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Learning, Scholarship, and Professional Development Task Force

Message from the Chair

Eric Freedman Greetings! The Learning, Scholarship, and Professional Development Task Force has been charged with recommending to the Steering Committee a five-year plan for enhancing the knowledge and skills of our faculty as well as improving the quality of scholarship and research. A unique quality of this university is the opportunity for students to engage in extensive student-faculty interactions including research, artistic, and scholarly projects as well as experiential learning. Our shared assumption is that high-quality education depends on faculty who are fully immersed in the scholarship of their discipline. Because we want to recruit and retain high-quality faculty, our mission is to facilitate research at our institution by supporting activities and obtaining funding. Toward that end, our task force is committed to enhancing faculty success in seeking support both from within the university and beyond.

The membership of our Task Force brings together multiple perspectives and an enormous dedication to improving the learning, scholarship and professional development of our faculty. We strive to propose a distinctive and ambitious five-year plan that will enhance the quality of teaching and scholarly activities. In my 17 years at the UM-Flint, I have constantly strived to maintain the highest academic standards and to place the support to improve the quality of our faculty as a top priority, and I plan to use my experience and values to facilitate the important work of the Learning, Scholarship, and Professional Development Task Force.

Eric Freedman
Professor and Chair, Psychology Department

Task Force Starting Ideas

  • Review current support for scholarship, teaching, and professional development.
  • Identify possible barriers to excellence in scholarship, teaching, and professional development and develop strategies to address potential barriers.
  • Develop strategies to broaden excellence in scholarship and teaching/learning.
  • Propose strategies to enhance professional development for faculty and staff.
  • Recommend ways to expand graduate and undergraduate student research opportunities.

Learning, Scholarship, and Professional Development Task Force Roster

Committee Member Affiliation
Eric Freedman, Chair Psychology
Dean Mary Jo Finney, Liaison School of Education and Human Services
Clement Chen School of Management
Ashley Oliver Student
Mike Sevick Communication/Visual Arts
Jie Song Chemistry & Biochemistry
Suleyman Uludag Computer, Science, Engineering, and Physics
Tracy Wacker Biology
Hiba Wehbe-Alamah Nursing
Jan Worth Thompson Center for Learning and Teaching