Jan. 29, 2020
Ann Austin is a professor of higher, adult and lifelong education and associate dean of research in the College of Education. She was recently named one of MSU’s University Distinguished Professors in 2019.
I care a lot about the impact of education in our society.
In the same way that people study businesses or agriculture, I study higher education. I also study faculty – how we carry out our missions, our teaching, our research. I really see the faculty as essential to the quality of the university. We know the faculty career doesn’t just start with their first appointment; it really starts before that.
One of the most exciting parts of my career has been co-leading the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning. We have about forty universities that are all working together to support doctoral students to make sure that our next generation of faculty are prepared to be excellent researchers but also to be excellent teachers at the same time.
Our universities are a place where we can model the kind of equitable society, just society, meaningful communities that we want. If we can do that, we are going to be able to make an even greater contribution to the needs of the world.
Reused with permission from WKAR.