Fordham University faculty have a new center in which to foster ideas, find support and share or receive guidance and mentoring. The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), a comprehensive resource center for the University’s faculty, officially launched this week with open houses on the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.
The center, designed by a planning committee made up of University faculty and administrators, was created to help propel Fordham to even greater national prominence among higher education institutions, said Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., senior vice president for academic affairs/chief academic officer.
“This is not a center that was given to us. It’s something that we wanted; that we asked for over time,” Freedman said. “It’s a place for us to grow together as colleagues and in which all of us can integrate our work.”
The CTE will provide three main resources for the University’s faculty:
- A Web site, in which faculty can use to find information on topics as diverse as writing a syllabus to using a Smart Board in class.
- An ongoing series of discussions and symposia about different aspects of teaching pedagogy. The first discussion, on students in crisis, is planned for next month and will be led by John Cecero, S.J., Ph.D.
- Individual consultation designed to help faculty share best practices and classroom techniques.
Anne Mannion, Ph.D., associate professor of history, has been tapped to direct the center.
“This goes to the core of what we’re about at Fordham,” Mannion said. “We’re talking about the idea of how you go about the art of teaching. We’re helping faculty find their own voices and get out of their comfort zone.”
Christopher Toulouse, Ph.D., visiting assistant of political science, will serve as the program coordinator for CTE.
“Technology has clearly changed teaching,” Toulouse said. “We’re aware of our students’ expectations and we’ll be helping faculty make connections with the facilities and technology the university provides.”
