University Teaching Fellows CFP 2026-27
Background:
In August 1995, the Academic Council endorsed the establishment of the Seton Hall University Teaching Fellows Program. The prototype was a program started a generation prior, in 1974, and funded by the Lilly Endowment. The Seton Hall UTF program ran from 1996 through 2003; it was subsequently reinstituted by the Center for Faculty Development in 2017.
Goals:
The purpose of the program is threefold:
- to promote excellence in teaching and learning
- to provide support and a sense of community at the university for early career faculty
- to develop future faculty leadership for the university
Eligibility: Applicants must be untenured or early career, non-tenure-track Assistant Professors, Lecturers, or Instructors, and they must have the endorsement of their department chair and dean.
Outcomes:
- Fellows will cultivate a lifelong concern for and commitment to teaching and student learning.
- Fellows will become a “critical mass” of scholars who will influence the University at-large to promote excellence in teaching and learning and act as innovators to ensure continuous improvement in the quality of teaching and student learning over time.
- Fellows will become informed about national issues in higher education and will connect those issues both to their own work in teaching and learning and to the mission of Seton Hall University.
Program:
Participants will be expected to:
1. Attend a monthly seminar for the academic year, which includes assigned readings on topics that include the scholarship of teaching, student-centered teaching and learning, and how to balance the various aspects of faculty life.
2. Develop an individual curricular or pedagogical project that contributes to student learning. Fellows will work both individually and collaboratively to identify and develop their project during the 2025-26 academic year and implement it in at least one of their courses during the 2026-27 academic year.
3. Submit a two-to-three-page summary of their project and the impact of the UTF program on their teaching and student learning. This report should be submitted to the Director of the UTF program and the CFD Director no later than August 15, 2027.
4. Participate in a CFD workshop about their curricular project and the UTF program in the fall 2027 semester.
Compensation/Stipend: Fellows will receive a stipend of $1000 for their participation in the UTF program. The stipend will be paid in two installments, in January 2027 and in June 2027.
Selection Process: Up to eight Fellows will be appointed for the 2025-26 academic year. Fellows will be selected on the basis of:
- Evidence of a commitment to and innovations in teaching and learning
- Clarity about what they would like to learn about the teaching and learning process during the Fellowship year
- Evidence of potential to contribute substantively to the work of the Fellows, based on experience and expertise.
Applications will be reviewed and recommendations will be made by the Director of the University Teaching Fellows, Dr. Judith Stark, and the Director of the Center for Faculty Development, Dr. Mary Balkun.
Applications (see below) should be submitted to Judith Stark judith.stark@shu.edu and Mary Balkun mary.balkun@shu.edu no later than August 15, 2026.
UNIVERSITY TEACHING FELLOWS APPLICATION
Name:
Department:
Faculty Designation (tenure track Asst. Professor, non-tenure-track Asst. Professor, lecturer, faculty associate, instructor, clinical faculty):
Attachments:
____ Brief curriculum vitae that includes a listing of courses taught and developed.
____ Syllabus or sample of learning materials that reflect your approach to teaching and student learning.
____ Brief statement (maximum 500 words) detailing a pedagogical issue(s) or area(s) on which you would like to focus during the Fellowship period and what you would contribute to the UTF cohort.