The Provost’s Office is pleased to announce that Professor Craig Owens, professor of English, has been appointed the Director of Drake’s Center for Teaching Excellence. The appointment to this position is for a three-year period, with the possibility of renewal.

Associate Provost Arthur Sanders said: “We are excited that Craig has taken this position. We had a strong pool of applicants from which he emerged. In his application, his vision of the Center was a place that focused on promoting effective, efficient, and enjoyable teaching and learning at Drake, and he outlined a number of activities designed to achieve that vision. I look forward to working with him as he works to implement that vision.”

Craig expressed enthusiasm for taking on this role. “For as long as I can remember, teaching has felt like a calling for me. Since I came to Drake in 2003, I have been motivated by faculty, administrative staff, and coaches’ strong commitment to teaching and to a university culture where every encounter presents opportunities for learning.” He further noted that he is “thrilled—and, honestly, a little nervous to have this chance to help advance that culture and to build lasting resources for sustaining it in the coming years.”

Craig says that his top priorities in the near term include learning about the many teaching support resources already available on campus, consulting with members of the campus community to find out more about both urgent and long-term teaching support needs, instituting a teaching mentorship corps, and securing donor and foundation support for the Center’s efforts.

We congratulate Professor Owens on his appointment as the inaugural Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence.

— Arthur Sanders, Associate Provost