UCDA Events

December 5, 2025: Behind the Scenes of the UCDA Student Poster Competition Each year at the UCDA Design Education Summit, students from across the country submit work to the annual poster competition, exploring a common theme through their design practice. …

Jingle and Mingle: Holiday Party Join your fellow UCDA members and friends for our annual end-of-year virtual holiday gathering. Discuss your successes from the year and your goals for 2026. This event is BYOE (Bring Your Own Eggnog). You can …

January 9, 2026: Thinking of Starting a Student Run Design Agency? Is there a student-run design agency at your school? How did you start it—and how’s it going? Join this open conversation to share your experiences or learn how to …

February 13, 2026: Developing a Research Agenda Ever wondered how to turn your creative practice or personal curiosities into a meaningful research path? Join us for an engaging conversation about clarifying the distinctions between practice-based and scholarly research within the …

March 13, 2026: Scholarship - Publish or Perish Join us for our conversation on Publish or Perish. The phrase has long been part of academic life, but it’s really about how we share ideas, advance knowledge, and build professional credibility. …

April 10, 2026 : Rank, Tenure and Promotion Join us for a conversation on promotion and tenure. While the process can sometimes feel complex, at its core it’s about demonstrating growth, consistency, and impact. Each faculty member’s path is unique—whether …

2026 UCDA Creative Summit Tuesday, April 14 & Wednesday, April 15, 2026 The 2026 UCDA Creative Summit is a two-day virtual event providing inspiration to refill your creative fuel tank. Programming is curated to spark your imagination and facilitate ideas …

May 8, 2026: End of the School Year Faculty Hangout!  Join us for a virtual hangout exclusively for design faculty! It’s a relaxed online space to casually connect with colleagues, share ideas, talk about the semester, or just chat about …

UCDA 2026 Design Education Summit: Horizon Expanding boundaries, exploring new possibilities. The horizon represents both a limit and a possibility—a boundary that invites us to imagine what lies beyond. "Horizon" serves as a metaphor for exploring the future of design …

June 12, 2026: 2026 Design Education Summit—Horizon: Recap Whether you attended this year's Design Education Summit or not, you will benefit from attending this month's session which will recap the event. Come ready to share your favoriate parts and takeaways …