Service to Discipline
The creation of the Human Services Program has been one of my best experiences at Colorado Mountain College. Our communities were asking for more support in Mental Health and CMC responded by building the HMS program. Once a stepping stone to a 4 year degree elsewhere, now we get to work with our students through graduation. Being a part of the development has been an honor, the benefits for the students, college, and our communities are outstanding. Our growth is greater than we expected and has forced us to be proactive and adaptable.
We are building the plane while flying. Creating this program and learning as we go requires significant adaptability and willingness to pivot as we learn. I will do anything needed to aid in the program’s success, like many new ventures, we- don’t know what you don’t know. With great leadership from Program Director Chris Harnden and Dean Anne Moll, and our team we have built something special. Whether it be numerous faculty search committees, building new classes, or presenting at retreats and in-services, I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep this plane flying and thriving.
Teamwork makes the dreamwork. As a new department with a plethora of students, the HMS team relies on one another. I love building relationships with colleagues and am grateful to call them friends.
First, I have been a mentor to a new faculty member, Emily Schenk and supported her (see letter of recommendation). Assisting her has been highly rewarding, she came in as an excellent teacher and it was fun to help her learn the ropes at CMC. I truly value her as a person and team member. I stay connected with all of my departmental colleagues and check in with everyone to see if there is any way that I can support them.
Second, the creation of the Faculty Lead positions have been a great way to collaborate. I have been Faculty Lead for Social Psychology and Psychology of Personality. Essentially, I built a class and shared it with everyone teaching the class, full-time and adjunct. I have this class wrapped and ready to go, instructors can use any of these materials or build on their own. We share everything. I organize and lead monthly meetings with the faculty for check-ins and support. These collaborations have allowed us to build incredible classes as a team. I created the required E-Portfolio assignments that all sections implement. The Faculty Lead model is something the college should be using in all departments.
Third, adjuncts walking into CMC may have never built a class before, this is time consuming and overwhelming. In an attempt to ease this transition I share all course design with adjuncts and full time faculty and my most recent Canvas shells. I encourage faculty to make the course their own, but are more than welcome to borrow any of the content.
Please see artifacts on the next page for evidence of this and more ways I serve the discipline including committee work, professional development, and trainings delivered.