Lilly Teaching Fellowship

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Learn Through Inquiry. Transform Through Action.

The Lilly Fellowship Program at Michigan State University cultivates a community of seasoned educators dedicated to advancing excellence in teaching and learning. For the 2026–27 academic year, the program adopts a Teaching-as-Research (TAR) and Applied Action Research (AAR) orientation. Fellows are supported as they systematically investigate their own teaching contexts, implement evidence-informed interventions, and analyze the impact of these innovations on student learning.

Why Apply?

A Highly Supported Structure for Change: Move through a year-long cycle of diagnosing, studying, implementing, and reflecting on instructional innovations.
Leadership Development: Build your capacity to lead pedagogical and curricular change within your unit and across the university.
Applied Research Training: Receive guidance in developing researchable questions and collecting evidence grounded in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL).
Professional Visibility: Complete a publicly shareable scholarly artifact—such as a research brief, white paper, or manuscript draft — to contribute to MSU’s broader educator community.
Financial Support: Fellows receive $10,000 in total support ($5,000 from CTLI and $5,000 from their home college or department).

Program Experience

The fellowship runs from August 2026 through May 2027. Participants engage in:

Fall Semester (Project Development): Conduct needs assessments, review SoTL literature, and refine research questions with the help of a dedicated mentor and peer support team.
Spring Semester (Implementation & Inquiry): Launch your intervention, collect evidence of impact, and iterate on your practices based on real-time findings.
Ongoing Engagement: Monthly 90-minute sessions featuring guest speakers and institutional leaders, complemented by optional biweekly virtual coworking sessions.

Blended Schedule

Our blended structure aims to support equitable engagement for educators across MSU’s ecosystem while establishing a cohort-level sense of community.

Semester	Date	Time	Modality
Kickoff	Aug. 28, 2026	1–3:30 p.m.	On-campus
FS	Sept. 11, 2026	1–2:30 p.m.	Virtual
FS	Oct. 9, 2026	1–2:30 p.m.	On-campus
FS	Nov. 13, 2026	1–2:30 p.m.	Virtual
FS	Dec. 11, 2026	1–2:30 p.m.	On-Campus
SS	Jan. 8, 2027	1–2:30 p.m.	Virtual
SS	Feb. 12, 2027	1–2:30 p.m.	Virtual
SS	March 12, 2027	1–2:30 p.m.	On-campus
SS	April 9, 2027	1–2:30 p.m.	Virtual
SS	March, 5, 2027, TALKS	Full Day	On-campus

Who Should Apply?

We are seeking experienced MSU educators who:

Regularly teach credit-bearing courses or hold sustained instructional roles, and have so for at least five years.
Have a stable teaching context to implement and assess an educational intervention over the academic year.
Are motivated to investigate their own teaching through systematic inquiry.
Value mentorship, peer collaboration, and scholarly engagement.
Are prepared to lead change efforts that strengthen teaching within their program or department.

How to Apply

Please note the application is now closed. Notifications of selection will be sent by the end of the spring 2026 semester.

Be ready to speak to the following items in your application:

Instructional Record: Verify you have taught for at least five years at MSU.
Departmental Match: Confirm your Chair/Director agrees to the $5,000 unit match (for a $10,000 total fellowship).
Letter of Support: Have a PDF letter or email from your Chair/Director confirming the match and your participation.
Current CV: Have an updated copy ready to upload.
Spring 2027 "Lab" Course: Identify the specific course or learning experience you will be teaching to implement your research project.
The "Bottleneck:" Be ready to describe a specific student learning challenge or "problem" you want to solve.
The Intervention: Briefly explain what change or innovation you want to test in your classroom.
Leadership Vision: A short plan for how you will share this knowledge with your department or college.
Community Mindset: A brief thought on how you’ll contribute to a collaborative, blended peer cohort.
Time Commitment: Confirm your availability for monthly 90-minute sessions and the year-end showcase.
Scholarly Artifact: Commit to producing a final piece of work (like a research brief or iTeach at MSU Commons post).

Current Fellows

Annick Anctil

Associate Professor - Tenure System, College of Engineering, anctilan@msu.edu

Phillip Delekta

Assistant Professor - Fixed-Term, College of Natural Science, delektap@msu.edu

Louise Mead

Specialist Teacher - Continuing, College of Natural Science, lsmead@msu.edu

Christopher Scales

Professor - Tenure System, College of Music, scalesch@msu.edu

Jason Smith

Specialist Teacher - Fixed-Term, College of Engineering, smith840@msu.edu

Jessica Wicks

Assistant Dean of Instructional Design and Assessment, College of Osteopathic Medicine, wickjes@msu.edu

Past Fellows

2024-2025 Fellows

Eddie Boucher, Assistant Professor, College of Social Science, bouche50@msu.edu
Crystal L. Eustice, Ph.D., Academic Specialist - Teaching, Agriculture and Natural Resources, mill1879@msu.edu
Louise Mead, Specialist Teacher - Continuing, College of Nursing, lsmead@msu.edu
Wenying Zhou, Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Letters, zhouweny@msu.edu

Lilly Teaching Fellowship

Why Apply?

Program Experience

Blended Schedule

Who Should Apply?

How to Apply

Current Fellows

Annick Anctil

Phillip Delekta

Louise Mead

Christopher Scales

Jason Smith

Jessica Wicks

Past Fellows

Engagement

Grants and Recognition

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