Welcome to Smith Center for Faculty Excellence
We are so glad you stopped by!
Our Mission
Established through the generous support of Kathy (’71) and Alton Smith, the Smith Center for Faculty Excellence fosters collaborative teacher-scholar engagement to empower faculty and drive student success. Grounded in five core pillars, our mission is to:
- Cultivate the next generation of faculty
- Advance pedagogical excellence
- Foster a vibrant teacher-scholar community
- Support scholarly endeavors
- Elevate and champion faculty success
Currently, we fulfill our mission by providing an extended orientation as well as mentoring to first-year faculty and through Faculty Learning Communities, Scholarship Roundtables, Teaching Circle, Smith Center Conversations, various workshops, book clubs, and one-on-one consultations available to all faculty. In addition, our website is designed to be a 24/7 resource that serves both full-time and part-time faculty looking for ideas, advice, or inspiration related to teaching and learning.
Our Vision
To cultivate faculty excellence in teaching, mentorship, and scholarship, empowering them as transformative educators who inspire OWU students to achieve their aspirations, impact the world, and lead fulfilling lives.
Our Impact
Read the 2025-2026 Smith Center Impact Report
Meet Our New Faculty (2026-27)
We are excited to welcome six new tenure-track Assistant Professors and one Visiting Assistant Professor to our teacher-scholar community. Meet Esther Akheituame (Journalism and Communication), Caio Batista de Melo (Math/CS), Hayden Bishop (Chemistry), Matthew Bowser (History), Leslie MacColman (Sociology), Abby Trollinger (History), and Patrick Wensink (English).
The first photo from left to right, starting with the back row: Patrick Wensink, Matt Bowser, Caio Batista de Melo, Hayden Bishop, Abby Trollinger, Esther Akheituame, Leslie MacColman