Peer Faculty Mentoring Program 

New incoming full-time faculty, and full-time second-year faculty, who are not limited term have the unique opportunity to participate in a university-wide Peer Faculty Mentoring Program coordinated by CELT. Seasoned faculty at VSU can share what they learned and get to know new faculty by mentoring them.

Specifically, we pair new and second-year faculty with mid-career and advanced career faculty from different departments at VSU by using best practices in faculty mentoring. The mentors and mentees exchange e-mails in July after matches are announced, gather for the first time in person for a CELT mentoring luncheon and workshop during new faculty orientation in early August, and meet one-on-one throughout the academic year. They are also required to attend an additional relevant workshop or training sponsored by CELT or the Office of Employee and Organizational Development at VSU and invited to special social gatherings just for new faculty and their mentors. Sample workshop and training topics include tips for effective mentoring, mentor mapping, and research and strategies for addressing the needs of early career faculty.

Objectives of the program:

  • Ensure that new and second-year faculty who are not limited term have a point person (a mid-or-advanced career faculty member) outside their department whom they can go to with questions during their first couple years at VSU
  • Increase the competence, confidence, and sense of belonging for new and second-year faculty to better retain and prepare them to succeed during their first couple years as well as through promotion (and tenure, if relevant to their position) at VSU
  • Enhance support for diverse faculty at VSU
  • Articulate and apply best practices in mentoring and career development for faculty
  • Build relationships, community, and a peer faculty mentoring network that bridges ranks, disciplines, departments, and colleges at VSU

To volunteer to be a mentor, or for a new or second-year faculty to request a mentor, see instructions and deadlines below to fill out questionnaires. Mentoring matches are made by the Director of CELT in consultation with representatives from the Department Head Council, Provost's Office, Office of Employee and Organizational Development, Human Resources, and the Center for eLearning.

CELT's Peer Faculty Mentoring Program supplements any informal or formal mentoring that occurs within departments and disciplines. Research on mentoring recommends that faculty have multiple mentors for different purposes.

Questions? Contact the Director of CELT, Dr. Jamie Landau (jlandau@valdosta.edu, 229-333-6032). 

Are you tenured or a promoted lecturer who would like to share the lessons that you have learned working at VSU with new faculty? Maybe you had a great mentor earlier in your career and want to give back now? Mentoring goes both ways, so it is common for seasoned faculty to be energized by new colleagues even as they support them.

Participation in CELT’s Peer Faculty Mentoring Program is a unique opportunity but voluntary. As a result, tenured faculty or lecturers who have received promotion must volunteer to be a mentor by filling out this  that asks a few questions about professional and personal areas in which you could support new faculty, and upload your CV. This information will be used to create effective mentoring pairs.

Check back for future dates of this program.

Are you a new incoming full-time faculty or returning full-time second-year faculty at VSU (whether tenured, tenure-track, or a lecturer) who is not limited term? Research shows that formal mentoring programs for junior faculty like you increase your potential for success and happiness during the first couple years on the job, and in your years ahead through promotion. Mentored faculty feel more “at home” at an institution, have higher job satisfaction, and are more productive in their scholarly activity and teaching.

Participation in CELT’s Peer Faculty Mentoring Program is a unique opportunity but voluntary. As a result, new incoming full-time faculty and second-year full-time faculty who are not limited term must request a mentor by filling out this  that asks a few questions about your professional and personal needs, and upload your CV. This information will be used to create effective mentoring pairs.

Check back for future dates of this program.

Ask the Expert and Teaching Observations 

Faculty at VSU have a lot of experience and expertise as teachers. However, too often we are unaware of the excellent work that our colleagues do in the classroom and, in turn, we miss out on learning from each other. Did you know, for instance, that VSU faculty have won awards and published research about teaching online? Perhaps you want to talk to a fellow faculty who has integrated high-impact practices (HIPs) into their courses to find out about the barriers and benefits? Or you could request an expert to conduct a Teaching Observation of your face-to-face courses, or for a hybrid, hy-flex, or fully-online course that you teach? Click the hyperlinks above to download CELT-eLearning's recommendations for conducting peer teaching observations. For another resource, see this VSU Guidebook for Peer Evaluation of Teaching.  

The Ask the Expert list below is for VSU faculty to easily see who to contact for peer support with particular pedagogy. All of the faculty listed graciously agreed to be a resource for colleagues on campus, such as they could conduct a teaching observation. Many of them partner with CELT to facilitate faculty learning communities (FLCs), too, so consider joining an ongoing, active group of faculty who are working together to explore new pedagogy and share teaching tips. 

