“The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.”—Mortimer Adler

The world of academia works to foster the education and growth of scholars at every stage of their journey. Here at Southwestern, it is important that this sentiment encapsulates more than just our students; it extends to the exploration and growth of our faculty as well. To gain a deeper understanding of the teacher-scholar model and how faculty on our campus are actively invested in enhancing student learning, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Maria Lazo, Director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship (CTLS).

Visiting Dr. Lazo’s corner of Southwestern in the library sandbox opened an entire world of possibilities and insight into faculty engagement and career growth. The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship is committed to fostering a community and culture of continuous professional growth and collaboration among Southwestern faculty. Emulating the approach and framework of grassroots organizations, the CTLS prides itself on the power of direct connection, engaging in conversation, and building community.

This process of development and connecting with faculty starts with meeting faculty where they are. Dr. Lazo shared with me that when collaborating with faculty members, professors are truly able to tailor their learning, teaching, and service opportunities to not only their own scholarly and creative work but also to the needs and interests of their students. Teaching is not one-size-fits-all. There is no formula to becoming the “perfect professor”. In fact, teaching and education are ever-evolving and can be experimental!

Through the teacher-scholar framework, Southwestern faculty are able to develop new approaches to teaching, implement these innovative models in the classroom, and assess how their effectiveness impacts students. Much like faculty research, professors are able to intentionally curate and produce evidence-based teaching and learning practices that diversify the enrichment of their disciplines as well as connect with students and communities beyond. A formalized iteration of this process, should faculty decide to take this route, includes publishing articles and research on the impact of the models they have implemented in their classrooms. This formal process, called the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), enables faculty to systematically investigate what works, why it works, and how the student experience can be improved in the classroom, all grounded in evidence. This approach not only helps faculty become more intentional and reflective in their practice, but it also contributes to broader knowledge in the field and can lead to innovations that improve student learning across contexts.

Similar to Public Engagement, one of the avenues of innovative and enriching learning is through collaboration and community partnerships. This looks like assisting faculty and staff in developing courses, curricula, scholarly projects, and initiatives that support and invite in our local community. Dr. Lazo stressed that in a collaboration of this nature, community organizations are brought in as equal partners. CTLS encourages faculty to connect first with the members of the organizations and nonprofits they collaborate with on a human level. Dr. Lazo shared with me, “They [community agencies] know the community.” Our community partners are embedded within Williamson County on a daily basis and are familiar with the challenges or issues of access facing the population, along with what steps need to be taken to counteract these barriers. The role of our campus community is to listen to what their challenges are and “go out and be willing to participate in what others are doing.” A student’s learning and experience in the classroom has the power to be impactful far beyond the duration of a course, but can have real material effects on their community.

The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship has an exciting new project on the horizon as it continues to highlight faculty work, research, and service. This summer, Dr. Lazo and her team will begin production on their podcast initiative, Scholars @ Southwestern! Slated to launch in August 2025 at the Fall Faculty Conference, supported by the university, the podcast series will feature 30-minute episodes in conversation with Southwestern faculty and staff involved in teaching, learning, and scholarship. In an effort to make the work of higher education more accessible, the podcast will be public-facing, available on all streaming platforms. Here, faculty will have the opportunity to provide listeners with a deeper dive into their projects, innovative models, community partnerships, and passions!

We in Public Engagement can’t wait to see how the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship continues to grow, support faculty endeavors, and student enrichment. This work is invaluable to our campus and larger community, fostering growth, engagement, and connection.