Paul Hanstedt Named Director of the Center for Academic Resources and Pedagogical Excellence at Washington and Lee

By News Office
March 27, 2019

Paul Hanstedt, Director of Pedagogical Innovation and John P. Fishwick Professor of English at Roanoke College, has been named founding Director of the Center for Academic Resources and Pedagogical Excellence (CARPE) at Washington and Lee University.

Provost Marc Conner announced Hanstedt’s appointment, which is effective July 1.

CARPE is a key initiative in the university’s strategic plan: a dedicated, state-of-the-art teaching and learning center that will provide comprehensive academic support services for students and professional development opportunities for faculty. As the inaugural director, Hanstedt will collaborate with campus partners to develop innovative teaching and learning programs and resources.

“We are delighted to welcome Paul to the W&L community,” said Conner. “The expertise, energy and enthusiasm he brings to this position, and his collaborative approach to this work, will ensure that CARPE fully realizes its potential to help our faculty become even better teachers, and our students develop the skills they need to succeed not only in the classroom, but also in their professional lives after W&L.”

Hanstedt has been director of pedagogical innovation at Roanoke College since 2015, leading the pedagogical branch of Roanoke’s Center for Teaching and Learning. In that role, he created a teaching collaborative for faculty development, including regular workshops, conferences, and grants for faculty to learn about the scholarship of teaching. He served as Roanoke’s coordinator for assessment and ePortfolios from 2013-2017, and director of general education from 2003-2008, overseeing a comprehensive revision of the college’s general education curriculum and co-authoring a successful application for a $452,000 Federal Initiative for Post-Secondary Education grant for sustainable faculty development.

Since 2011, he has also been a consultant specializing in curricular and pedagogical development, working with over 50 colleges and universities around the world. He has spoken at numerous regional, national and international conferences, published two books on helping faculty negotiate changes in core curricula and pedagogical approaches, written articles for the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ flagship journals, served on the Board of Advisors for Liberal Education, and been a faculty member of the AAC&U’s Institute on General Education and Assessment and of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes and Assessment.

“We were looking for someone with stature in the world of centers for teaching and learning to develop and lead CARPE, and we found that person in Paul,” said Associate Provost Paul Youngman, who chaired the search committee. “At every professional conference session dealing with centers for teaching and learning that I have attended, his work was cited. His stature in the field is enormous, his generosity notable, and his ideas innovative.”

Hanstedt holds a B.A. in literature from Luther College, an M.A. in Creative Writing from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. in literature from The Ohio State University. A dedicated teacher-scholar, he teaches courses in literature, creative writing, general education, and higher education. He is the recipient of numerous teaching accolades, including Virginia Professor of the Year awards from both the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (2014), and Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (2013) and the Dean’s Council Exemplary Teaching Award from Roanoke College (2000).

In 2009-2010, he received a Fulbright Award to serve as part of a team advising Hong Kong universities on their transition from a three-year pre-professional model to a four-year program involving the liberal arts.

“My passion for pedagogical innovation is rooted in evidence-based practices, but also in my understanding of the joys and challenges of the classroom,” said Hanstedt. “The opportunity to lead the Center for Academic Resources and Pedagogical Excellence at Washington and Lee is one that brings new conversations, new ideas, and new professional challenges. I look forward to working with faculty and students at W&L to make CARPE a wonderfully beneficial resource for the campus community.”