Volume 2, Issue 2 - Spring 2025
"Highlighting Excellence in Action at the Dietrich School and CGS"
New Development Leave Policy Provides Important Opportunity for Appointment Stream Faculty
In Fall 2024, Eugene Wagner joined the Dietrich School’s leadership team as Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs with a focus on Appointment Stream Faculty.
The responsibilities of the assistant dean—a position created by Dean Adam Leibovich—include developing workshops and events; advising chairs and directors on mentoring practices; advocating for appointment-stream faculty; and, improving communication between the dean’s office and appointment-stream faculty.
Since stepping into this new role, Wagner, a Teaching Professor in the Dietrich School’s Department of Chemistry, has applied his experience as a long-time appointment stream faculty member to introduce key professional development opportunities for these vital members of our community of learners. Among Wagner’s notable efforts is implementing a new paid professional development leave policy for full-time appointment-stream faculty, an initiative approved as part of the collective bargaining unit.
Offers Wagner, “The professional development leave program provides faculty in the appointment stream with a valuable opportunity to focus on scholarly work and curriculum development projects that support the University's educational and service missions.”
The Dietrich School supported 14 proposals this inaugural year, reflecting a rich and diverse range of projects across disciplines. Themes include inclusive teaching, interdisciplinary research, global and local cultural studies, digital and experiential learning, and advancing diversity in STEM and the humanities.
According to Wagner, “These projects highlight the depth and breadth of talent across the Dietrich School. The program also affirms our ongoing commitment to supporting appointment-stream faculty whose work enriches student learning and advances the University’s mission.”
Says Teaching Professor Brett Wells from the Dietrich School’s Department of French and Italian, whose proposal was among those approved, “I am very thankful to the University to have this wonderful opportunity to create, assemble and develop free access teaching materials for my French classes that focus on language varieties and dialects of French from all over the world. It is my hope that Pitt students and instructors alike will be able to use them and benefit from them.”
Adds Laura Zapanta, Teaching Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, “I am looking forward to this opportunity professionally because it will provide the time to re-evaluate and redesign my course to meet the needs of the current students and work on curriculum materials that have been percolating in the back of my mind for years but that I never seem to have time to develop with my teaching load. Personally, I am looking forward to attending conferences and having time to focus on just one thing at a time. I’m also planning to spend lots of time outdoors to refresh myself as well as my course.”
Michelle Morgan, Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, concurs. "Being granted this valuable opportunity allows me to advance my research on fostering students' scientific writing skills, with a particular emphasis on the effective integration of AI tools into a writing-intensive curriculum. My objective is to empower students to leverage this technology to further enhance their existing writing capabilities. Without this leave, the research and implementation of this technological advancement into my courses would take a longer time to complete."
Leibovich believes the development leaves will ultimately benefit the entire school. “The hope is that our appointment stream faculty will come back with great ideas, reinvigorated and will incorporate things that they did during the semester leave and bring those things into the classroom.”
Teaching Professor Leslie Hammond from the Department of History, who will be using her development leave in the fall, echoes the Dean’s enthusiasm.
“Teaching is my first love, but I have to admit that I’m really looking forward to my faculty development semester this fall. Having taught every semester including summers since 2001, I’m excited to take a term and dedicate it to developing and redeveloping courses and reading to catch up in my field (Modern European Intellectual History). Additionally, not teaching next semester gives me a more open schedule to develop a community engagement component for a new course that I have in mind. It also gives me time to visit sites and archives that are important for new and existing courses. I’m not only excited about the faculty development semester, but I’m also looking forward to returning to the classroom with new ideas and approaches and a whole new course to offer our Pitt undergrads!”
Encouraging Innovation, Sustaining Curiosity - Seminar in Composition Faculty Fellows
Our Department of English’s composition program is nationally recognized for helping students use composition as a mode of thinking, a way to navigate complex themes in reading materials, and an avenue to express themselves. Virtually every first-year student at the University takes Seminar in Composition, making it a signature part of the undergraduate experience at Pitt.
Now, a new Dietrich School initiative will build on this rich history by helping students understand writing through a variety of disciplinary lenses, from biological sciences to history to religious studies.
This spring, the Dietrich School welcomed the inaugural cohort of Seminar in Composition (SC) Faculty Fellows. The goal of the SC Faculty Fellows program is to increase the disciplinary diversity of Seminar in Composition. Faculty Fellows from a range of departments will design and teach a course for student writers informed by their own disciplinary training and keyed to an engaging theme. All sections of Seminar in Composition, regardless of who teaches them, will still share the same four learning goals, which are essential for student success at the university level.
Hannah Johnson, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Recruitment and Professor in the Department of English, spearheaded this initiative and Jennifer Keating—Teaching Professor in the English department and Writing in the Disciplines Specialist at the Institute for Writing Excellence—is serving as Faculty Facilitator for the SC Faculty Fellows program. Keating’s significant experience in curriculum design and faculty development uniquely positions her for this new role.
The program officially launched in March with an event to introduce the new faculty fellows and recognize the professional and pedagogical work they’re taking on. Over the next few months, the group will participate in various trainings and exercises, including work focused on developing syllabi and assignments. The plan is to have them start teaching in the next academic year.
