Award-Winning English Professor Elected to National Teaching and Learning Society

An award-winning English professor at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) has been elected as the new representative for Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and PEI on a national association that is dedicated to the improvement of post-secondary teaching and learning. Dr. Shannon Murray is the first UPEI professor to represent the region on the steering committee of Canada's Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE).

Murray has taught Renaissance Literature, Drama, and Children's Literature for the past 14 years. She was one of the founders of the First-Year Advantage Program (FYA) at UPEI. Designed to develop critical thinking skills, FYA gives students special opportunities to become known as individuals to one another and to their professors. "The program is a popular choice for first-year students looking for a shared focus and intellectual challenge in a more intimate, community setting," she explains.

Murray first received national recognition for her commitment to excellence in teaching in 2001 when she was awarded a prestigious 3M Teaching Fellowship by STLHE and 3M Canada. The 3M distinction is reserved for a select group of faculty across Canada who excel in teaching, leadership, and the development of academic programs. UPEI has celebrated an unparalleled four 3M Teaching Award winners in five years.

"UPEI supports faculty members' commitment to quality teaching through the Faculty Development Office of the Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning," explains the Director, Dr. Barbara Campbell. "We offer resources to assist them in creating new and exciting methods of teaching and connecting with their students. Shannon Murray is a creative teacher who has coordinated many unique projects. Her leadership and commitment will be invaluable in her national position with STLHE and we are delighted to support her."

The national council of 3M Canada has selected Murray as the 2007 facilitator of the annual retreat for 3M award-winning faculty that takes place in Montebello, Quebec. She will also be an instructor with UPEI's unique Faculty Development Summer Institute on Active Learning and Teaching which celebrates its 24th year of faculty professional development this year.