Spotlight on Care shifts focus for fall 2022

LAWRENCE – Back for its fourth year, Spotlight on Care will take a slightly different approach to convening the University of Kansas community around the research and practice of care. With the number of related opportunities across the Lawrence campus increasing, the partners who initially developed the series have chosen to limit programs this fall in hopes of shining the light on important work by other KU centers, departments and offices.

“The way Spotlight on Care took off in the middle of the pandemic surprised us,” said series co-creator Ward Lyles, associate professor of public affairs & administration. “In spite of being Zoomed-out, people craved authentic community. Spotlight filled that crucial need for many people over the last two years, and we look forward to its next evolution.”

The shift in frequency is an opportunity for regular attendees to connect with other networks of care at the university, and it is a way for the KU community to see the manner in which all of KU's work can be informed by a praxis of well-being and care.

“It has been really encouraging to see the enthusiasm around care-centered programs and initiatives on campus,” says Emily Ryan, director of The Commons. “Whether we are in the throes of a global pandemic or not, this value is so core to our humanity that it extends naturally across disciplines, departments and communities at KU. It’s wonderful to be able to help lift those opportunities through the Spotlight on Care platform.”

Spotlight on Care events will happen once per month, on the following dates:

Sept. 1: M’Balia Thomas, associate professor of curriculum & teaching, will lead a session on "The Concept and Practice of Rest."

Oct. 20: Nikita Haynie, director of the Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity, will lead a session on "Journaling as Self-Care."

Nov. 17: Meg Williams, assistant director of the Emily Taylor Center, will lead a session on "Zine-Making as Self-Care."

All events will begin at noon and run for one hour. Register online.

The series is co-hosted by The Commons, IPSR Center for Compassionate & Sustainable Communities, Spencer Museum of Art and the Emily Taylor Center with support from the Environmental Studies Program, the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Center for Faculty Development & Mentoring.

Please note other opportunities to connect around the themes of care and well-being:

• Regular programming through the Emily Taylor Center.
• Zine Night at the Museum: An opportunity to contribute to a collaborative zine exploring disability, in conversation with the KU Common Book and KU Common Work of Art, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Spencer Museum of Art.
• Sew & Tell Visible Mending Workshop: Learn and practice hand-sewing skills with Anne Rogers, KU graduate student, at 2 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Spencer Museum of Art.
• Coaching Circles, led by the Center for Faculty Development & Mentoring, including "Understanding Sexual Violence on Campus." Participants will read "Know My Name," by Chanel Miller, and learn about resources and ways to support for students, co-facilitated by Sony Heath, Office of Sorority & Fraternity Life, and Juliana Carlson, associate professor of social welfare. Open to all faculty and staff, weekly, beginning 11 a.m. Sept. 12. Register online.