Dr. Jan Newberry (Anthropology) has been appointed the 2011 Board of Governors' Teaching Chair.

Newberry assumes her new responsibilities in July, which include a significant level of involvement in the U of L's Centre for the Advancement of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CAETL), a cross-campus group that supports new and innovative learning initiatives. Newberry is no stranger to CAETL, having been a CAETL Teaching Fellow in 2010.

"Dr. Newberry's well-known teaching abilities, combined with her excellent record of research, publication and sincere interest in engaging our students, makes her a superb asset to her department, her Faculty and our university," says Dr. Mike Mahon, U of L president. "Her plans for the next year as our Teaching Chair are exciting, and I look forward to hearing the results of her work with our faculty and students."

Newberry, who has been described as "relentless" in her pursuit of effective teaching, plans to further connect teaching and liberal education principles with changing technologies, balance the emphasis between technique, technology and ideas, and bring more information about teaching to students.

"I want to model teaching beyond the classroom by incorporating the core objectives of CAETL into a range of activities, including student-centred events hosted by the Students' Union, for example."

Newberry says that she chose to be a scholar because the world of ideas fascinated her.

"I pursued my education, including my doctoral degree, because I wanted to explain the world to myself. That desire endures for me, and I believe that is what my students respond to."

Additionally, Newberry will be involved in the development of a first-year course that integrates a liberal education perspective with service learning, and ties in with a new recruitment and retention strategy put forward by the Achievement and Learning Resources Subject Matter team.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.