Lee University’s Dr. La-Juan Bradford and Dr. Kevin Ung recently presented at the Appalachian College Association’s Teaching and Leadership Institute (TLI), held at Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee.  

Each summer, the ACA hosts an intensive, week-long workshop delivered by national experts and master-teachers from ACA institutions, designed to promote pedagogical development and innovation, emphasizing integrated learning, student-centered learning theories, and evidence-based teaching practices.   

Bradford, director of Academic Support and professor of education at Lee, led three 90-minute workshops focused on including students with disabilities in the classroom at this year’s TLI. 

“One in five students have a disability and many times, professors will not even know about it, so it’s vital they are equipped with knowledge and resources,” said Bradford. 

During the event, Bradford worked with professors to develop strategies in the classroom for disabled people. She also shared over 50 teaching strategies with participants, with hopes that professors will implement at least a few in their curriculum this fall, noting that these strategies are good for all students, not just those with disabilities. 

Bradford has served as Lee’s director of Academic Support for 15 years. In her role, she supports students with disabilities, various challenges, and learning differences by ensuring students have academic accommodations, mentoring students, and collaborating with professors to make sure each student has accessibility. During her time at the university, Bradford has also established a minor and emphasis major in Deaf Studies. 

Ung, director of the McNair Scholars Program and the Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarship, presented on “Leading with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategies” at the ACA Teaching and Leadership Institute. His workshop explored DEI initiatives, examined sustainable higher education strategies, and discussed how to contextualize campus planning and leadership development tailored to Appalachian colleges.   

Ung ended the workshop with an action plan that administrators and faculty leaders can implement on their campuses and provided participants with resources and research-based practices that Ung hopes will continue to inform their campus strategies.  

“This experience was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the diverse representation of ACA colleagues and the unique challenges we collectively face in the current higher education environment,” said Ung.  

In his role at Lee, Ung supports first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students toward student learning and success and assists with the development and implementation of undergraduate research initiatives. He supports faculty-led undergraduate research and mentoring by providing best practices for effective student engagement and collaboration. Ung also serves as adjunct faculty across several departments with traditional and non-traditional students in both face-to-face and online modalities.  

The mission of the ACA is to serve Appalachian communities through the transformational work of its faculty, staff, and students. Programs offered by the Association are designed to promote cooperation and collaboration among member institutions, and to support scholarly and creative activities of faculty and students.  

For more information about ACA visit acaweb.org.