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Lilly Teaching Fellowship

Lilly Teaching Fellowship

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 coworks.
     

Blended Schedule

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

SemesterDateTimeModality
KickoffAug. 28, 20261–3:30 p.m.On-campus
FSSept. 11, 20261–2:30 p.m.Virtual
FSOct. 9, 20261–2:30 p.m.On-campus
FSNov. 13, 20261–2:30 p.m.Virtual
FSDec. 11, 20261–2:30 p.m.On-Campus
SSJan. 8, 20271–2:30 p.m.Virtual
SSFeb. 12, 20271–2:30 p.m.Virtual
SSMarch 12, 20271–2:30 p.m.On-campus
SSApril 9, 20271–2:30 p.m.Virtual
SSMarch, 5, 2027, TALKSFull DayOn-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

  • 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 
  • John Clements, Associate Professor, College of Human Medicine, clemen69@msu.edu
  • Jacquelyn Jacobs, Assistant Professor, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, jacob175@msu.edu
  • Marohang Yakthung Limbu, Associate Professor, College of Arts and Letters, limbu@msu.edu
  • Rachael Lund, Teaching Specialist, College of Natural Science, rlund@msu.edu
  • Garth Sabo, Assistant Professor - Fixed-Term, College of Arts and Letters, sabogart@msu.edu
  • Stokes Schwartz, Academic Specialist - Fixed-Term, College of Arts and Letters, stokessc@msu.edu
  • Jonathan Weaver, Assistant Professor, College of Social Science, weaver71@msu.edu 
  • Piril Atabay, Assistant Professor - Fixed-Term, College of Arts and Letters
  • Guo Chen, Associate Professor, College of Social Science, guochen@msu.edu
  • Alissa Cohen, Academic Specialist - Teaching, College of Arts and Letters, cohenal@msu.edu
  • Sarah Prior, Associate Professor, Sociology, College of Social Science, priorsar@msu.edu
  • Eila Roberts, Academic Specialist, College of Natural Science, eroberts@msu.edu
  • Sara Roccabianca, Associate Professor, College of Engineering, roccabis@egr.msu.edu 
  • Catalina Bartlett, Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Letters
  • Megan Halpern, Assistant Professor, Lyman Briggs College
  • Jon Keune, Associate Professor, College of Arts and Letters
  • Mangala Sadasivan, Associate Professor, College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Julie Sinclair, Academic Specialist, College of Education
  • Bryan R. Smith, Associate Professor, College of Engineering
  • Jonathan Choti, Associate Professor, College of Arts and Letters
  • Senta Goertler, Associate Professor, College of Arts and Letters
  • Lamar Johnson, Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Letters
  • Yadu Pokhrel, Assistant Professor, College of Engineering
  • Jennifer "Jeno" Rivera, Director of the Institute of Agricultural Technology (IAT)
  • Carrie Symons, Assistant Professor, College of Education
  • Lynn L. Wolff, Associate Professor of German, College of Arts and Letters
  • Michael Everett, Academic Teaching Specialist, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Robert Malinowski, Assistant Professor, College of Human Medicine
  • Ellen Moll, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies, College of Arts and Letters
  • Ann Folino White, Associate Professor of Theatre Studies and Directing, Head of Theatre Studies, College of Arts and Letters
  • Carol Wilkins, Assistant Professor, College of Natural Science
  • Migdalisel Colón-Berlingeri, Assistant Professor, College of Human Medicine
  • Steven Fraiberg, Assistant Professor, Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures
  • Emily McIntire, Simulation Lab Coordinator, College of Nursing
  • Jennifer N. Roberts, Large Animal Clinician, Veterinary Medical Center
  • Rob Roznowski, Head of Acting and Directing, Theatre, College of Arts and Letters
  • Margot Valles, Assistant Professor, English, College of Arts and Letters

There was not a cohort of Lilly Fellows in the 2016-17 academic year.

