The first Center for Public and Applied Arts & Humanities (CPAAH) professional learning community offers a collaborative space to explore how we can help arts and humanities programs move from surviving to thriving. Offered by the Center for Language Teaching Advancement (CeLTA), it builds on CeLTA’s “Thriving Language Programs and Enrollments in Higher Education” learning community, professional development offerings, and research, we will examine practical strategies for strengthening enrollments, recruitment, retention, marketing, program management, and advocacy.
Participants will use the monthly meetings to learn about potential solutions, discuss ideas with each other, share challenges, test practical approaches, and leave with concrete ideas they can adapt for their own programs.
Participation will be capped (about 10 participants). All MSU faculty and staff, including graduate students, are invited to apply. Preference will be given to colleagues from the College of Arts & Letters. The group will meet in person for one hour each month during AY 2026/27. For full consideration, please complete the web form below by September 15, 2026.
Session Information
Fall 2026 sessions will be held on Tuesdays 12-1pm. Bring your own lunch if you wish!
- Oct 6, 2026
- Nov 10, 2026
- Dec 1, 2026
Spring sessions will be determined later in the semester.
Facilitators
Felix Kronenberg and Emily Heidrich Uebel have years of experience in the area of thriving language programs. This includes the 2023 book Language Program Vitality in the United States: From Surviving to Thriving in Higher Education, the Thriving Language Programs and Enrollments in Higher Education learning community, multiple workshops and presentations, and their article How important is studying languages for undergraduate students and why (not) study languages?, which won the Stephen A. Freeman award. The Guidebook to Thriving Language Programs: A Systematic and Practical Approach to Enrollment Work is under contract with the Applied Linguistics Press and will be published in early 2027.
link to MS form: Thriving Arts and Humanities Programs Professional Learning Community – Fill out form