Restorative Practices Symposium

Join us on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 9:30am for the 2025 Restorative Practices Symposium, a dynamic and transformative event designed to explore the power of restorative justice and practices in fostering healing, equity, and community-building. This symposium brings together educators, practitioners, community leaders, and advocates to engage in meaningful discussions, learn new strategies, and share insights on how restorative practices can create safer, more inclusive environments.

Throughout the symposium, participants will:

• Engage in Interactive Restorative Spaces: Participate in hands-on sessions that offer practical tools for implementing restorative practices.
• Discover Effective Practices: Explore the latest findings on the effectiveness of restorative practices.
• Build Connections: Network with like-minded individuals and organizations committed to creating positive, supportive environments through restorative approaches.

Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a powerful movement for change!

Please note the following regarding the symposium:

• Open to anyone, but focused on professionals doing restorative work
• Free
• Anticipated parking cost for the full day is $20

For accommodations and accessibility needs, please contact b.a. medina at bamedina@umd.edu

• 9am: Check in
• 9:30am: Welcome and Framing Restorative Practices
• 10am: Opening Speaker and Facilitated Dialogue
• 11am: Small Groups / Restorative Circle
• 12pm: Lunch
• 1pm: Panel Discussion
• 2pm: Facilitated Dialogue and Call to Action
• 3pm: Closing and Somatic Care

Jordan Harper is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advanced Studies, Leadership, and Policy and the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan State University. He is also a research associate for the Delphi Project on the Changing Faculty and Student Success housed at the University of Southern California - Pullias Center for Higher Education. He is a trained interdisciplinarian whose research focuses on the organization and administration of colleges and universities. More specifically, he researches issues related to leadership, work and labor, and organizational change in higher education contexts. He has published research on staff and contingent faculty labor issues, as well as examined how leadership in higher education has been influenced by, and has at times upheld, systemic issues such as white supremacy and neoliberalism. His public scholarship (e.g., reports, briefs, guides, and op-eds) has influenced policy and has been used in countless labor-organizing spaces. Harper is also co-author of the book Higher Education Leadership: Challenging Tradition and Forging Possibilities, which was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2024. His next book, Keeping House: Administrative Assistants and the Impossible Demands of the Modern University, is currently under contract at SUNY Press. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, Rossier School of Education.