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SSU Faculty Members Selected as Governor’s Teaching Fellows


SSU Faculty Members Selected as Governor’s Teaching Fellows
Dr. Serajul I. Bhuiyan and Mr. Frank J. Mendelson Attended May Symposium

Savannah State University’s Dr. Serajul I. Bhuiyan Mr. Frank J. Mendelson were selected as a Governor’s Teaching Fellow for the May 2024 Symposium, "Artificial Intelligence in the Holistic Classroom." The symposium focuses on tools, strategies, and ethical practices for integrating AI into course instruction to develop students’ capacity to understand and use AI effectively and responsibly.

As two of 16 faculty members from institutions of higher education across the state, Bhuiyan and Mendelson were selected in a highly competitive application and review process. Each selected fellow was endorsed by their institution’s president or provost and provided compelling evidence of instructional innovation. Fellows represent a diverse range of Georgia institutions and disciplinary fields.

Bhuiyan, a professor of Mass Communications, teaches such courses as mass media and society, introduction to multimedia and communication technology, introduction to communications theory, and multimedia computer applications. In addition to serving as professor of mass communications, Bhuiyan is the former chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Mendelson, a lecturer in SSU’s College of Business Administration, has taken an active role in advancing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) over the past year through the Faculty Senate, working with SSU librarians and including AI topics in his own curricula. In addition to serving as lecturer, Mendelson is the co-advisor for the student organization College Entrepreneurs Networking Toward Success (C.E.N.T.S.). He is also the former academic coordinator for the First-Year Experience program.

Each May, Governor’s Teaching Fellows attend an intense one-week seminar on the University of Georgia campus. The symposium includes structured faculty development sessions facilitated by experts, instructional design activities, collaboration with faculty peers from other institutions, and independent study reflective of each participant’s needs and interests. Fellows receive a stipend to assist with travel expenses and meals. Lodging is provided by the Governor's Teaching Fellows Program. The Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program also offers an academic year program in which fellows design or re-design a course during six multi-day seminars from September to April.

The Governor's Teaching Fellows Program was established in 1995 by Zell Miller, governor of Georgia, 1991-1999, to provide Georgia's higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing important teaching skills. Governor Miller envisioned that this program would address faculty members' pressing need to use emerging technologies and instructional tools that are becoming increasingly important for learning today.

The Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program is an outreach program of the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. To improve the quality of instruction in Georgia's colleges and universities, the Governor's Teaching Fellows Program assumes the complex challenge of moving college faculty members to the leading edge of instructional practice. This effort to enhance instruction in public and private higher education statewide is very much in keeping with the University of Georgia's mission as a land-grant institution committed to diversified outreach and public service.

To learn more about the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education and the Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program, including information on how to apply, go to http://ihe.uga.edu/programs/governors-teaching-fellows.

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