Written by Sara Rzeszutek

Published as part of QILT News & Notes Fall 2026

Congratulations to the Quinnipiac faculty on being ranked #61 in the country for undergraduate teaching in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges! Institutions make this list when they’re nominated by academic leaders for having “a remarkably strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” Make no mistake: Quinnipiac’s growing reputation and recognition for teaching is this strong because of all of you.

At this point in the semester, with midterms behind us and finals seemingly a blink away, it’s easy to get stuck on all the things that need to be fixed: the students who aren’t doing well or who have disappeared, catching up on content that you need to cover or feedback you need to provide before the semester’s over, the adjustments you want to make to your classes that feel like too much with everything else on your plate right now. And of course those things are important.

But don’t forget to notice the wins. Every day you’re expanding the ways learners understand the world, sparking their curiosity, modeling what it’s like to find joy in learning, and setting them up for success and lifelong fulfillment. If you take a step back, you’ll see that your wins probably outweigh the setbacks, and we’d encourage you to take the time to acknowledge them, write them down, and rely on them when things feel like they’re piling up.

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Here are some ways to help keep the wins in focus:

• Keep evidence: As scholars, we all love evidence. Document the things that go well in class, the student learning you notice, and the risks that you took. Keep a folder for emailed thank-you notes and take inventory at the end of each week of things that you achieved. Writing it down helps it to feel real and forces you to acknowledge the positive things you’ve accomplished.
• Celebrate progress: Big change doesn’t happen overnight. If you’ve been working toward a longer-term goal, pay attention to the smaller steps in your process. Those are wins, too.
• Review your evidence regularly: Don’t just write it down and forget it. Go back to it and read it for a boost when you need it. Use it to identify patterns that tell you about your best work and your best self and use that evidence to keep your momentum going when things feel overwhelming.
• Notice the wins around you: Did you overhear students talking about a great thing that happened in another instructor’s class? Tell your colleague! Did a student do something excellent in your class? Call it out. Did you learn about someone’s newest publication or recent honor? Send them a congratulations email. Do these things even if you don’t know the person well. It only takes a second to make someone else’s day better. Even better, use the Bravo Bobcat system to make it public.

We are incredibly proud to serve the Quinnipiac faculty. You deserve the recognition that comes with this new ranking. We look forward to being here for you over this busy stretch.