Jessamyn Neuhaus Named Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence

Jessamyn Neuhaus, an experienced academic and higher education administrator with a track record of innovation and collaboration, has been named the next director of Syracuse University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, effective Aug. 1.

The announcement was made today by Lois Agnew, associate provost for academic programs.

“Jessamyn Neuhaus is a nationally respected scholar and leader in teaching and learning who will bring an exciting and creative vision to the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence,” Agnew says. “Jessamyn is noted for her skill in building collaborative partnerships, listening and responding carefully, supporting teachers across all ranks and levels of experience and centering diversity, equity and inclusion in all of her work. We are extremely fortunate that Jessamyn has agreed to lead the CTLE, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with her.”

Neuhaus is currently director of the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) at SUNY Plattsburgh, where she is also a professor of history.

Jessamyn Neuhaus

“I am elated to be joining the Syracuse University CTLE. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with these outstanding faculty, professionals, staff and students, and so excited to become a member of the Syracuse pedagogical community of practice. I very much look forward to building connections with other centers, programs, departments and individuals on campus, and to supporting educators’ innovative, inclusive, and scholarly teaching,” Neuhaus says.

As CTE director at Plattsburgh, Neuhaus developed multiple professional development opportunities and spearheaded several new initiatives. She wrote and implemented a new mission and vision statement, collaborated on programming with other offices—such as the Office of Accessibility Resources and the Technology Enhanced Learning Unit—and created a “Thank a Professor” program and a CTE Student Think Tank. Neuhaus also created a CTE Advisory Board comprised of faculty and staff, the Department Delegate program to increase inclusive teaching and the “CTE Superstar” recognition program for faculty who engaged in five or more hours of center programming per semester.

Neuhaus teaches a wide range of courses on topics such as history methodology, historiography, social studies pedagogy and the history of popular culture in the United States, including courses on youth culture, religion, race, ethnicity and gender.

She has held teaching positions at Denison University, Case Western Reserve University, Oregon State University, Lewis and Clark College, Portland Community College, California State University East Bay and New College of California. She earned both a Ph.D. and a master of arts degree in history from Claremont Graduate University and a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the College of Wooster.