The eight inaugural fellows (Brock Bahler, Teaching Professor, Department of Religious Studies; Ellen Kelsey, Teaching Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences;
- Bridget Keown, Teaching Assistant Professor, Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies;
- Vipin Anantha Krishna, Teaching Assistant Professor, Department of History;
- Michelle Morgan, Teaching Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry;
- Stephanie Nygard, Teaching Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience;
- Lucas Riddle, Assistant Professor, Department of German; and Ana Sekulic, Teaching Assistant Professor, Department of History) underwent a rigorous application and screening process before being selected.
Says Keating, “We were looking for people who were invested in teaching at the undergraduate level, deeply committed to pedagogy, passionate about working with first-year students, and willing to open themselves up to new opportunities and practices. We have a rich and dynamic community of faculty who will be offering students some fantastic and diverse options.”
Keating credits the Dean Adam Leibovich for his willingness to take on the challenges of a new program, including providing resources and training.
“This is an opportunity to build on existing strengths, support innovation, and focus on a sustainable program,” offers Keating.
Says Leibovich, “The SC Faculty Fellows program reinforces our school-wide commitment to undergraduate teaching and learning. It’s a new and creative way of teaching robust writing skills while offering students an opportunity for multidisciplinary exposure. In the years to come, we look forward to expanding the program to include Faculty Fellows from even more departments and disciplines so that a growing number of our students can learn the essentials of composition while focusing on subjects they may want to major in, minor in, or just explore more fully.”
Dietrich Awards Recognize Teaching, Advising Excellence
Each spring, the Dietrich School and CGS recognize faculty and staff for exemplary contributions to undergraduate teaching and advising.
Established in 2006, the Ampco-Pittsburgh Prize is awarded each spring to outstanding faculty and staff advisors at the Dietrich School. The award was endowed with a gift from Robert Paul, Chairman Emeritus of Ampco-Pittsburgh and an emeritus trustee of Pitt, and winners receive a one-time $4,000 cash award.
The 2025 Ampco-Pittsburgh honorees are Ellen Kelsey, Teaching Associate Professor and Undergraduate Advisor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and Angela Petsis, Academic Advisor in the Academic Advising Center.
In his remarks at the awards ceremony, Dean Adam Leibovich said, “Our advisors set the tone for our students’ academic journey, and we rely on them to convey not only course information and career advice, but a sense of belonging and value. Ellen and Angela are uniquely suited for this important work.”
He noted that while this year’s winners work with students at different stages of their academic journeys, the nominations and letters of support they received from colleagues and current and former students contained very similar themes.
“Both of our winners were described as kind, knowledgeable, and patient. Passionate about learning. Eager to go above and beyond. Willing to innovate to help improve the advising experience. Able to inspire and empower students to become their best selves. In particular, our honorees were described again and again as compassionate and encouraging. In letter after letter, students talked about the ways Ellen and Angela established real connections with them—over shared interests and shared challenges. And how during times of struggle, when they were anxious or feeling lost, their conversations with Ellen and Angela made them feel appreciated and cared for.”
The Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence Awards—established in 1998 with a gift from Dietrich School alumnus, David Bellet (A&S '67) and his wife Tina, and endowed in 2008 through the family's further generosity—recognize outstanding and innovative teaching in undergraduate studies in the Dietrich School. Each fall, students and faculty are encouraged to submit nominations with honorees being announced in the spring. Each award recipient receives a one-time cash prize of $10,000.
The 2025 Bellet Award winners are Erika Fanselow, Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, and Marylou Gramm, Teaching Professor from the Department of English.
In one of Fanselow’s award nomination letters, a former student who is currently pursuing a PhD in neuroscience at NYU wrote, “I’ve always loved neuroscience, and I’ve always loved teaching, but I had never been convinced I could do either, until I met Dr. Fanselow. Dr. Fanselow is one of the most dedicated and talented educators I have encountered. Her innovative teaching methods, ability to address students' challenges, and commitment to mentorship make her an outstanding candidate for the Teaching Excellence Award.”
Another recent graduate wrote in support of Gramm, saying, “Professor Marylou always offers generous help and support to make her students succeed. When I approached her seeking guidance for my career development, she encouraged me to explore what I am interested in and offered me an incredible opportunity: becoming her Undergraduate Teaching Assistant. She encouraged me to lead an entire class, entrusting me with the responsibility to plan and lead a class. Her encouragement and belief in my potential made me find my passion for second language acquisition and cross-cultural communications, enlightening my academic journey and prompting me to apply for a PhD. This experience not only fostered my love for education but also gave me the courage to embrace challenges in life.”
This year’s Bellet ceremony marked the 25th anniversary of the awards, and during his remarks at the event, Leibovich—a Bellet Award winner in 2010—noted the far-reaching impact the recognition has had on the lives and careers of the recipients.
“In the two and a half decades since Tina and David Bellet established these awards to recognize excellence and innovation in undergraduate teaching, we have celebrated more than 60 honorees across all faculty ranks, representing all three of our academic divisions, and scholarly disciplines ranging from Anthropology to Urban Studies. Some of those winners have gone on to be department chairs. Program directors. Assistant and associate deans. And in a few cases, even Deans.”