EMU Today

Every single day, miracles take place here on the campus of Eastern Michigan University! Our faculty and lecturers regularly make connections with our students, helping to teach them course material and gain expertise in their chosen areas of study. More than that, these instructors form mentoring relationships with their students, helping students to envision a future for themselves they previously might not have seen. Teaching matters at Eastern Michigan University, and the work our faculty do reflects the deeply-held values of our institution. These connections do truly miraculous things for our students.

One problem with recognizing good teaching is that it is often hard to see. A professor may teach an inspiring course on mechanical engineering, or Victorian poetry; the students may be awed and engaged by what they are learning. But then class ends, the classroom door opens, the moment passes, and there is no artifact one can hold in their hands to capture the magic.  

As director of the Bruce K. Nelson Faculty Development Center here at EMU, with supporting teaching very much in my job description, I attempt to be both an advocate for good teaching, but also a cheerleader for it. I want everyone to be able to see what I see every single day: the transformative power of teaching done well!

Two years ago, the Faculty Development Center began to publish a weekly Teaching Spotlight, in which we highlight a faculty or lecturer who does an exemplary job teaching and mentoring students. Last semester, we expanded this to also include Partnership Spotlights, which focus on teacher-student pairs and show the expansive possibilities when faculty work closely with students on research, teaching, or service projects. These spotlights are written by our student workers at the FDC, who interview the nominees and tell their story to the campus community.

Each of these spotlights tell the story of faculty (and students) who make me incredibly proud to work at EMU. They remind me of how much work goes into effective teaching and learning, and of how fortunate I, and the campus community, are to learn from these individuals. We are pleased to have collaborated on this with the Office of Admissions, who share some of these spotlights with prospective and/or admitted students at EMU, showing them the kind of instruction they can anticipate when they enroll here.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to read about some of these teachers at EMU, and about the partnerships they are forming. Reading these will bolster your feelings of pride in working here. If you wish to nominate an instructor or nominate a student-faculty partnership for us to profile, please do so! We would love to see more and more instructors get the recognition they so richly deserve.