Faculty Ambassadors: 2013-2014

Each department/division chair at KU has been invited to identify a liaison, called an Ambassador, to the Center. These individuals are chosen because they are seen as strong advocates for the University’s teaching mission and, equally important, because they are respected by their colleagues for their teaching. Ambassadors connect CTE to faculty within each department. They help CTE fulfill its mission in several ways, by:

• Guiding the Center in the development of its programs. Ambassadors tell CTE what’s going on in departments. They serve as a sounding board for ideas, and they reflect the needs and interests of their colleagues.
• Communicating information about CTE to department faculty. Both formally and informally, Ambassadors let their colleagues know what’s going on at CTE. They share updates with them, and they encourage them to participate in CTE workshops and discussion forums.
• Advocating the University’s teaching mission within their departments. Ambassadors do this is various ways, such as by mentoring new faculty, emphasizing the importance of teaching at key points (during faculty searches, for example), and occasionally facilitating CTE sessions at the New GTA Conference, KU Summit, or Lunch & Conversation. In addition, Ambassadors are often the first point of contact for cross-disciplinary work among the faculty and are a source of information about their departments for activities such as these.