Laurie Grobman, professor of English and women's studies at Penn State Berks, has been invited to serve on the University’s inaugural cohort of the General Education Faculty Fellows program, an important initiative started by the newly formed Office for General Education that will help faculty to advance General Education curricular design, learning outcomes and assessment, and high-impact teaching and learning practices across the University.
As one of 16 faculty members representing various campuses and academic areas across the University, Grobman will serve in an advisory capacity to the Office for General Education and as a liaison to the Berks academic community. She will be the point person for Berks faculty as they develop or revise courses, identify and share high impact practices for general education, and help lead faculty development that advances student achievement of the University’s general education learning objectives.
The first meeting of the General Education Faculty Fellows was held in November 2016, and Grobman has begun work in her new role, holding several other meetings on campus and an upcoming workshop for faculty to learn more about grants for General Education Integrative Studies in early February.
“The number of Penn State Berks faculty jumping on board to develop new courses for the new ‘Integrative Studies’ general education requirement demonstrates our college’s commitment to providing excellent teaching and learning,” states Grobman. “The liberal arts foundation offered through general education is critical to balancing broad-based and specialized skills and knowledge.”
The Office for General Education was started in August 2016 to develop and lead the General Education curriculum for all undergraduate students at the University and to support faculty development in this area.
In 2014, Grobman was recognized as one of the “best” in American higher education when she was named “Outstanding Baccalaureate College Professor of the Year.” She was one of four national winners of the 2014 U.S. Professors of the Year awards. Sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and administered by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the awards recognize professors for their influence on teaching and commitment to undergraduate students.
In addition, the Grobman has been honored with the Penn State University President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Integration in 2012; she was the first recipient outside University Park campus. She also received the Penn State Faculty Outreach Award in 2015, an award that honors faculty who have positively and substantially affected individuals, organizations, or communities through problem solving or development as a result of extending their scholarship.
