WCU Stories      January 22, 2019

Elaine “Eli” Collins-Brown, founding director of the Center for Innovative and Transformative Instruction at Winston-Salem State University, has been named the new director of the Coulter Faculty Commons at Western Carolina University.

The appointment of Collins-Brown was announced by Brandon Schwab, WCU associate provost for academic affairs. She will begin her duties at WCU on Friday, March 1.

Collins-Brown has more than 20 years of experience in higher education focused on faculty development and instructional technology, Schwab said. Before moving to Winston-Salem State, she served as director of the Office of Faculty Development at Western Michigan University. “Her rich experience working with faculty and with educational technology gives her a strong understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in leading an integrated faculty center like the CFC,” Schwab said.

Located in Hunter Library, Coulter Faculty Commons supports teaching and learning at the university with professional development for faculty, pedagogy, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and educational technology. The staff represents both the Academic Affairs and Information Technology divisions. The CFC was originally endowed by a former WCU chancellor and his wife, the late Myron L. “Barney” Coulter and the late Barbara Coulter.

Collins-Brown earned her doctorate in curriculum and instruction at Illinois State University with a focus on educational and instructional technology, instructional design, and web-based and online course design and facilitation. At Winston-Salem State, she has served as a member of the Provost’s Council, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Leadership Team, the Student Success Collaborative Leadership Team and the Active Learning Classroom Committee.

For more information about Coulter Faculty Commons, visit its website.