  • David Behring-Porter, English, College of Arts and Letters
  • Terry Flennaugh, Teacher Education, College of Education
  • Bobby Smiley, Libraries
  • Bruno Takahishi, Journalism and Communication, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
  • Mark Waddell, History, Lyman Briggs College and College of Social Science
  • Ping-Shou Zhong, Statistics and Probability, College of Natural Science
  • Tiffani N. Darden, College of Law
  • Lourdes Martinez, Communication, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
  • Laura Nelson, Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Robby Ratan, Media and Information, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
  • Marcie Ray, Musicology, College of Music
  • Brian Roth, Fisheries and Wildlife, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Michael Callahan, Music Theory, College of Music
  • Christine Greenhow, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education, College of Education
  • Eva Kassens-Noor, School of Planning, Design and Construction, and Global Urban Studies, Colleges of Social Science and Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • David Kim, Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages, Colleges of Arts and Letters
  • Sriram Narayanan, Department of Supply Chain Management, Eli Broad College of Business
  • Sean Valles, Philosophy, Lyman Briggs College and College of Arts and Letters
  • Claire Vallotton, College of Social Science
  • Ryan Black, Political Science, College of Social Science
  • Kelly Brittain, College of Nursing
  • Brian Hampton, Department of Geological Sciences, College of Natural Science
  • Nizar Lajnef, Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Georgina Montgomery, History, Lyman Briggs College and College of Social Science
  • Dawn Reinhold, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and College of Engineering
  • Alicia Alonzo, Teacher Education, College of Education
  • Donald (Jeff) Bale, Teacher Education, College of Education
  • Kevin Bartig, Musicology, College of Music
  • Kristen Bieda, Teacher Education, College of Education
  • Alison Cupples, Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Amanda Holmstrom, Communication, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
  • Brian O'Shea, Physics, Physics and Astronomy, Lyman Briggs College and College of Natural Science
  • Joanna Bosse, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities and College of Music
  • Robin DeMuth, College of Human Medicine
  • Dana Infante, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Khadidiatou Ndiaye, Communication Arts and Sciences
  • Tobias Schoenherr, Eli Broad College of Business
  • S. Patrick Walton, College of Engineering
  • Kristi Bowman, College of Law
  • Kendra Cheruvelil, Dean, Lyman Briggs College
  • Judith Danovitch, College of Social Science
  • Kirk Goldsberry, College of Social Science
  • Sara Miller, Libraries
  • Lloyd Pratt, College of Arts and Letters
  • Alexander Shingleton, College of Natural Science
  • Volodymyr Tarabara, College of Engineering
  • Rafael A. Auras, School of Packaging, College of Engineering
  • Anne-Lise Halvorsen, Department of Teacher Education, College of Engineering
  • Aaron M. McCright, Lyman Briggs College and College of Social Science
  • Ann Mongoven, Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences and Department of Philosophy
  • Shin-Han Shiu, College of Natural Sciences
  • Brian D. Smith, College of Human Medicine
  • Marya R. Sosulski, School of Social Work
  • Ravi Rhavnani, College of Social Science
  • Janine Certo, College of Education
  • Rita Kiki Edozie, James Madison College
  • Chet A. Morrison, College of Human Medicine
  • Tina Timm, School of Social Work/Department of Family and Child Ecology
  • Leigh VanHandel, College of Music
  • Dorinda Carter Andrews, College of Education
  • Cori Fata-Hartley, Lyman Briggs School and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
  • Melanie B. Jacobs, College of Law
  • Milind Khire, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • P.S. MohanKumar, Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation
  • Ethan Segal, History
  • Kami Silk, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
  • Pero Gaglo Dagbovie, The Graduate School
  • Nicole Ellison, Telecommunications, Information Studies and Media
  • Chris Frilingos, Religious Studies
  • Geoffrey Habron, Fisheries and Wildlife
  • Heather Laird-Fick, Medicine
  • Norbert Mueller, Mechanical Engineering
  • John Norder, Anthropology
  • Brian Winn, Telecommunications, Information Studies and Media
  • Rigoberto Burgueño, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • John Carlson, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education
  • Pat Crawford, Geography/Landscape Architecture
  • Estelle Lingo, Art and Art History
  • Phanikumar Mantha, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geological Sciences
  • Mindy Morgan, Anthropology
  • Anna Pegler-Gordon, James Madison College
  • Shawn Riley, Fisheries and Wildlife
  • Jon Star, Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education
  • Lynn Fendler, Teacher Education
  • Syed Hashsham, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Kathleen Hoag, Food Science and Human Nutrition and Medical Technology
  • D. Harrison McKnight, Accounting and Information Systems
  • Carlo Piermarochhi, Physics and Astronomy
  • Ace Sarnelle, Fisheries and Wildlife
  • Tariq Abedlhamid, Construction Management Program
  • Zachary Huang, Entomology
  • Deogratias Ngonyani, Linguistics and Languages
  • Charles Owen, Computer Science and Engineering
  • Antoinette WinklerPrins
  • Marry Bremigan, Fisheries and Wildlife
  • Holly Brophy-Herb, Family and Child Ecology
  • Mark Elder, James Madison College
  • Stuart Lingo, Art
  • Norman Lownds, Horticulture
  • Cristina Schmitt, Linguistics and Languages
  • Louise Jezierski, James Madison College
  • Isaac Kalumbu, Music
  • Hairong Li, Advertising
  • Kelly Millenbah, Fisheries and Wildlife
  • Punya Mishra, CEPSE
  • Alan Munn Linguistics and Languages
  • Laura Apol, Teacher Education
  • Allison Berg, James Madison College
  • Heather Eisthen, Zoology
  • Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, College of Social Science
  • Douglas Luckie, Lyman Briggs School and Physiology
  • Patricia Soranno, Fisheries and Wildlife
  • Alan Arbogast, Geography
  • Neeraj Buch, College of Engineering
  • Kenneth Haltman, Art
  • Jianguo (Jack) Liu, Fisheries and Wildlife
  • Patricia Moseley, Romance and Classical Languages
  • Elanie Yakura, Labor and Industrial Relations
  • Marsha Carolan, Family and Child Ecology
  • Thomas Glasmacher, Physics and Astronomy
  • David Hyndman, College of Natural Science
  • Midori Koga, Music
  • Kelly Morrison, Communication
  • Colleen M. Tremonte, James Madison College
  • Marcos Dantus
  • Michael Largey
  • Diane T. Rover
  • Eric Torng
  • Diane Twede
  • Gail Vanderstoep
  • Shari L. Dunn
  • Okechukwu Iheduru
  • Rita Jalali
  • Zenia Kotval
  • Pedro Maligo
  • Michael Sciarini
  • Claritha Buggs
  • Melissa Crimp
  • Susan Masten
  • Edilberto Montemayor
  • Francisco Villarruel, College of Social Science
  • Deborah Wilson
  • Henry Campa
  • Karen Cummings
  • M. Julia Grant
  • Laura Julier
  • Mahesh Nalla
  • Lynette Overby
  • Julia Stickle
  • Catherin Bristow
  • Charles Corley
  • Mutsuko Endo Hudson
  • Janet Patterson
  • Gail Richmond
  • Sandi Smith
  • Yevonne Smith, College of Education
  • Denise Troutman-Robinson
  • Joseph Anthony
  • Yen-Hwei Lin, College of Arts and Letters
  • Steven McCornack
  • Linda Racioppi
  • Leonora Smith
  • Steven J. Triezenberg