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Wakonse South History

Wakonse is a word from the Lakota Indian language meaning "to teach, to inspire". The Wakonse Foundation brings together people who find inspiring and influencing others is what they do for a living. We create a climate where it is important and appropriate to display and discuss teaching talents...where colleagues learn about themselves as teachers...where they see and consider the tasks and issues of creative teaching in a manner characterized as enjoyable...where providing feedback is outside of any institutional mandate to improve or to evaluate teaching. Participants become Wakonse Fellows. That means, in the simplest of terms, to support, to promote and share the excitement and satisfaction of teaching-to inspire others and ourselves.

The first Wakonse Conference on College Teaching took place at Camp Miniwanca on the shores of Lake Michigan in 1989. As more and more faculty have been inspired and energized by the conferences, regional Wakonse conferences have evolved.

In April 1998 the first Wakonse South brought together faculty from the University of Texas, Baylor University, Texas Tech University, and Texas A&M University for a weekend focused on teaching and learning. Recent conferences have included faculty from Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Houston, Texas Christian University and Texas Womans University.