 Dr.
John Habel, Psychology; Faculty Fellow for SoTL;
Coordinator of SoTL at Western. We must, Earnest Boyer
wrote in 1990 in Scholarship Reconsidered, "move beyond
the tired old 'teaching versus research' debate and give
the familiar and honorable term 'scholarship' a broader,
more capacious meaning." The scholarship of teaching
and learning (SoTL) permits this broader definition of
scholarly activities—one that corresponds to the
public perception that teaching and the promotion of learning
are primary activities of college faculty and central to
the mission of every college and university. SoTL also
creates additional possibilities for academic success and
encourages a type of scholarship that has direct effects
on student learning.
At this point in my career I am working to engage in SoTL.
I think about my teaching as my scholarship domain, not as
an additional activity that is separate from my scholarship.
According to Pat Hutchings and Lee Shulman of the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, this kind of
engagement in SoTL requires a kind of "going meta" in
which we faculty systematically investigate questions related
to student learning with an eye not only to improving our
own classroom, but also to advancing practices beyond it.
 Dr.
Michael Dougherty, Dean, College of Education
and Allied Professions. It is a true pleasure to endorse
the new university initiative, the Scholarship of Teaching
and Learning (SoTL at Western). Without question, SoTL
will provide opportunities for WCU faculty and administrators
to become more actively engaged in the teaching and learning
process. Personally, this initiative will assist me in
examining authentic student engagement and performance
as it relates to my considerations about how students learn.
Recognizing the teaching/learning connection, I hope to
understand more about my own teaching effectiveness based
on the quality of student learning in my class.
Teaching is much more than a technical undertaking; it is
an intellectual undertaking. Both teaching and learning are
central to the mission and aspirations of WCU, therefore,
I strongly believe the scholarship of teaching and learning
should be recognized and rewarded at the program, departmental
and college levels. I am, however, especially excited about
the possibilities this initiative can spawn in terms of research.
Imagine Western Carolina receiving recognition not only for
excellence in teaching and learning, but also for making
valuable contributions to that knowledge base.
Again, I strongly support SoTL at Western and I encourage
all of us to become actively involved in it.
 Dr. Scott Philyaw, History. When I first heard
about SoTL my initial reaction was, “That’s nice,
but who has the time? Besides, I already spend a lot of my
time talking about teaching.” Most of us at WCU routinely
discuss our teaching. Our conversations about teaching take
place in offices and hallways. Typically, they are relatively
informal chats with our departmental colleagues that focus
on a class that went well, or a particular problem that we
have just experienced. Sometimes we may compare our reactions
to the latest Faculty Forum. Occasionally, we may discuss our
teaching with colleagues from other disciplines.
These conversations are useful and enjoyable - but they
are also limited to their participants. Rarely do we take
these conversations about teaching to the next level as we
do with our research. In the same way that our research benefits
from the process of presentation and publication, so too
may our teaching. When you participate in the Scholarship
of Teaching and Learning you will become part of a much larger
dialogue as you share your ideas, questions and concerns
with other, like-minded professionals. Will SoTL replace
the myriad of personal conversations that we have about our
teaching? Of course not. But, it will enhance them to everyone’s
benefit.
 Dr.
Robert Caruso, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
SoTL at Western has tremendous potential for influencing the teaching and learning
process at Western. The Student Affairs Division strongly supports this initiative.
Of particular value is the initiative’s focus on:
- teaching excellence and creative approaches to pedagogy
- holistic learning which incorporates student experiences
from both the curriculum and co-curriculum
- the connection of learning to Liberal Studies learning
outcomes which Western expects of all its students
- research on the learning process, including such areas
as learning styles, co-curricular factors in learning,
and peer influences on learning
- the relationship of student academic goal achievement
to student satisfaction, retention, and interest in life-long
learning
 Dr. Gayle Miller, English. When
I began my college teaching career, all that I knew about
effective teaching came from teachers who had inspired me.
And I hoped to model my teaching after theirs. But what I
have come to realize is that there are many types of teachers
- and not all are effective. There are those who blaze like
comets across the sky, gifted in the way of great poets,
artists, and musicians; and those who try very hard to be
better at what they do, but frequently lack the resources
and encouragement to do so.
We would all like to be considered in the first category;
but no matter how hard we try, we may never reach this goal
for this kind of teaching is not learned, but is a gift.
The second type, I suspect, is the category that most of
us fall into. And, ironically, this category is the one for
which we are best prepared. For if we can master the rigors
of our academic discipline, then surely we can master the
science of effective teaching. And if we do scholarship in
our academic discipline - because this advances knowledge
in our field of study - surely we can do scholarship in teaching
skills and learning styles in order not only to become more
effective teachers, but also to advance knowledge in this
field.
Our promise to our students states, "Teaching and learning
constitute the central mission of Western Carolina University." SoTL
challenges us to keep our promise by encouraging us to do
so.
 Dr.
Noelle Kehrberg, Dean, College of Applied Sciences.
