Thursday, March 27, 2025 5:00 p.m.
Session Title:
The Thriving Campus: Priorities and Possibilities
Presenter:
Laurie A. Schreiner, Ph.D., Professor of higher education
Azusa Pacific University
Laurie A. Schreiner earned her Ph.D. in community psychology from the University of Tennessee. She is currently a professor of higher education at Azusa Pacific University in southern California, where she teaches in the Ph.D. program. An award-winning teacher and researcher, her work focuses on creating a thriving campus where students, faculty, and staff are meaningfully engaged in their work, energized by learning, involved in healthy relationships, and making a difference. Author of the “Thriving Quotient,” her research has studied over 200,000 students from 300+ universities across the U.S., Canada, and Australia and has led to numerous publications, as well as the edited book Thriving in Transitions: A Research-Based Approach to Student Success. In addition to her research on thriving college students, Prof. Schreiner has created instruments to assess thriving in faculty and staff and is co-author of The Student Satisfaction Inventory and books on sophomore success. She has consulted with over 200 universities on issues of student success and thriving, faculty and staff well-being, leadership support for thriving employees, and effective teaching strategies.
Moderated by:
Julie Payne-Kirchmeier, Ph.D., CASP
Vice President for Student Success
Indiana University
Nashlie Sephus is the principal AI/ML evangelist for Amazon AI, focusing on fairness and identifying biases in AWS AI. She was formerly the chief technology officer of the AI startup Partpic based in Atlanta, Georgia, which the Amazon Visual Search team acquired. After joining Amazon as an applied science manager, she led many product launches, including the visual search for replacement parts on the Amazon Shopping app in June 2018. Also in 2018, Sephus became the founder and chief executive officer of The Bean Path, a non-profit organization based in Jackson, Mississippi, assisting individuals and startups with technical expertise and guidance. In September 2020, she became the owner and developer of the Jackson Tech District—21 acres of mixed-use commercial real estate in downtown Jackson—to bring tech training and workforce/economic development to the area.
In 2007, Michael Sorrell faced a life-altering decision. He was part of an ownership group on the verge of purchasing the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, and he would serve as the team’s president following the completion of the deal — a dream come true for him. At the same time, he was approached by Paul Quinn College, a failing institution, to serve as the historically Black college’s president in the interim while they sought out a permanent appointment to take over the role. This search was proving difficult as the school continued to falter. Sorrell accepted the role, hoping it would be a brief side quest on his journey to becoming an NBA executive. In reality, it marked the beginning of a transformative and innovative era for the school that continues to this day. He has spearheaded one of the great turnaround stories of our time — leading Paul Quinn’s evolution from one of the worst in the nation to a higher education powerhouse. As the longest-tenured president in the college’s history, he has instilled a “WE Over Me” mentality in students, faculty, and the community. He has been revered throughout his historic tenure for his ability to reimagine organizations to serve the needs of the people who depend on them better. He is a testament to the power of purpose and vision.