Ohio Wesleyan University is strengthening its commitment to teaching excellence through the selection of Andrea Colvin, Ph.D., as an Academic Leadership Fellow with the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA). Colvin’s fellowship, funded by a GLCA grant, will span the 2026-2028 academic years and support her work as an assistant director in Ohio Wesleyan’s Smith Center for Faculty Excellence, the university’s newly elevated hub for faculty development and teaching innovation. Expanding the Smith Center’s Impact Working with Barbara Bird, Ph.D., director of the Smith Center, Colvin will design and lead initiatives that deepen teaching excellence across the university, including:
- Workshops focused on innovative and inclusive teaching practices
- Expanded humanities faculty and student participation in Ohio Wesleyan’s Summer Scholarship and Research Program
- Two faculty mentoring initiatives for first-year and pre-tenure faculty
- A Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) project supporting faculty in studying and strengthening their own teaching
Strategic Investment in Faculty Excellence Ohio Wesleyan announced the Smith Center for Faculty Excellence in October 2025, following a $10 million philanthropic commitment from Katherine Boles Smith, OWU Class of 1971, and Alton Smith of Raleigh, North Carolina. Colvin, who joined Ohio Wesleyan’s faculty in 2009, is an associate professor of Spanish, chair of the Department of World Languages & Cultures, and director of the Latin American and Latine Studies Program. As a GLCA Academic Leadership Fellow, she will collaborate with faculty leaders from nine other GLCA member institutions. Colvin’s fellowship reflects Ohio Wesleyan’s broader strategy to elevate teaching, support faculty at every career stage, and ensure students benefit from engaged, innovative educators committed to preparing them for lives of purpose and impact.
OWU Sponsoring Organization/Office: Office of Sponsored Research and Projects
Contact: Susan Zimmerman at sezimmerman@owu.edu