As dean of the College of Applied Sciences, I am proud
to endorse and support the Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning at Western (SoTL at Western) initiative. The mission
of the college is to provide quality education for a variety
of professional careers and teaching is our primary faculty
activity. Therefore, the college has a strong and proud
history of striving for excellence in teaching and learning.
SoTL will provide an excellent forum to further explore,
enhance, and improve teaching effectiveness and student
learning both within the college and across the university
campus. I am pleased to make a public commitment to promote
the scholarship of teaching and learning and encourage
faculty to become involved in this exciting and worthwhile
initiative.
 Dr. A.M. Turay, Dean, Research and Graduate
Studies – The Graduate School
The Graduate School is proud to support the new Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning program at Western Carolina University. We believe that this program
will complement the Graduate School’s program to promote the importance
of linking teaching and research in the classroom.
This program will surely encourage the sharing of ideas
for teaching and learning experiences throughout the campus.
The Graduate School staff, graduate student instructors and
graduate faculty will work with Dr. Alan Altany, Director
of the Coulter Faculty Center and Dr. John Habel, the SOTL
at Western coordinator to advance our commitment to excellence
in teaching and learning at Western Carolina University.
The university community welcomes the SOTL initiative. Congratulations
to Dr. Alan Altany for his leadership in this endeavor.
 Dr. Newt Smith, English; Chair of the Faculty Senate
When I began teaching I had no training and little preparation.
The new T.A.s were assembled, we were handed a suggested
syllabus, we received an instructor’s edition of
the text, and after a brief speech about plagiarism we
received our schedules and room assignments. Three hours
later I stood before a class of freshmen just as bewildered
about what they were to do as I was.
Sadly, few of us college professors ever got guidance on
how to teach and how students learn. The focus had always
been on the content of the discipline, and our only model
of how a class should be conducted was from our own professors
whose introduction to teaching was as abrupt and inadequate
as our own.
Teaching is our most important mission, and scholarship
is one of our expected roles. The scholarship of teaching
and learning is at the core of what we do. We must understand
how students learn and how we can improve our teaching if
we hope to enhance knowledge, continue our profession, and
do our jobs well. We should all participate in the Scholarship
of Teaching and Learning at WCU Initiative.
 Dr.
Jill Ghnassia, Dean, Honors College
Western’s participation in the American Association for Higher Education
(AAHE) / Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (CASTL)
Campus Program as part of the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning at Western
(SoTL at Western) initiative reaffirms the University’s mission and commitment
to students and their learning. Students now enrolling at Western are the most
academically qualified in its history, and they will expect courses that speak
to their world now and in the future, courses that involve service learning,
interdisciplinary learning for the integration of knowledge, experiential and
peer learning opportunities, and advanced technological skills.
Our participation in the AAHE/CASTL Campus Program affords faculty the opportunity
to engage in the research of teaching and learning and in discussions about
new educational environments beyond the traditional model of instruction in
the classroom; higher education in the twenty-first century will demand different
instructional roles and educational arenas. I believe that a result of this
ongoing process at WCU will be not only improved student learning and retention,
but research and publication about teaching and learning by faculty engaged
in the Program, resulting in the emergence of a new generation of Teacher-Scholars.
Their visibility through innovative courses, publications, and community outreach
may just lead to a generation of Americans with deep and abiding respect for
the profession of teaching. The Honors College is pleased to support the efforts
of this new University initiative, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
at Western Carolina University.
 Dr.
Robert Vartabedian, Dean, College of Arts and
Sciences
My first full-time teaching job was nearly 30 years ago. Some things have stayed
the same, but many things have changed -- and changed drastically. Indeed,
the instructional options available to us today are truly amazing. We are quite
fortunate to have a Teaching Center devoted to assisting us in fine-tuning
the various options that we face today. Also, what a wonderful opportunity
we have for open discussions of the issues that concern us all.
Accordingly, I am very supportive of this new initiative
labeled: "The Scholarship of Teaching & Learning
at Western Carolina University (SoTL at Western)." The
goals, benefits, and activities of this initiative are fundamental
to what we do in the academic environment and what we aspire
to be.
 Bruce Henderson, Psychology
A successful college professor has to be a scholar. Obvious?
Yes, but misleadingly so. College professors need to be
scholars of their disciplines. That is what is meant by “scholarship” in
most discussions in higher education. But the effective
professor is a scholar in another way. The other half of
scholarship consists of “going to school” on
the nature of learning, on the nature of individual differences
in students, and on the many ways that the teacher-student
relationship can be enhanced. Until relatively recently
professors were on their own in finding the best ways to
teach. The development of a literature on the scholarship
of teaching and learning in higher education has changed
that unfortunate circumstance.
For at least 17 years there have been discussions in Cullowhee
around the need to systematize faculty development in regard
to the second half of scholarship. Under the direction of
the Faculty Center, many useful efforts have moved us along.
It seems a good time to bring those efforts to maturity.
I fully support this new initiative, SoTL at Western, as
a means of doing so.
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