The 20th Annual TBLC Conference is just around the corner, and we would like you to get to know our keynote sessions! We have two presentations this year and we hope you enjoy each. The first will be given by Dr. Elizabeth Hillman, President of Mills College in Oakland, California.

Plenary: Transforming teaching and learning at Mills College, into a pandemic and beyond

Mills College adapted to the challenges of distance learning and the equity/public health crises by elevating its emphasis on inclusive excellence and integrated academic and student-life experiences. Yet some essential elements of Mills’ pedagogy, such as community engagement, were especially difficult to translate into an online environment. As Mills builds a sustainable economic model for a small college in Oakland, a thriving and complex urban landscape, some elements of 2020 will endure and others will be left behind, and our commitment to diverse learners must be sustained.

Dr. Elizabeth L. Hillman is the 14th President of Mills College. She brings to Mills extensive experience in higher education administration and instruction and a distinguished background working on key gender and women’s issues. Hillman’s expertise in sexual violence and gender issues in military organizations and culture has brought her national and international recognition. She has been an expert witness testifying before Congress on numerous occasions. She is a sought-after educator and speaker on the topics of sexual assault and harassment, and women’s leadership and rights. In 2013–2014, she served on the Response Systems to the Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel (RSP),and also chaired the RSP’s Comparative Systems Subcommittee.

We hope you enjoy what we are sure will be a very engaging plenary discussion.

Thank you,
Sarah Lerchenfeldt & Robin Risling-de Jong
2021 Program Chair & Co-Chair