Greetings from CETL!
Now that we are two weeks into the semester most students are in the right classes and all of us are moving into our normal routines. Soon we will even see a few parking spaces available in the lots.
Last Thursday and Friday CETL hosted the first ever New Faculty Workshops on campus. There was a total of 29 new faculty who attended one of the two sessions. Warren Sandmann (assistant vice-president for Undergraduate Studies) and myself discussed many of the opportunities faculty have for funding research and teaching exploration.
On September 11 and 12 the second New Faculty Workshops will discuss quality syllabus construction and grading issues at the university. If you are a new faculty member please consider joining us for a free lunch on either Thursday or Friday noon in room 204 of the student union. Bring you latest syllabus!
On Friday, September 5th the Active Learning Advocates from across the state of Minnesota attended an all-day seminar at our university. These 14 individuals will attempt to incorporate active learning into the classrooms of their campuses. As one of those 14 it was my honor to host this event. You will hear much more about Active Learning in the new future.
On Saturday, September 6th a CTL weekend seminar will be held at SCTC in North Mankato. These free events are open to all MnSCU faculty. Go to the CTL website for more information on future weekend seminars.
We now have seven MSU faculty who have asked for a peer faculty consultant this semester. Interviews are now being set-up. If you are interested in this valuable service please contact Stewart Ross soon. For more information go to the CETL website.
Please welcome three of our newest faculty members:
The picture features Bradley J. Cook. Brad teaches Biology classes including Wetland Ecology and Plant Ecology. He is married to Amy and has two children, Emma, age 10 and Duncan, age 4. They have a pet dog named Sophie and a Blue-tongued skink?!!
Brad has degrees from the University of Montana including a Ph.D. in Ecology. His favorite movies in the past year is "Lord of the Rings II" and his favorite book read recently is "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Edmund Morris.
Like most of us, Brad's most confusing moments so far have been finding his way around Trafton. Join the club Brad!
Meet our second new faculty member feature for the week, Yvonne Gratz. Yvonne is married to Dan and has two boys, Erik age 16 and Aaron age 11. They too have a pet dog, named Cole. They also have a pet rat named Stuart!
Yvonne teaches classes in Nursing and has degrees from St. Olaf College. Her favorite book read recently is "Angry Housewives Easting Bon Bons.! The most confusing thing she has had to deal with is her schedule of classes.
Matt Loayza teaches U.S. Survey classes along with courses on U. S. foreign policy, Cold War and Vietnam War. He is married and has two children, ages 6 and 3. He holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Purdue University where he received a Ph.D. in U. S. History in 1999.
His favorite movie in the last year is a tie--"Minority Report" and "The Quiet American." His favorite book is "Catch-22." He is most confused since coming to Minnesota over why so many people insist the Vikings will beat the Packers this year! Welcome to MSU.
