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2012-2015 Core Committee Self-Nomination Statements
Name: Joseph "Mick" La Lopa
Title: Associate Professor & Department Chair, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Institution: Purdue University
I have been an active member of POD for close to 10 years, if my memory serves me correctly. Over that time I have been a presenter at the annual conference, served as a reviewer for conference submissions, and reviewed manuscripts for the To Improve the Academy. I have also had two manuscripts accepted for Essays on Teaching.
Since joining the faculty in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue in 1996, I have been involved with faculty development in the following ways:
Delivered specialized workshops sponsored by the Center for Instructional Excellence on such topics as Cooperative Learning and Problem-Based Learning.
Co-founder of the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Group that was formally recognized as the first-ever affiliate of the Center for Instructional Excellence at Purdue, 5/99. The group was active for five years to promote PBL on and off campus.
Conducted workshops as part of the Provost's office Focus on Teaching initiative on topics such as Service Learning and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
Worked as a faculty consultant in the Center of Instructional Excellence (CIE) for five years; during that time I regularly conducted SGID's, delivered workshops as part of the College Teaching Workshop Series I and II, and advised faculty on SoTL. I still support the CIE when called upon to do so.
Named the Senior Faculty Member for the Teaching for Tomorrow program out of the provost's office for two consecutive years, which mentors up and coming junior faculty noted for their teaching quality to become even better educators.
Named a Service Learning Faculty Fellow in 2005 due to my integration of Service Learning into my teaching and called upon to mentor others from time to time.
Because many members do not know my background as an educator I thought it would help to include some of the teaching awards and honors I have received while at Purdue as part of my self-nomination:
Voted as one of the top five "Best Professors" by students at Purdue resulting in the spring Reader's Poll conducted by the Exponent (campus newspaper) in 2010.
Inducted into Purdue's Great Book of Teachers in 2008.
Awarded the John Wiley & Sons Award for Innovation in Teaching which recognizes an International CHRIE member for the individual's implementation of innovative, creative, and effective teaching techniques in hospitality education.
Recipient of Purdue's highest teaching award, the Charles B. Murphy University Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Award in 2000.
As part of this self-nomination, nominees have been asked to answer the question "What would you like to see POD accomplish over the next three years?" As evidenced from time to time on the listserv, I am normally one to be overly critical of the status quo and always pushing for fresh and innovative ways to approach teaching and learning. However, I must confess that after reviewing the POD website and reflecting on my time as a POD member, conference presenter, and faculty developer at Purdue, in addition to following the current listserv thread "In Memoriam: 1986-2011," I think the greatest thing POD can do in the next three years is not only expand its membership but vigorously promote the full use of the services it currently offers faculty developers by:
Providing support and services for its members through publications, conferences, consulting, and networking.
Offering services and resources to others interested in faculty development.
Fulfilling an advocacy role, nationally, seeking to inform and persuade educational leaders of the value of faculty, instructional, and organizational development in institutions of higher education.
It is readily apparent to me that there is ample opportunity for members to expand their faculty development skill set by being involved in all that POD has to offer now. I just do not get the sense that members are taking full advantage of the services currently available to themselves and faculty members at their respective campuses. So if I had to come up with an initiative for POD to accomplish over the next three years it would be to aggressively promote its services to members while growing the membership base.
I thank you for your consideration of my self-nomination to the core committee of POD. I promise that I would work very hard to professionally serve an organization that has served me so very well for many years.
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