University Distinguished Teaching Scholar Named Director of Institute for Learning and Teaching

Colorado State University has named Mike Palmquist, longtime English professor and University Distinguished Teaching Scholar, director of the new Institute for Learning and Teaching.

The institute was created as part of a university-wide reorganization last fall that implemented the university’s strategic plan – a road map for the future at Colorado State.

"Mike’s expertise will benefit our faculty – who already are known for their excellence in teaching – and ultimately our students," said President Larry Edward Penley. "One of my first observations when I arrived at Colorado State was that we did not have a well-developed infrastructure to support faculty members’ in their role as teachers. Mike, who is an exceptional teacher himself, will help ensure that our faculty have assistance in becoming more effective teachers and in adapting new technologies to their classrooms."  

Palmquist begins his new position today. He reports to Tom Gorell, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.

Palmquist began his professional career at Colorado State University in 1990 as an assistant professor of English. He was promoted to associate professor in 1995. In 2000, he was named full professor and a University Distinguished Teaching Scholar, the university’s highest honor for teaching. He was a visiting professor in American Studies at the University of Wales, Swansea in 2005.

His many awards include the Outstanding Technology Innovator Award from the Conference on College Composition and Communication in 2006; the Charles Moran Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Field from the journal, "Computers and Composition," in 2004; and the Oliver P. Pennock Distinguished Service Award from the university in 1998.

The Institute for Learning and Teaching significantly expands the university’s ability to enhance teaching and learning. The institute will handle support for course development, which was formerly provided by the Office of Instructional Services. As part of a recent reorganization, that office was closed and its classroom support services, media production services, and other activities merged with either Communications and Creative Services or Academic Computing and Networking Services.

"We are excited that this new institute will allow us to once again support new faculty, who arrive on campus with little teaching experience, and established faculty who are continually changing their teaching to keep up with the digital age," Gorell said. "Mike can provide us with the necessary leadership to ensure that our faculty stay on top of the latest instructional techniques."

"We want to build stronger, clearer connections between the work we do in teaching and in other aspects of our scholarly lives," Palmquist said. "To help accomplish that, the institute will sponsor professional development activities for faculty and graduate teaching assistants. It will also support studies of new approaches to teaching and learning."

Palmquist is the author or co-author of computer software, numerous journal articles and five books, including "The Bedford Researcher," which helps students with the research writing process. He is current editor of "The WAC Clearinghouse" and former editor of "Academic Writing: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Communication Across the Curriculum." He also serves on numerous editorial boards including "Computers and Composition" and "Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Pedagogy, and Technology."

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