Eighteen faculty members from across the university have been named to the Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows program in the Center for Teaching, part of the Office of Faculty Affairs in the Office of the Provost. The 2021-22 cohort comprises faculty from the College of Arts and Science, Peabody College and the schools of Engineering, Medicine and Nursing.
“The Office of the Provost is delighted to recognize and welcome these new fellows to the program,” said Tracey George, vice provost for faculty affairs. “The Center for Teaching has created an enriching and rewarding experience not only for the faculty who participate, but also for their students and colleagues.”
Fellows engage in a structured set of professional development activities—including a seminar on teaching and learning, individual consultations, teaching visits and dinner discussions—designed to help them refine their teaching skills and learn to teach more efficiently. Fellows participate in these activities with past Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows, senior faculty mentors and CFT senior staff. In addition, fellows receive $2,000 each in research funds to be used to enhance their teaching.
More than 100 Vanderbilt faculty members from six colleges and schools have participated in the Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows program since its launch in 2010. The program is open to full-time, provost-reporting junior faculty who have been at Vanderbilt between one and six years. Fellows are selected based on identification of clear and achievable goals for program participation and for use of research funds; potential impact at Vanderbilt; support from their chair; and readiness to learn in the program.
In addition to a cohort of fellows selected from across campus, the School of Nursing supports additional faculty fellowships every other year, including in 2021-22. Other schools occasionally support larger cohorts of faculty in response to particularly strong applicant pools. In 2021-22, this is the case for the College of Arts and Science, which is supporting four additional faculty fellowships.
“Many junior faculty find teaching to be the most challenging and time-consuming part of their jobs,” said Derek Bruff, assistant provost and executive director of the Center for Teaching. “We’re glad to play a role in helping our junior faculty colleagues become more effective and more efficient teachers.”
The 2021-22 Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows are:
- Michael Byrne, assistant professor of medicine
- Maria Sayil Camacho, lecturer in leadership, policy and organizations
- Elizabeth Cizmar, assistant professor of theatre
- Thomas Clements, senior lecturer in biological sciences
- Romina Del Bosque, assistant professor of the practice of biomedical engineering
- Janelle Delle, assistant professor of nursing
- Seok Bae Jang, senior lecturer in Asian studies
- Melinda Johnson, assistant professor of nursing
- Antonia Kaczkurkin, assistant professor of psychology
- Hannah Kestner, instructor in nursing
- Colleen Moss, assistant professor of nursing
- Piran Kidambi, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering
- Autumn Kujawa, assistant professor of psychology and human development
- Michelle Marcus, assistant professor of economics
- Adeana McNicholl, assistant professor of religious studies
- Julia Steed, assistant professor of nursing
- Guillermo Toral, assistant professor of political science
- Meredyth Wegener, senior lecturer in neuroscience