Teaching Center 25th Anniversary Comments

As discussed in last week’s post, the Teaching Center hosted a lunch discussion on April 1 to celebrate 25 years of the Teaching Center at Belmont University. At the luncheon, Vice Provost Phil Johnston spoke about the history and role of the Teaching Center at Belmont University. You can read Dr. Johnston’s comments below.

I want to welcome you on behalf of the Provost and other Senior Leaders.  This is a great day in the life of the Belmont University Teaching Center. For twenty-five years, faculty from Belmont University have benefited in many ways as a result of the leadership, mentorship and guidance offered through the Center.

On a daily basis, the Center staff provide conversations on the art (and science) of teaching and learning.

On a regular basis The Teaching Center offers reading groups, seminars, conferences, lunch discussions, references, retreats, and personal coaching for faculty on the art and scholarship of teaching and learning.

On an annual basis The Teaching Center is instrumental in providing new faculty a thorough orientation to the University, a robust August Workshop for faculty and others, and offers current faculty an array of opportunities to interact with notable faculty from other institutions, providing a dialog with colleagues.

The Center staff are engaged with a network of conferences nationwide, and provide useful information enabling faculty to participate as presenters and engaged learners, even by offering travel grants to support this development!

I want to offer an additional thanks to Mike Pinter, Nathan Webb and Nanci Alsup who currently serve in The Teaching Center, and who have rather recently engaged with the University’s Fellows program.  In the past four or so years, Fellows who have joined us have benefited greatly from the hospitality, engagement and guiding hand of these staff.  Our Fellows program is designed to assist newly minted terminal degree colleagues a structured entry into academia.

It is very likely that every person in this room has benefited in one or more ways from the offerings of The Teaching Center – I know I have.  The commitment of the faculty and staff who have served in The Teaching Center undoubtedly have helped shape and enrich our students’ education and their lives.

I want to say thank you to the faculty who have served as Directors of The Teaching Center over these past 25 years: Mike Awalt, Marcia McDonald, Pete Giordano, Kim Entsminger, Merrie King and Mike Pinter – (twice)!  Along with them have been many hard working members of the Teaching Center Advisory Board, as well as those who have served as Assistant Directors and staff.

I’ll conclude my comments by reminding you that the current Bruins 4 Bruins campaign, announced by Provost Burns recently, features four endowments you can support with your financial gifts.  I ask you to seriously consider these and remember that one of these is the Teaching Center Endowment for faculty support.  We know that in time, gifts donated to this endowment will further the mission of The Teaching Center.

Again, welcome and thank you.

Editorial Note: Please check the blog in the next few weeks for more information on the Teaching Center Endowment.