Diane Filion Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE)
Impact of CAFE
99%
Of faculty valued their time and effort exchange with CAFE programming
22,000+
Total hours of professional learning invested by UMKC faculty since 2022
479
Number of unique faculty engaged since academic year 2022
Pillars of Excellence
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 pillars of excellence that align with UMKC's strategic objectives.
Teaching and Learning
You teach more than content and skills in your discipline — you also help students learn. We're proud to help you align with UMKC policy and the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions standards for evaluating and accrediting online programs.
Research and Creativity
Advancing research requires innovation and collaboration.
Digital Instruction and Design
CAFE provides support for online, hybrid, and HyFlex teaching, including instructional design, quality course review, and accessibility guidance.
Faculty Life and Leadership
Personal growth and professional development opportunities offered for the various stages of your career.
Service and Engagement
Supporting high-impact engagement through campus and community collaboration.
Our Initiatives
Earn Your Badge
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.
In Fall 2025, we began supporting faculty development through a structured badge framework. This framework recognizes faculty engagement across CAFE's four pillars: Teaching and Learning, Research and Creativity, Faculty Life and Leadership and Service and Engagement. The badge system is designed to scaffold professional growth, celebrate and document achievements, and build momentum in faculty careers. If you are looking for your badge collection, you can find it on Parchment.
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!
Faculty Testimonials
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
CAFE Resources
Events
What’s New at UMKC
17 Aug 2026 | UMKC is investing in student success, healthcare innovation and the arts Read full story What’s New at UMKC
UMKC Law Professor Recognized for Decades of Fighting Wrongful Convictions
17 Aug 2026 | Sean O'Brien honored by Innocence Project for landmark Missouri exoneration Read full story UMKC Law Professor Recognized for Decades of Fighting Wrongful Convictions
How a Service Dog Found Her Place in a UMKC Organic Chemistry Lab
10 Aug 2026 | Holly has played a role helping her owner and future students at UMKC and UM System Read full story How a Service Dog Found Her Place in a UMKC Organic Chemistry Lab