Dana Stewart will be taking some time off from MSU next year, but she will be busy with a new role.
Stewart, chairperson of the Department of Human Environment and Design, has been named an American Council on Education Fellow for 2001-02.
As one of 33 fellows selected from a national competition, Stewart will spend a year studying her topic of choice - technology and online-based education.
Stewart, who is also a professor in the College of Human Ecology, said she’s thrilled to be selected, but credits MSU for the honor.
“This is not a personal victory for me,” she said. “MSU has been a real leader in this area and so I have to say that is what made it possible for me.”
Beginning in August, Stewart will pair up with senior administrators at a host institution, which is still unknown to her, to begin her studies.
She will also travel to other institutions and corporations to study various models of virtual education.
“I’m looking for what has been learned, what we can learn and what might be learned in the future,” she said.
The American Council on Education Fellows program is a national professional development program in higher education that provides selected faculty and administrators with the skills and experience to manage change.
“The ACE fellowship is an excellent opportunity for both Professor Stewart and Michigan State,” said Paul Hunt, vice provost for Libraries, Computing and Technology.
“As technology continues to evolve, it is important that leading faculty members explore its implications for how we teach and learn.”
Stewart said she’s looking forward to bringing back new knowledge about technology in higher education, but also to enhance her leadership skills.
And she feels that may be possible by working with senior administrators at her host institution.
“I hope to achieve a more thorough understanding of how decisions are made and how policies are formed,” she said.
“I have been told by former participants that this has been the most life-changing experience of a person’s academic career.”
