Annual Report 2022-2023

Download a PDF version of the annual report

Areas

• Workshop participation
• Participants by College
• Consultations
• Programs
• Teaching & Advising
• Research & Scholarship
• Grants
• Collaborations

Workshop Participation

GOAL 3.3: Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement and individual growth

Participation by College

  College participation over the last three years

Consultations

The Center’s workshop attendance number was at an all time low with 961 attendees. 

Programs

Faculty Learning Communities

Teaching and Advising

• GOAL 1.1: Broaden access for underrepresented populations and increase academic success for all students through excellence in undergraduate education.
• GOAL 1.3: Implement evidence-based high quality, high impact teaching and learning practices for every student

Instructional Innovation Grants

Four Teaching Innovation Grants were awarded to five faculty members .

Beth Shirley and Rebecca Jones, English

"Bitterroot Magazine"

Rachel Frost, Animal & Range Sciences

"Developing a Relevant Case Study Library for Range Management"

Paul Gannon, Chemical and Biological Engineering

"Effectively Engaging Students in Group Video Projects"

Ashley Fuchs, Art

"Typographic Printing Detox"

2023 Faculty Founder's Day Awards

President’s Excellence in Teaching Award

• GOAL 2.1: Enhance the significance and impact of scholarship
• GOAL 2.2: Expand interdisciplinary scholarship
• GOAL 2.3: Strengthen institutional reputation in scholarship

• 37 Faculty Excellence Grants were awarded.
• 16 faculty and staff participated in Grant-Writing Bootcamp.
• 2 faculty were awarded the NSF CAREER grant.

Grants

Values-based Academic Leadership Trajectories for Women in STEM (VAuLTS)

Building on the success of ADVANCE Project TRACS, the Center for Faculty Excellence has joined with the NSF Northwest ADVANCE Partnership to pilot leadership and mentoring programs for midcareer women faculty in STEM/Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS), called VAuLTS. This research grant seeks to address systemic barriers women face on the path to the highest ranks of professoriate in diverse higher education settings. MSU PI Nika Stoop

Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN)

The “Entrepreneurial Thinking in Engineering Education” grant has the goal of graduating engineers equipped not only with technical skills but also an entrepreneurial, can-do approach to their profession, according to William Schell, associate director of MSU's Montana Engineering Education Research Center. The funding supports faculty development and interdisciplinary research on engineering education. PI Brock LaMeres

IMPACT STEM Transfer

Inclusive And Meaningful Partnerships for Cultivating Transformation in STEM Transfer, from Howard Hughes Medical Institute. PI Mari Eggers

HOPE & CAIRHE 2gether (HC2) Center

HC2 is part of a dual-institution center funded by the National Cancer Institute (U54CA280812) to address cancer prevention and control in areas of persistent poverty. The CFE is involved in the Career Advancement Core that provides training and mentored research opportunities for a cadre of early career investigators (HC2 Scholars) through a seminar series, tailored mentoring and individualized learning experiences. MSU co-PI Nika Stoop

Collaborations

The Center has continued its many collaborations focused on faculty excellence and student success. A couple collaborations are highlighted here:

Writing Center– Erin Strickland – This year, we collaborated with the Writing Center Assistant Director, Erin Strickland on two programs, “Mentoring through the writing process” and “Faculty Book Club: Air & Light & Time & Space by Helen Sword.” The mentoring workshop brought graduate students and their mentors together to discuss working with writers through the academic writing process. The book club worked through the sections of Air & Light & Time & Space and reflected on the participants’ current habits and identify possible ways to shift to more balanced and productive writing practices.

Mentoring through the writing process:
Participants said that setting aside time to discuss student and mentor relationships was valuable and that interacting with each other in a different context helped to understand each other's needs and expectations. They would've liked more dedicated time to make concrete plans for moving forward, particularly in order to complete the expectations document we started as a group. 

Air & Light & Time & Space
Participants appreciated hearing other people's experiences, approaches, and perspectives on writing. It was a great way to create community across disciplines and sparked deeper reflection on their own personal writing habits. They would've appreciated more time to get to know one another, so we are going to continue to meet this summer and write together. 

DEDL (Developing Excellence in Department Leadership) – Michelle Miley – is a program tailored to serve the needs of new unit leaders (within their first 2-3 years) including but not limited to department heads and school directors.  The purpose of the program is to provide both training and support for those in some of the most challenging jobs on campus. 

DEDL met twice each month. One monthly meeting was dedicated to sharing challenges, problem solving, and providing mutual support amongst the participants. The second monthly meeting was more of a workshop, covering timely topics to help unit leaders learn about and navigate the complexity of their jobs. 

Other notable collaborations involved:

• Office of the Provost & Academic Affairs
• Graduate School
• Office of Research Development
• MSU Library
• Office of Diversity and Inclusion
• Office of Planning & Analysis
• Academic Technology & Outreach
• University Studies/Academic Advising Center
• Writing Center
• Disability Services
• Leadership Institute
• Facilities/ Campus Planning, Design & Construction
• Montana Engineering Education Research Center/ KEEN
• Office of International Programs