About the Center
¡This page gives all the essentials regarding our mission, people who contribute to the running of the center, and a brief history!
Mission
Our mission at the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of San Francisco is to celebrate, support and help develop excellent teaching across the university, at all stages of a faculty member's career.
Purpose
We are guided by three purposes as we develop our activities and programs.
Guidelines
When developing new activities, or resources, we always keep in mind the following principles.
Purpose
We are guided by three purposes as we develop our activities and programs.
- Building a sense of community among teaching faculty
- Presenting opportunities for faculty to enhance and enrich their teaching practice
- Using technology to enhance student learning
Guidelines
When developing new activities, or resources, we always keep in mind the following principles.
- We foster conversation among faculty across disciplines, across schools, and at all stages of their careers.
- Participation is voluntary.
- Participation is confidential. We do not report faculty participation in CTE programs to any administrators. We will provide documentation to any faculty member who requests it.
- The Center does not evaluate teaching for the purposes of tenure and promotion.
- The Center evolves to meet real faculty needs.
Team
The CTE is run by a small group of faculty and staff. Critical to our success is the Steering Committee that provides feedback and helps initiate new programming.
We are currently composed of two Co-Directors and a Program Assistant.
We are currently composed of two Co-Directors and a Program Assistant.
- Keally McBride
- Arts & Sciences, Politics. Co-Director
- kdmcbride@usfca.edu
- Jonathan Hunt
- Arts & Sciences, Rhetoric. Co-Director
- jonathan.hunt@usfca.edu
- Katie Hoffman
- Program Assistant
- cte@usfca.edu
Steering Committee
The CTE Steering Committee includes representatives from each school, the library, and adjunct faculty. Members currently serve two-year terms and are nominated by their respective Deans. Additionally, winners of the University Distinguished Teaching Award are invited to join the committee for two years following their award.
Dixon, Onllwyn
Education, International and Multicultural Education, Adjunct, 2014-2016
Doughan, Jeremy
Arts & Sciences, Psychology, Adjunct, 2015–2017
Holler, David
Arts & Sciences, Rhetoric & Language, 2014-2016
Joshi, Alark
Arts & Sciences, Computer Science, 2014–2016
Kim, Eugene
Law, 2015–2017
Lusheck, Kate
Arts & Sciences, Art + Architecture, 2014–2016
Purpora, Christina
Nursing, 2014–2016
Seiki, Sumer
Education, Teacher Education, 2015–2017
Spector, Carol
Library, 2015–2017
Torres, Brant
Arts & Sciences, English, 2015–2017
Dixon, Onllwyn
Education, International and Multicultural Education, Adjunct, 2014-2016
Doughan, Jeremy
Arts & Sciences, Psychology, Adjunct, 2015–2017
Holler, David
Arts & Sciences, Rhetoric & Language, 2014-2016
Joshi, Alark
Arts & Sciences, Computer Science, 2014–2016
Kim, Eugene
Law, 2015–2017
Lusheck, Kate
Arts & Sciences, Art + Architecture, 2014–2016
Purpora, Christina
Nursing, 2014–2016
Seiki, Sumer
Education, Teacher Education, 2015–2017
Spector, Carol
Library, 2015–2017
Torres, Brant
Arts & Sciences, English, 2015–2017
Website Credits
All illustrations on this website were hand-drawn, then digitized, by Katie Hoffman (Program Assistant, CTE).
Photograph used for banner on the home page was created by Mathew Mitchell.
Photograph used for banner on the home page was created by Mathew Mitchell.
History
The CTE opened its doors in fall of 2011 with two visionary co-directors: Mathew Mitchell (Learning & Instruction) and Tracy Seeley (English). Mathew and Tracy aimed to create dynamic programs and an online resource to serve the 1200 + full and part-time faculty at each of the six USF campuses, a happy ambition which began out of a small office in Kalmanovitz Hall and soon became a well known collective of faculty across disciplines, meeting for presentations and discussions about what makes teaching great.
To sustain a lineup of compelling programming and to bring emergent pedagogy to campus, the team behind CTE rotates. Today, with the support of a steering committee comprised of representatives from each school and the library, two co-directors continue to develop programming that seeks to address current issues in teaching.
These types of programs include the Teaching Retreat, workshops on Canvas, the ever popular Summer Book Club, and several teaching cafes, which bring faculty together for an hour in the afternoon for a focused presentation and dialogue.
In 2012, Rhonda Magee (Law) served as interim co-director for the CTE. In 2014, Susan Prion (Nursing and Health Professions) served as an associate director. Rhonda and Susan periodically return to work with the CTE, leading presentations and workshops.
Keally McBride (Politics) joined the CTE in the summer of 2014 and is currently co-directing the Center with Jonathan Hunt (Rhetoric & Language), who joined in spring 2016.
The Center for Teaching Excellence takes its inspiration from a core principle of Ignatian Pedagogy, Cura Personalis (care of the whole person). Our programming and events are created and reconfigured each semester to meet the changing needs of faculty, with the understanding that teaching is a form of caring.
Our mission to celebrate, support and help develop excellent teaching at all stages of a faculty member’s career emphasizes the centrality of community-minded learning in higher education.
To sustain a lineup of compelling programming and to bring emergent pedagogy to campus, the team behind CTE rotates. Today, with the support of a steering committee comprised of representatives from each school and the library, two co-directors continue to develop programming that seeks to address current issues in teaching.
These types of programs include the Teaching Retreat, workshops on Canvas, the ever popular Summer Book Club, and several teaching cafes, which bring faculty together for an hour in the afternoon for a focused presentation and dialogue.
In 2012, Rhonda Magee (Law) served as interim co-director for the CTE. In 2014, Susan Prion (Nursing and Health Professions) served as an associate director. Rhonda and Susan periodically return to work with the CTE, leading presentations and workshops.
Keally McBride (Politics) joined the CTE in the summer of 2014 and is currently co-directing the Center with Jonathan Hunt (Rhetoric & Language), who joined in spring 2016.
The Center for Teaching Excellence takes its inspiration from a core principle of Ignatian Pedagogy, Cura Personalis (care of the whole person). Our programming and events are created and reconfigured each semester to meet the changing needs of faculty, with the understanding that teaching is a form of caring.
Our mission to celebrate, support and help develop excellent teaching at all stages of a faculty member’s career emphasizes the centrality of community-minded learning in higher education.