Honors Faculty Fellows

Self-Nomination Process

Faculty may self-nominate via a Honors Faculty Fellow Project Proposal, which will be reviewed and our next cohort of fellows chosen with one year appointments.

Background

The Honors College at Marshall University serves the entire university as we have majors in all academic programs. We depend on having collaborative partnerships with faculty and their academic departments in every college at Marshall. That is our most valuable resource—these partnerships. Without healthy relationships of mutual understanding and support, we cannot achieve our mission and will not deliver on our promises to students. We envision the Honors College as a kind of intersection. We want to provide a space where people from all over the university can come together to share ideas outside of the customary confines of institutional structure and disciplinary foci that may limit people’s ability to see a bigger picture and the opportunities for productive collaboration. That’s true for both students and faculty. Ours is a diverse community of thought and practice.

Purpose

In order to recognize and support faculty who have made a special commitment to the mission of honors education at Marshall, the Honors College has developed an Honors Faculty Fellows program. We intend to have single academic-year appointments as a cohort with potential for individual faculty renewal.

Eligibility

Tenured and tenure-track faculty, clinical-track faculty, and term instructors with current MU appointments.
Documented support of departmental chair for any reassigned time (e.g., for in-load teaching of an HON course) during the academic-year appointment.
Contributions to the Honors College
- Faculty Fellows will typically be appointed in recognition of their current or anticipated engagement with the Honors College community through teaching. However, the college may also recognize faculty for other vital contributions to the mission of honors education at Marshall University, including combinations of the following:
  - Development and conduct of an experiential learning opportunity, e.g., study-broad experience.
  - Membership on the Honors College Curriculum and Policy Committee.
  - Significant and sustained mentorship of Honors students and engagement with the community of the Honors College.
  - Overseeing Departmental Honors programs.

Expectations for the Faculty Fellow

In addition to the work that is being recognized through their appointment (e.g., teaching or conducting an experiential and collaborative learning opportunity), Faculty Fellows are expected to:

Contribute to any defined theme/s for a given academic year cohort of fellows.
Collaborate with other fellows in their cohort.
Deliver public lectures and/or workshops, e.g., on the topic of a developed Honors course and innovative pedagogy employed at the annual iPED or another appropriate local academic conference.
Serve as an ambassador for the college in the broader communities of which we are a part.
Serve on a committee that selects next cohort of Faculty Fellows.
Serve as a mentor to Honors students with whom they work during their time as a fellow.

Our Commitment to the Faculty Fellow and their Department

Honors Faculty Fellows will be able to apply for funding (currently up to $2000) from the Honors College to support activities related to their appointment.
Recognition of the contributions of Honors Faculty Fellows through college communications including our website and social media as well as at the annual Honors Convocation.
Opportunities for faculty development in a cohort of Honors Faculty Fellows.
We aim to provide resources to the department for negotiated per-course replacement for one semester, if applicable, for a department whose faculty member is teaching for the Honors College as an Honors Faculty Fellow. To accomplish this goal going forward, we will likely need funds in addition to what are currently available to the college.

Honors Faculty Fellow Cohorts

It is our perspective that a cohort of Honors Faculty Fellows from different disciplines would best contribute to the college’s mission of providing an environment for innovative teaching and learning within an interdisciplinary curriculum motivated by creative, critical inquiry and respect for a multiplicity of thoughts, experiences, and identities.

Shared Cohort Themes and Goals

Informed by our core mission, the college has enthusiastically joined with the university’s Higher Learning Commission Quality Initiative as we seek to become a more flexible, stronger, and inclusive college through recruitment, admission, support, and retention of an increasingly diverse student population.

Information on the HLC Quality Initiative is included here to help inspire faculty seeking to join our inaugural cohort to plan for activities that would contribute to the theme of “Building a Stronger and More Inclusive Marshall Community.” As part of our Higher Learning Commission accreditation process, Marshall University embarked on this initiative in Fall 2022. An array of projects, intended to promote a strong and inclusive community at Marshall will engage the campus for the three years of the initiative and beyond. Successful applicants will effectively discuss how their project aligns with the goals of this institutional initiative: https://www.marshall.edu/hlc-qi/hlc-qi-goals/.

See our Honors Faculty Fellow cohorts.