If you would like to be added to this list of experts, contact CELT Administrative Coordinator Jennifer Pifer (jpifer@valdosta.edu, 229-253-4079).

College: Education and Human Services 

Department: MLIS

Title: Assistant Professor

Email: ndalemanne@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.245.3742

Areas of Knowledge: 

  • Team-based or peer-led learning
  • Small teaching
  • Online teaching

College: Education and Human Services 

Department: Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy

Title: Assistant Professor

Email: mcarastia@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.249.2777

Areas of Knowledge: Service-Learning, Flipped Classroom, Online Teaching, and Kahoot

College: Education and Human Services 

Department: Teacher Education

Title: Associate Dept. Head

Email: efasola@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.7148

Areas of Knowledge: 

  • Inclusive or dialogic pedagogies
  • Team-based or peer-led learning
  • Small teaching
  • Online teaching
  • HyFlex
  • Kaltura
  • Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
  • Kahoot
  • VoiceThread

College: Education and Human Services

Department: Teacher Education

Title: Assistant Professor

Email: jsbeal@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.219.1317

Areas of Knowledge: Experiential learning

College: Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: Modern and Classical Languages

Title: Senior Lecturer

Email: mchakir@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.7373

Areas of Knowledge: Experiential learning

College: Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: English

Title: Professor

Email: lchen@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.7346

Areas of Knowledge: Student centered learning, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 

College: The Arts

Department: Communication Arts

Title: Associate Professor

Email: nbcox@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.259.5520

Areas of Knowledge: HIPs: Undergraduate Research, Inclusive Pedagogy, Online Teaching, and Small Teaching

College: Business

Department: Accounting

Title: Assistant Professor

Email: cocrews@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.245.3808

Areas of Knowledge: Online Teaching, Educational Technology: D2L, Blackboard Collaborate, iPad, Educreations, Screencast-O-Matic, Powtoon, Google Hangouts, YouTube Live, Proctor U

College: Arts

Department: Communication Arts (Mass Media)

Title: Assistant Professor

Email: wjculverhouse@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.259.2015

Areas of Knowledge: Experiential learning

College: Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: Modern and Classical Languages

Title: Associate Professor

Email: kfdavidson@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.7415

Areas of Knowledge: Online teaching and language education

College: The Arts

Department: Art and Design

Title: Associate Professor

Email: emdaviswalker@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.259.5086

Areas of Knowledge: Microsoft Teams

College: Education & Human Services

Department: Curriculum, Leadership, and Technology

Title: Interim Dept. Head & Professor

Email: sedowney@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.5633

Areas of Knowledge: Online Teaching 

College: Nursing and Health Sciences

Department: Nursing

Title: Assistant Professor

Email: hcgonzalez@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.253.2930

Areas of Knowledge: Experiential Learning

College: Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: English

Title: Associate Professor

Email: algreenfield@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.5946

Areas of Knowledge: Online Teaching

College: Science and Mathematics

Department: Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences 

Title: Associate Professor

Email: msgroszos@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.5664

Areas of Knowledge: Hard rock geology (petrology, structure, metamorphic geology, igneous geology & mineralogy), Geology of Georgia, microscopy, economic geology, field geology, organizing and running field trips, curating rock and mineral collections

College: Business

Department: Accounting 

Title: Professor of Accounting

Email: sgupta@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.293.6061

Areas of Knowledge: Management Accounting, Retirement Planning, Ethics, Pedagogy

College: Humanties and Social Sciences

Department: History

Title: Professor

Email: drhaggard@valdosta.edu 

Contact Number: 229.333.5947

Areas of Knowledge: Flipped Classrooms

College: Arts

Department: Art and Design

Title: Associate Professor

Email: awheuss@valdosta.edu 

Contact Number: 229.333.5834

Areas of Knowledge: Teaching observations, mentoring new faculty

College: Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice

Title: Associate Professor

Email: trhochschild@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.5483

Areas of Knowledge: Efficient lectures utilizing various electronic techniques, Engaging discussions focused on student experiences and perspectives, Service-Learning, Experiential Learning, Group Projects and Presentations, Co-Curricular Activities, Extra-Curricular Activities

