Honors College Tarkow Teaching Fellows

The Honors College seeks applications from University of Missouri faculty for its next cohort of Tarkow Teaching Fellows, who will serve from January 2025 to December 2026. This select group of Fellows, funded by a gift in honor of Ted and Marjorie Tarkow, will form a collaborative cohort, together with Honors College faculty and administrators, charged with developing and teaching our 1-credit Extended One Read class.

Ted Tarkow laughing while talking with a colleague.

BACKGROUND

Our students and alumni tell us repeatedly that their small, interdisciplinary Honors courses, in which they were able to delve into materials with a dedicated faculty member and with peers from a variety of majors, were among their college experiences with the most lasting impact. The Extended One Read class dives deeply into the Honors One Read book with a small group of students (capped currently at 12 and meeting for one 50-minute period per week). The course also incorporates several student, faculty and staff panels throughout the semester that serve as an “introduction to Honors.” Currently only a fraction of our incoming students can take the course. The Teaching Fellows program will allow more students to have this experience.

EXPECTATIONS

Each Fellow will:

  • Serve a two-year term
  • Teach two sections in the fall semester of the Extended One Read class
  • Participate in collaborative planning and execution of the course with the Teaching Fellows cohort and Honors faculty leading up to and during the fall semester. This will include: participating as a cohort during the spring semester in brown bag discussions of the next year’s One Read selection and syllabus development; being accessible by email over the summer; attending a meeting before the start of fall semester; attending occasional faculty development/social events in the fall.
  • Assist in developing the short list for subsequent One Read selections
  • Receive a $5,000 stipend per year ($10,000 total) as extra compensation (this is not intended as a course buyout)
  • Be appointed Honors affiliate faculty

QUALIFICATIONS

Fellows will:

  • Be ranked MU faculty
  • Be able to make a two-year commitment
  • Have the support of their chair in accepting the appointment
  • Come from a diverse array of departments and colleges
  • Be committed to teaching and mentoring students
  • Be committed to being part of an intellectual and pedagogical community of Honors Teaching Fellows

TO APPLY

Please send a CV; a letter of application indicating your interest and qualifications to serve as an Honors Teaching Fellow; and a brief endorsement from your chair to UMCHonorsCollege@missouri.edu by December 2, 2024. If you have questions, please contact Honors College Dean Catherine Rymph, Associate Dean Rachel Harper or Dr. Maya Gibson.