While summer offers a valuable pause, it’s also an ideal time to look ahead. As you begin thinking about the upcoming academic year, the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning is preparing a range of fall opportunities designed to support, recognize, and celebrate your work. Whether you’re interested in applying for funding, nominating a colleague, or exploring ways to further develop your teaching, there are multiple ways to get involved. Take a look at these opportunities available this fall, along with important details and timelines to help you plan ahead.
As summer begins, we invite you to mark your calendar for our upcoming 41st Faculty Showcase on Teaching & Learning, taking place on August 12, 2026, from 7:30 AM – 1:00 PM on the third floor of the Plaster Student Union.
This year’s event will feature a series of diverse faculty presentations highlighting innovative teaching practices from across disciplines. In addition, we’re pleased to welcome keynote speaker Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark, who will address the timely and important topic of faculty burnout—offering vital insights and strategies to support well-being in academic life.
Registration is open now, and we encourage you to sign up early to reserve your place. To register for Showcase and the Showcase Workshop, select from the links below and navigate to the bottom section for the Session Details. Select the View Details button next to the session and choose Request to register.
Register to Attend the Showcase Workshop
Note: General attendance to the Showcase is limited to 300 attendees. There are limited spots (120 seats) for both the keynote luncheon and keynote workshop with Rebecca Pope-Ruark (learn more about Dr. Pope-Ruark here). Attendees must be registered to participate in either keynote session.
Last week, the FCTL’s very own Dr. Stacy Rice was awarded the Igniting Opportunity 2025-2026 Implementation award! The Igniting Opportunity awards were presented to only 25 individuals campus-wide in recognition of their work furthering any of the five goals of Missouri State University’s strategic plan. Each awardee was given their own award title in recognition of their specific contributions.
Dr. Rice’s award, “The QM Master Award,” was given to her in appreciation of her extensive work with Quality Matters (QM), a premiere quality assurance organization that assists university faculty in improving the conception, design, and presentation of their courses to improve student learning outcomes and experience. In addition to completing extensive QM certifications, Dr. Rice has worked with faculty in MSU to employ QM standards to review and improve their online courses, important work that has gone on to impact the learning experience of countless students.