Teaching on Purpose: Faculty Salons

September 8, 2026

Teaching on Purpose: Faculty Salons with brightly colored image of three people engaged in conversation

Teaching on Purpose is pleased to offer Faculty Salons — a conversation series, for and with faculty across disciplines, on questions of meaning and purpose in teaching in light of today’s challenges, over dinner or afternoon tea.

PROGRAM

The disruptions and technological transformations we’ve experienced over the past several years can make us feel disconnected from what makes teaching meaningful and what gives us a sense of purpose. Building on faculty involvement in the Teaching on Purpose doctoral fellowship program, the Faculty Salons are a monthly conversation series, for and with faculty across disciplines, on some fundamental questions that today’s challenges have thrown into relief—questions about why we teach, what makes intellectual learning worthwhile for students, and what ideals and hopes are worth fighting to realize through our teaching.

We’ll gather over food or refreshments in a spirit of curiosity and camaraderie, with a short text or work of art to frame our conversations. The hope is that together, we can help each other stay connected to the sources of meaning and purpose that give our work and lives vitality and that enable us to find our way through these challenges.

Salons will be offered twice per month — either Thursday dinner at a faculty home or Wednesday late afternoon tea (West Campus). Both sessions will focus on the same topic.

Space is limited. Participants may attend ONE salon per month. If the event is full, please register to get on the waitlist.

Details and registration links are below.

September 2026
What makes what we study and teach worth caring about — for us and for students? Why does intellectual learning matter when the world is on fire?

Thursday, September 10, 6:00–8:00 p.m. (RSVP by Monday, September 7)
Dinner at faculty home in Durham. Please note that this home has two cats.
Register here

Wednesday, September 23, 4:30–6:00 p.m. (RSVP by Friday, September 18)
Afternoon tea, Divinity School
Register here

October 2026
What is the value of our teaching—and who we are as teachers—in the age of AI?

Thursday, October 1, 6:00–8:00 p.m. (RSVP by Monday, September 28)
Dinner at faculty home in Durham
Register here

Wednesday, October 21, 4:30–6:00 p.m. (RSVP by Friday, October 16)
Afternoon tea, Brodhead Center
Register here

November 2026
How can we show up in a way that nurtures the full humanity of ourselves and our students, especially when burnout and “life” take over?

Thursday, November 5, 6:00–8:00 p.m. (RSVP by Monday, November 2)
Dinner at faculty home in Bahama, ~ 25 min from Duke)
Register here

Wednesday, November 18, 4:30–6:00 p.m. (RSVP by Friday, Nov 13)
Afternoon tea, Divinity School
Register here

CONTACT

If you have any questions about this program, please contact Katherine Jo at katherine.jo@duke.edu.

Katherine Jo is the Director of Program Development and Design for The Purpose Project. In this role, she develops courses, programs, and pedagogy that engage students in questions of meaning, purpose, and character. In addition to teaching undergraduate courses, she leads programming for graduate and professional school students, including Teaching on Purpose, which prepares doctoral students for their future roles as educators, and is an instructor in the Program in Education. Katherine also leads workshops for faculty at and outside of Duke on teaching in ethically formative ways. Katherine serves on the Advisory Board of The Project on the Good Surgeon at Duke Medical School and has served on the Project Leadership Team of Yale University’s Life Worth Living Network. Her scholarly interests include philosophies of liberal learning, the place of leisure in education, and faculty vocational identity. She has previously worked in career development, undergraduate advising, and faculty development. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from Harvard University, an M.A. in Philosophy of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.