The Exigence: Why We Must Meet in 2026

The American two-year college is currently a site of intense struggle. We see it in the legislative surveillance of our syllabuses, the increasing labor burdens on our working conditions, and the political pressures that threaten to erase the humanity of our students and our disciplines. In an era of declining enrollment and government push for "efficiency," the act of being present—for our students and for each other—is an urgent act of emboldening ourselves and self-care.

We invite you to move beyond the screen

TYCA-Southwest 2026 is a call to move from observation to action. We are gathering in Austin to build pedagogical sovereignty. This is a high-impact, professional training ground designed to provide a direct pedagogical and social return on investment (ROI) for your classroom, your students, and your institution.

TYCA-Southwest is not a destination for passive observation. It is an invitation to the front lines of our expertise and experiences. We will gather in Austin, Texas, to reclaim the essential nature of the humanities and to build a pedagogical sovereignty that protects our classrooms and our communities. Whether you are a veteran faculty member, an adjunct colleague, or a graduate student, we invite you to share the research and strategies that keep you present and the innovations that keep your students seen.

Two Days -- Two Modalities -- Two Genres

Friday: The Praxis Circle Model

To maximize the value of your time and travel, Friday’s sessions will center on praxis circles. These are not traditional presentations; they are intensive, 90-minute collaborative design labs. 

We invite you to say what you need to say, work what you need to work, ask what you need to ask. We invite you to bring your challenges and work shoulder-to-shoulder to make change in your classes and in your college.

In a praxis circle, you don't just take notes—you build. Moderators will drive conversation about one of the four topic strands below. Participants will arrive with current course materials and instruments and leave with a peer-reviewed curriculum that is resistant to surveillance, optimized for student labor schedules, and designed to drive engagement  through community relevance.

Saturday: Innovation Panels

Saturday’s innovation panels reject the passive lecture. These video-enabled sessions are forums designed to scale our collective response to institutional crises. 

And so we invite you to show how you are changing your pedagogy, your department, your professional life, your self care to protect yourself and your students. Your discussion is essential for the larger conference theme of “being present” and returning our lives as human-centered

Rather than presentations, moderators offer a ten-minute "lightning provocation" on a specific challenge—enrollment, surveillance, or labor, for example—followed by facilitated, multi-campus dialogue. 

Whether joining in Austin or virtually, Saturday focuses on high-impact knowledge sharing. We are not just presenting research; we are crowdsourcing survival strategies and bringing more voices into the fight for the future of the community college.