogues.
The first day of the Symposium concluded with a thought-provoking plenary panel moderated by James E. Bond (Assistant Dean & Director of Student Conduct, Division of Student Affairs) on the impacts and implications of artificial intelligence (AI). Panelists Rajesh Kumar Gnanasekaran (Assistant Director, Enterprise Software Engineering, DIT), Marisa Parham (Professor, College of Arts and Humanities, and Sheena Erete (Associate Professor, College of Information).
The second day of the Symposium, held on November 10th, offered four online presentations on “Navigating Change with Technology.” In addition to AI-related topics (including the deployment of chatbots on campus), sessions explored how the various systems that faculty and staff interact with, such as Canvas and LinkedIn Learning, continue to evolve to meet the needs of the campus community.
As Dr. Leslie Krafft, Director of TerrapinSTRONG Education, aptly summarized, “At this year's TerrapinSTRONG Symposium we connected, learned skills, and discussed the complexities of navigating change in a constantly evolving world.” Planning for next year’s symposium is already underway.