When I heard that the pearl would be the symbol for the 11th Biennial Regional Conference on Supplemental In­struction, I was charmed by the thought. Pearls are created layer, by layer, over time, and that’s also how we acquire wisdom. They are lustrous and desirable, as is wisdom. It’s impressive that SI began here at Texas A&M University 30 years ago with 4 classes, and that in those 30 years our program has grown and improved with each semester. 

Early leaders of SI on this campus include our organizers—Joel McGee, Director of the Texas A&M Academic Success Center,  Associate Director Kathleen Speed, and Program Coordinator Linda Callen. Newer to our campus, and bringing freshness and energy with them are Program Coordinators Naya Nwadialo, and Jennifer Van Horn. These leaders and several others have planned this jewel of a  conference with you in mind. Our keynote speaker is also the leader of Undergraduate Studies, which houses the Academic Success Center, Dr. Timothy Scott. Dr. Scott approaches SI not only as the current Vice Provost for Student Success at Texas A&M but also as a biology professor who used SI and has long championed it. 

We here at the Academic Success Center keenly anticipate the sessions proposed by our colleagues from around the country. We are proud to say that we’ll have 66 colleagues, among them 11 students, celebrating our 30-year anniversary with us. Our attendees are coming from 32 institutions and 8 states, including Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. We appreciate you took the time and made the effort to travel to College Station to meet colleagues and add layers to your own and our pearls of wisdom. We trust you will come away with the feeling that our campus and our town have extended their best hospitality to you. 

Valerie Balester, Ph.D.

Academic Success Center

Texas A&M University 

Welcome to our 11th Regional Conference on Supplemental Instruction! We are excited to be back together in person for the first time since 2019. I’ve been thankful for the opportunities over the past year or so to get back to in person conferences. Even though the content can be great at virtual gatherings, there is much we miss when we are looking at each other on a computer screen. And in some ways, the conversations that happen between the sessions in the hallways and at mealtimes are the very best parts of spending time together at a conference. I hope you take advantage of the opportunity to meet new colleagues and get reacquainted with folks you may not have seen in person for a while! 

Our theme for this year’s conference is centered around the symbolism of the pearl. We are celebrating our “pearl” anniversary of 30 years of SI here at Texas A&M and we wanted you all to help us celebrate! The idea of a pearl brings to mind value, beauty, and the concept of “wisdom gained through experience.” We see value everyday in the ways our SI program positively impacts students on our campus and we know you all feel the same way. We can’t wait to hear about the unique approaches to SI happening on your campus! 

We have registrants at this conference representing 32 different institutions from 8 states. If this is your first time in College Station, let me welcome you. If you have been with us before, welcome back! This conference is small enough that we can really get to know each other, so I hope you will take the time to introduce yourself and please let us know if there is anything we can do to help make your experience better! I also hope you will take time to meet staff and SI leaders from other campuses while we are together. There is so much we can learn from one another! It’s the SI way!

Joel McGee, Ph.D.

Academic Success Center

Texas A&M University