join us for the 9th FGLI Consortium Annual Colloquium
Thursday, March 12 - Friday, March 13, 2026
university of virginia | charlottesville, va
Annual Colloquium Overview
We are thrilled to announce that we are now inviting FGLI Consortium members to express interest for the 2026 FGLI Consortium Annual Colloquium. This year, Colloquium will be hosted at the University of Virginia from Thursday, March 12 - Friday, March 13.
The FGLI Consortium Annual Colloquium is small in size, and it is structured as an advanced seminar through which participants have the opportunity to dive into research within our field of practice and discuss emerging topics of importance. Participants examine how scholarship in the field informs the daily work of supporting FGLI students at colleges and universities where this group is underrepresented.
Given these modes of engagement and learning, Colloquium is designed for those working in higher education who wish to contribute to critical conversations at the intersections of theory and practice in the field of FGLI student access, belonging, and success.
2026 Colloquium Topic
“Productive Plurality: The FGLI community as a site of difference and connection”
Beyond the commonality of being lower-to-moderate income and/or first in family to go to college (which in and of themselves are wide-ranging and multi-faceted categories), there is significant plurality and multivocality with our student community. The FGLI identity, in other words, contains multitudes.
As such, it is accurate to say our offices and programs have been and continue to be key and tangible sites for the “buzzy” concept of viewpoint diversity. Our students’ diverse lived experiences–from rural upbringings to military service and international places of origin–inform and shape their perspectives, creating useful–but also challenging–moments of disagreement and debate within our communities. We might, therefore, think of our work as a laboratory for productive discourse across difference.
But important questions remain about how best to do this challenging work, particularly within our polarized environment. What have we learned about inter- and intragroup dynamics within FGLI communities across our campuses? How do and should we imagine “the FGLI community”? That is, what are the experiences that link our diverse students together? How do we help them talk across their real difference and disagreement in ways that connect rather than divide–and in ways that serve the educational missions of our institutions? Perhaps even more fundamentally–given this inherent difference, how and why is the FGLI identity label still meaningful and important?
This year’s colloquium will consider these questions through the complementary lenses of research and on-the-ground practice. As we work through them, we will also consider how our work has always been–and can continue to be–a model for the kind of pluralistic engagement our institutions seek to cultivate. In doing so, we will work to articulate the renewed and immediate importance and value of our work in our complex sociopolitical environment.
Eligibility
We welcome registration requests from colleagues in the General Membership (as compared to Affiliate Membership) of the FGLI Consortium. (Those who are Members through an Institutional Membership are considered to be among the General Membership.)
As is common with seminar-style learning and brainstorming, Colloquium is designed to be a small gathering. Participation is limited, and so we ask that there be no more than two participants from any one college or university. Speak with your colleagues to coordinate! If we notice a large group from one college or university, don’t worry! We’ll reach out to you all so you have an opportunity to talk together about the path forward.
Colloquium is FREE for General Members, and all meals mentioned below are included. Members who attend Colloquium need only cover their travel and lodging expenses. If you are not yet a Member of the FGLI Consortium, please click here.
Schedule Overview
We will send pre-readings by mid-February so participants have time to dive in and digest before we engage in dialogue and discussion.
Basic Agenda:
Thursday, March 12: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm (breakfast, lunch, and a special dinner offsite included)
Friday, March 13: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (breakfast included)
* For those arriving Wednesday or staying Friday afternoon, UVA will offer tours that focus on the university’s complex history, with particular focus on the role of African Americans in the years before, during, and since the University’s founding.
Travel and Lodging
We recommend participants arrive in Charlottesville on Wednesday, March 11 so you can get a full night’s sleep before we begin our time together on Thursday morning. There is a local airport (CHO) with a number of direct flights and useful connections. There is also a train station serviced by Amtrak (CVS). Additional travel information can be found on the University’s website.
Graduate by Hilton Charlottesville: The hotel block is secured with Wednesday night's rate at $149, and Thursday at $179 (plus taxes and fees). Deadline to book is Tuesday, February 10th. We will share the booking link with confirmed participants by Friday, January 30 so you have ample time to make your reservation (see the Registration section below).
Registration
Direct registration is not available for Colloquium as space is limited. You can indicate your interest by completing this form by Wednesday, January 28 at Noon ET. We will communicate with all interested Members by Friday, January 30 so confirmed participants have ample time to make travel arrangements.
Please email admin@fgliconsortium.org with any questions.
Registration Interest Form due Wednesday, January 28 at Noon ET
Past Colloquia
Lehigh University (2025)
Columbia School of General Studies (2024)
Wesleyan University (2023)
Princeton University (2022)
Virtual Colloquium (2021)
Williams College (2019)
The University of Chicago (2018)
Northwestern University (2017)