College: Education & Human Services

Department: Curriculum, Leadership, and Technology

Title: Professor

Email: ehsiao@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.5633

Areas of Knowledge: 

  • Team-based or peer-led learning
  • Online teaching
  • Educational technology:

> Blackboard Collaborate Ultra

> Photoshop

> Dreamweaver

> Camtasia

> Audacity

College: Science and Mathematics

Department: Biology

Title: Associate Professor

Email: lesliesj@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.219.1337

Areas of Knowledge: Hybrid Pedagogy

College: Education & Human Services

Department: Curriculum, Leadership, and Technology

Title: Assistant Professor

Email: jijung@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.5633

Areas of Knowledge: 

  • High-Impact Practices (HIPs) such as undergraduate research, service-learning, ePortfolios, writing-intensive assignments, internships, and capstone projects
  • Universal design
  • Flipped classroom
  • Online teaching
  • Educational technology:
> Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
> Kahoot

College: Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: English

Title: Associate Professor

Email: ukatawal@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.219.3193

Areas of Knowledge: Online Teaching, Flipped Classroom, Team-Teaching 

College: Education and Human Services

Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders

Title: Assistant Professor

Email: kalamb@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.219.1306

Areas of Knowledge: Microsoft Teams

College: The Arts

Department: Communication Arts

Title: Associate Professor

Email: jlandau@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.6032

Areas of Knowledge: Inclusive Pedagogy, Teaching for Growth, Small Teaching, Teaching Writing, Peer-Led Learning, Pause Teaching Strategies for Lectures, HIPs: Service-Learning, Undergraduate Research, Capstone Courses

College: Science and Mathematics

Department: Computer Science

Title: Professor

Email: cliu@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.5781

Areas of Knowledge: Online Teaching and Resources

College: Science and Math

Department: Physics

Title: Assistant Professor

Email: smubin@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.253.2994

Areas of Knowledge: Experiential Learning

College: Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: Modern and Classical Languages 

Title: Associate Professor

Email: maocasio@valdosta.edu (preferred method of communication) 

Contact Number: 229.249.2653

Areas of Knowledge: Online Teaching, Gather.Town, Second Life, VoiceThread, office hours with Virtual Reality (Immersed, Workrooms)

College: Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: Modern and Classical Languages

Title: Professor

Email: ehparra@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.7372

Areas of Knowledge: Inclusive pedagogy (value-creating pedagogy), Voice Thread in GoVIEW/BlazeVIEW, Screencast-O-Matic, Powtonn, GRASP-Project Base Learning, under/graduate research, teaching language, and literature online.

College: Arts

Department: Communication Arts

Title: Assistant Professor

Email: mppihos@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.5828

Areas of Knowledge: Experiential Learning

College: Arts

Department: Art and Design

Title: Lecturer

Email: rebreynolds@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.249.4873

Areas of Knowledge: Discussion Based Teaching, Undergraduate Research, Small Teaching Practices, Microsoft Teams

College: Nursing and Health Sciences 

Department: Graduate Nursing Director

Title: Associate Professor

Email: mewingbre@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.249.2652

Areas of Knowledge: Online Teaching, Small Teaching Practices

College: Science and Mathematics

Department: Biology

Title: Assistant Professor

Email: erose@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.219.3437

Areas of Knowledge: Experiential learning

College: Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: Modern and Classical Languages

Title: Associate Professor

Email: varussell@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.7357

Areas of Knowledge: HIPs: Undergraduate Research, Service-Learning, ePortfolios, Writing-Intensive Assignments, Internships, and Capstone Projects (Study Abroad), Online Teaching, Flipped Learning

College: Arts

Department: Art and Design 

Title: Associate Professor

Email: gmswan@valdosta.edu (preferred method of communication) 

Contact Number: 229.333.7406

Areas of Knowledge: Ancient Greek and Roman culture, employing images within pedagogical contexts

College: Honors & Exploratory Studies 

Department: Advising

Title: Director

Email: cgtillma@valdosta.edu 

Contact Number: 229.245.4378

Areas of Knowledge: HIPs, Flipped Classroom, Peer Mentors, Online Teaching

College: Nursing and Health Sciences

Department: Health Sciences

Title: Lecturer

Email: bmwilliams1@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.253.2884

Areas of Knowledge: Experiential Learning

College: Science and Mathematics 

Department: Computer Science

Title: Professor

Email: zxu@valdosta.edu

Contact Number: 229.333.5783

Areas of Knowledge: Experiential Learning