Twenty-seven faculty members from six colleges and 17 departments are the newest members of the President’s Teaching Academy at Washington State University, nearly doubling the membership in the institution’s premier organization dedicated to teaching excellence, said Clif Stratton, chair.
“They include tenured, tenure-track, and career-track faculty with at least three years of teaching experience at our university, and they are all committed to delivering outstanding teaching experiences to our students and advancing the practice of great teaching,” Stratton said.
Recruitment chair Cassandra Gulam said, “New members bring a wide diversity of disciplines and experiences to the academy, as well as new energy. We’re excited to welcome them.”
Business at hand
“With the addition of the new members, the organization can continue to promote professional development related to teaching, and is in a really good position to drive forward all kinds of initiatives articulated in the past few years by the provost, the faculty senate, and the academy itself,” said Stratton.
Such initiatives could include workshops facilitated by Academic Outreach and Innovation (AOI), graduate student workshops, advocacy on behalf of career-track faculty, and advancing teaching pedagogy, he said.
Gulam said that another service the Academy plans to offer is voluntary classroom observations, both within and across disciplines, with the purpose of offering formative feedback to interested faculty.
Stratton noted that new members are eligible to be nominated for upcoming officer and committee appointments in Fall 2020.
New members
The application and nomination period for new members opened mid-winter. A review committee used a rubric to twice evaluate each applicant. Those invited to join the academy were notified in mid-April.
New members of the President’s Teaching Academy, listed in alphabetical order by last name with their department and campus (if not Pullman), are:
- Katherine Banks, politics, philosophy, and public affairs, WSU Tri-Cities
- Stephanie Bauman, psychology, WSU Tri-Cities
- Ashley Boyd, English
- Vanessa Cozza, English, WSU Tri-Cities
- Kathleen Cowin, educational leadership and sport management, WSU Tri-Cities
- Erica Crespi, biological sciences
- David Crowder, entomology
- Chris Dickey, music
- Allan Felsot, entomology and environment, WSU Tri-Cities
- William Hall, mathematics and statistics
- Emily Harmon, international programs
- Amy Heile, English
- Theresa Jordan, history
- Anne Kim, pharmacotherapy, WSU Spokane
- Julie Kmec, sociology
- Bala Krishnamoorthy, mathematics and statistics, WSU Vancouver
- Phillip Morgan, kinesiology and educational psychology
- Radha Nandagopal, medical education and clinical science, WSU Spokane
- Lori Nelson, biology, WSU Tri-Cities
- Jeb Owen, entomology
- Janet Peters, psychology, WSU Tri-Cities
- Adam Phillips, civil and environmental engineering
- Connie Remsberg, pharmaceutical science, WSU Spokane
- Matt Sutton, history
- Aaron Whelchel, history, WSU Vancouver
- Sarah Whitley, sociology
- Kara Whitman, environment
Visit the academy’s website for more information on the President’s Teaching Academy and to access the searchable member directory.
