KYnsHIP Conference invites students and educators to collaborate
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 6, 2026) — On May 1, the University of Kentucky and the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) invite the regional educational community to the Kentucky Network for Supporting High Impact Practices (KYnsHIP) 2026 Conference — designed to foster innovation in teaching and learning.
KYnsHIP’s mission is to advance education through collaboration, active learning and innovative teaching methods. Students, faculty, staff and educators in Kentucky will engage in a transformative exchange of ideas and practices to enhance their teaching toolkit.
“To foster more collaboration in higher education, the KYnsHIP conference aims to equip more educators with the best teaching practices and provide more students with the skills to be workforce-ready at graduation,” said Lou Hirsch, Ph.D., assistant professor and one of The Bill Gatton Foundation Early-Career Professors. “We welcome educators and students in Kentucky to join us, sharing their ideas and learning from others.”
The conference agenda will include active learning sessions, networking, workshops and collaboration opportunities. The event will feature keynote speaker Leah Carmichael, a leader in education innovation and current director of active learning at the University of Georgia (UGA).
Carmichael is leading the implementation of a five-year, $6 million campus-wide initiative to promote and enhance the use of active learning strategies in the undergraduate classroom as part of UGA’s Quality Enhancement Plan. Carmichael will speak on the use of active learning strategies in the classroom to promote workforce readiness.
Presentation proposals are being accepted until March 27, inviting participants to share their best practices for active learning and innovative teaching techniques. To prioritize creativity and innovation, presenters are encouraged to avoid screen-based presentations and focus on interactive, hands-on activities that engage learners through multiple senses. Special consideration will be given to proposals that partner with students in some creative way.
This year, the KYnsHIP Conference will be in the new Martin-Gatton Agricultural Science Building, home of the college’s central student center and primary teaching facility.
“By building the next generation of classrooms and teaching laboratories, we are reinforcing our commitment to hands-on learning and instructional innovation,” said Carmen Agouridis, senior associate dean at Martin-Gatton CAFE. “Our college is dedicated to the principle of putting students first.”
KYnsHIP is part of the Faculty Initiatives in Education Learning and Discovery, one of The Bill Gatton Foundation Grand Challenges. Thanks to the support and generosity of The Bill Gatton Foundation, this May 1 event is free for all participants.
The event runs 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and will include a continental breakfast and lunch.
Participants are asked to register for the KYnsHIP Conference by April 1 or until space remains available.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.