You are invited to participate in our annual winter conference, focusing on how UMKC creates real-world results.
16 January 2026 | 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM | Henry W. Bloch School of Management Executive Hall
CAFE is dedicated to advancing faculty excellence through professional learning as well as networking and mentorship. Our programs are developed, designed, and offered through faculty collaboration and support across six pillars of excellence that align with UMKC's strategic objectives.
As a faculty-focused center, we’re proud of your commitment to lifelong learning and innovation as you contribute to student success. Faculty work often unfolds over long timelines, and wins (from completing mandatory training to publishing and presenting) can feel few and far between.
Starting Fall 2025, we are supporting faculty development through a structured badge framework. This framework recognizes faculty engagement across CAFE’s four pillars: Teaching & Learning, Research & Creativity, Faculty Life & Leadership, and Service & Engagement. The badge system is designed to scaffold professional growth, celebrate and document achievements, and build momentum in faculty careers.
Check out CAFE's SharePoint site and you'll see the badges (like the very first one, for completing the SAIL workshop) you can earn for each of them. These badges can be shared on LinkedIn and in your signature block to celebrate your accomplishment!
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the way we live, work, and learn. With leadership from Dr. Antonio Byrd, CAFE is helping faculty engage with these emerging technologies thoughtfully and responsibly. Our focus is not on replacing people, but on exploring how AI can strengthen human expertise.
On CAFE's AI page, you’ll find examples of how UMKC faculty are experimenting with generative AI in their classrooms and scholarship—from designing large courses that remain personal and engaging, to making materials more accessible, to streamlining parts of the research process such as literature reviews.
Explore how UMKC is leading the conversation about AI in higher education, and discover how these tools can be used not as replacements for human insight, but as catalysts for innovation.
“I appreciate the positive vibe created by CAFE. I am always eager to see the new programming and support options offered each year. There are always interesting opportunities and resources for teaching and research that help me connect with other faculty across campus.”
-Brian Frehner, Department Chair and Professor of History
“With its carefully curated programming, CAFE supports faculty in achieving excellence in the many dimensions of their professional lives - research, teaching, institutional citizenship, work-life balance, etc. As a facilitator for the Faculty Writing Initiative, I'm deeply grateful for the positive energy, flexibility, and creative problem-solving of the CAFE team and their commitment to supporting all members of our academic community.”
-Jane Greer, Curators' Distinguished Teaching Professor and Director of Undergraduate Research
“I have enjoyed many opportunities to interact with CAFE programming over the last few years and each time have come away with new skills to succeed in different aspects of my work. Most recently, I attended the Large Scale Grants Workshop (SOAR) led by Dr. Alexis Petri, and came away with a better understanding of how to identify appropriate large-scale grants, how to create an effective research team, and how to write a successful grant application. In the SOAR workshop, I also connected with faculty who had related research interests and we are considering how we can collaborate in the future. I highly recommend the resources and opportunities that CAFE has to offer to new and experienced faculty!”
-Tiffani Riggers-Piehl, Associate Professor of Higher Education
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