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Center for Teaching Excellence

  • New Faculty Academy Graduates in front of USC Sign

New Faculty Academy Celebrates First-Year Faculty Success

Posted on: May 5, 2026; Updated on: May 5, 2026
By Aisha Haynes, haynesa@email.sc.edu

New Faculty Academy faulty around table looking at active learning cardsThe CTE, with support from the Office of the Provost, offered the 2025-2026 New Faculty Academy (NFA), a program that spans the academic year and is designed to strengthen teaching, build connections, and support early career success.

Thirty-nine faculty completed NFA, which included New Faculty Orientation, the Fostering Student Learning Through Effective Teaching course, four required events, and a final reflection session. This accomplishment reflects sustained engagement and a strong commitment to professional growth.

To recognize participation, faculty were entered into a raffle for a $1,000 professional development fund to support activities such as conference travel, registration fees, and professional materials. This year’s recipient is:

Cherisse Williams
Assistant Professor
Music Industry Studies
School of Music

New Faculty Academy Meeting Casey Carrol Lauren Epps with AttendeesFeedback highlights the value of connection and collaboration. One faculty member shared that “the small group conversations are some of the most beneficial things I got from attending NFA,” while another noted the opportunity to “get to know colleagues from across campus” as a key part of the experience.

Participants also described changes to their teaching. One faculty member noted plans to “clarify the language I use in classes and avoid jargon so that everyone has access to the same information.”

As the academic year concludes, NFA reflects USC’s continued commitment to supporting faculty success from the start of their careers. Educators are encouraged to connect with the CTE for ongoing support.

New Faculty Academy Completers

Arnold School of Public Health

  • Forrest Baker
  • Pengfei Guo
  • Beniamino Hadj-Amar
  • Robert Halle
  • Neal Kolnik

New Faculty Academy Meeting Matt Thatcher at table with facultyCollege of Education

  • Mary Hansen
  • Sylvia Payne
  • Ashley Plumb

College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

  • Susmit Suresh Gulavani
  • Ziyou Jiang
  • Youngdeok Lee
  • Chang Ma

College of Information and Communications

  • Kimberly Elchlepp

College of Nursing

  • Rebecca Morrison
  • Christine Ralyea
  • Meera Suthar

New Faculty Academy Khalili with FacultyCollege of Pharmacy

  • Mengqian Chen

College of Social Work

  • Avril Lail
  • Margaret Janse van Rensburg
  • Alexis Scurry

Joseph F. Rice School of Law

  • Kristina Niedringhaus

McCausland College of Arts and Sciences

  • Wenli Bi
  • Abigail Breuker
  • Kristin Hall
  • Rachael Jordan
  • Jesse Jou
  • Sori Kim
  • New Faculty Academy Greg Carbone at table with facultyMatthew Lai
  • Feilong Ma
  • Lindsay McCary
  • Sara Peters
  • Luz Robinson
  • Brandy Somera
  • Paige Vaughn

Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing

  • Denise Davis

Palmetto College - USC Union

  • Tracy Stapleton

School of Medicine - Columbia

  • Raoni da Conceição dos Santos

School of Music

  • Lani Hamilton
  • Cherisse Williams

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