Press Release:
Arcadia University’s Center for Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring has received the Delphi Award from the USC Pullias Center for Higher Education and AAC&U.
On September 29th, 2026, it was announced that Arcadia University, along with Connecticut College, was awarded the Delphi Award. This award is presented annually by the Pullias Center for Higher Education to colleges and universities that implement innovative programs and policies that support contingent faculty and teaching staff. Along with recognition at AAC&U’s annual meeting in January 2027, this honor comes with a $15,000 cash prize to help continue work to support faculty.
The Delphi Award is an extension of the Delphi Project, which works to support VITAL faculty. VITAL stands for Visiting, Instructors, Temporary, Adjuncts, and Lecturers, recognizing all faculty members and working to support them in any way needed.
Arcadia University’s CTLM was honored for its Sustaining Inclusive Methods for People-focused Learning Experiences (SIMPLE) Initiative. The SIMPLE Initiative works to provide resources and professional development on teaching and assessment strategies that increase the success of all students (e.g., active learning, syllabus reconstruction, varied assessment strategies). This work builds on 4 years of Title III funding from the US Department of Education. The CTLM’s goal is to “energize and amplify faculty, staff, and student efforts to support Arcadia University’s innovative pedagogies and adaptive strategies.” Since it was founded in 2020, Arcadia’s CTLM has worked hard to learn, grow, and collaborate with Arcadia’s students, faculty, and staff to enhance the teaching, learning, and mentoring on its campus.
The awards committee said of Arcadia’s project, “We are so impressed by your work. We look forward to promoting your excellent example so that other institutions can learn from you as they implement their own systemic changes to better support VITAL/contingent faculty.” Ellen Skilton (Faculty Director, CTLM and Professor of Education) and Daniel Pieczkolon (CTLM Administrative Faculty Fellow and Adjunct Professor of English) will travel to Seattle in January to accept the award at the AAC&U Annual Meetings. Both Skilton and Pieczkolon commend the many faculty and staff who do such creative and valuable work on behalf of Arcadia students every day to make their college education dynamic, relevant, and robust.
For more information about Arcadia University’s CTLM, check us out on Instagram @auctlm or on the Arcadia website.
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