Wesleyan professors Dr. Tyler M. Schwaller, assistant professor of religious studies and Ackerman/Hurdle Chaplaincy Chair, and Dr. Holly Cole, assistant professor of psychology, were selected as 2019-2020 Governor’s Teaching Fellows for the academic year symposium program. As two of only 18 faculty members from institutions of higher education across the state, Schwaller and Cole were selected after a highly competitive application and selection process. 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.
Schwaller earned a master’s of divinity and a doctorate of theology from Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is an ordained deacon in The United Methodist Church, with membership in the Iowa Annual Conference.
Cole earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in experimental psychology from the University of Arkansas. Her research combines cognitive and social psychology. She is particularly interested in how social interactions and social pressures may influence a person’s memory.
The Governor’s Teaching Fellows Program is an outreach program of the 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 statewide effort to enhance instruction in public and private higher education is very much in keeping with the University of Georgia's traditional mission as a land-grant institution committed to diversified outreach and public service.
To date, more than 75 different disciplines, professions, and teaching areas have been represented by over 600 Fellows from more than 70 public and private institutions statewide. To learn more about the 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.