Mimi Benjamin, professor in Student Affairs in Higher Education, has been a member of the Center for Teaching Excellence Leadership team for three years, and after thie fall 2021 semester will conclude her service. This article looks back on Professor Benjamin’s contributions to teaching excellence, and wishes her well on sabbatical plans for the spring semester.
Mimi Benjamin initially joined the CTE Leadership Team with a focus on the Preparing Future Faculty program. This program, now on hold, was in partnership with the School of Graduate Studies and Research, and Benjamin was responsible for CTE’s contributions. “I really enjoyed coordinating the PFF program elements. It was fun to be able to interact with graduate students interested in being faculty members and to provide guidance for that process,” said Benjamin.
Following the Preparing Future Faculty program, Benjamin took on the role of co-director of Large-Group Meetings. In this role, Benjamin organized the Reflective Practice Large Group Meetings, monthly gatherings that engage faculty in a topic. One of Benjamin’s favorite Large Group Meetings was last March’s presentation by Dan Weinstein on sketchnoting. In this meeting, faculty explored the technique of taking notes that integrate images and words—a great way to help students creatively organize and recall information.
“I really gain something from every workshop I attend,” said Benjamin. “I think the lessons about active learning and the ways that faculty utilize experiential opportunities in classes are the primary take-aways for me. I always try to think of ways I can transfer and utilize some of their creative ideas in the classes that I teach.”
Following feedback from faculty, this semester's Large-Group Meetings have been offered both in-person and remotely. The sessions this semester have been: “Teaching Circles and Mini-Grants;” “Teaching Strategies for Assisting Students with Absences;” “Open Educational Resources: Where and How to Get Started,” and “Coffee, Cocoa, and Conversation—Reflection on Fall Semester.”
Benjamin will have an exciting spring 2022 semester while on sabbatical at Elon University in North Carolina, working with the division of student affairs. Benjamin was a student affairs administrator for 19 years before becoming a faculty member, and she teaches future student affairs administrators. She looks forward to seeing what is currently happening in the field after having a hiatus from working day-to-day in student affairs. She anticipates bringing back what she learns when she returns to IUP after her sabbatical.
“As for the CTE, I think the current leadership, along with the new additions to the group, will continue to provide outstanding opportunities for faculty, and I look forward to participating in them when I’m back in the fall.”
On behalf of the Center for Teaching Excellence, we thank Professor Mimi Benjamin for her service and contributions to IUP’s faculty excellence.
Large Group Meeting Reminder
Coffee, Cocoa, and Conversation – Reflection on Fall Semester
Join Mimi Benjamin and fellow faculty at the last Large Group Meeting of the semester on Thursday, December 2, 2021, 3:30–4:30 p.m. at Stabley 101.