The University of Nebraska–Lincoln has named two finalists in a search for director of the new Center for Transformative Teaching.
The candidates were selected through a national search and visit the university Feb. 4-5. The finalists will participate in an all-day interview followed by public presentations.
The finalists and visitation schedules are:
Feb. 4 — Ben Wolfe, director of academic and faculty support and teaching professor of environmental studies, University of Kansas Edwards Campus, Kansas City, Kansas. Public presentation is 2:30 p.m. in the Nebraska Union, Colonial B;
Feb. 5 — Josh Eyler, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and adjunct associate professor of humanities, Rice University. Public presentation is 2:30 p.m. in the Nebraska Union, Heritage Room.
Additional candidate information, including curriculum vitae, is available on the Center for Transformative Teaching director search website.
Opening this spring, the Center for Transformative Teaching will collaborate with educators across the university to promote inclusive, innovative, research-informed, and scholarly teaching for all learners. The director will provide leadership for the center, lead a team of dedicated instructional design staff, and promote pedagogical and instructional design principles to support teachers in creating learning environments for student success. The position reports to the Senior Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Undergraduate Education and is a member of the student success leadership team.
Wolfe is the inaugural director of academic and faculty support at the University of Kansas’ Edwards Campus. In this role he developed a new unit responsible for faculty development activities focused on instructional technology, active and collaborative learning, and alternative course delivery modes to meet the needs of non-traditional students. He has also developed and fostered relationships across KU campuses to facilitate the design and launch of over 20 new degree and certificate programs. He is a teaching professor of environmental atudies and his many presentation and workshop topics include STEM workforce development, strengthening regional partnerships between higher-education institutions, and broadening participation in the sciences. Wolfe’s current research focuses on geoscience education, two-year college student transfer, transfer shock, and higher-education policy. He is a recipient of the Missouri Governor’s Award in Teaching Excellence. His Bachelor of Science in geology is from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Master of Science in geology is from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. His doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies is from the University of Kansas.
Eyler is the inaugural director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and adjunct associate professor of humanities at Rice University. He began his academic career as assistant professor of English at Columbus State University in Georgia. Although he was approved for tenure at Columbus State, his love for teaching and his desire to work with instructors from many different disciplines led him to the field of educational development and to George Mason University, where he served as an associate director of the Center for Teaching and Faculty Excellence from 2011-2013. In August of 2013, he took his current position as director of Rice’s Center for Teaching Excellence. His eclectic research interests include the biological basis of learning, evidence-based pedagogy, and disability studies. He is the author of “How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories behind Effective College Teaching.” Eyler earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from Gettysburg College and his Master of Arts and doctorate in medieval studies with an emphasis on medieval English language and literature from the University of Connecticut.
