As many of you may already know, Derek Bruff is stepping down as Assistant Provost and Executive Director of the Center for Teaching in order to pursue other job opportunities.  We wish to thank him for his leadership and for his commitments to improving teaching and learning across the university.

In this moment of change, know that all of us at the Center for Teaching remain committed to our mission and offering the effective and innovative programs and services you have come to expect from us.  The excellence of the CFT has never been the product of one person, but the legacy of a scholarly, caring, and creative staff, past and present, who have worked to support Vanderbilt’s educators and advance higher education.  The CFT also would not be what it has become without the many inspiring and guiding contributions of Vanderbilt’s administration, our peer leaders of centers on campus and across higher education, and mostly the many faculty, staff, and students who constitute Vanderbilt’s pedagogical community.  As it has for 35 years, the CFT will continue to be a caring and imaginative partner for you as you seek to expand your educational perspectives and practices, and through that, transform yourselves, your students, and our broader world.

While we will ensure continuity in our core values and principles, we at the CFT also are excited to approach this moment of change as an opportunity for reflection and growth, so that we can remain at the forefront of innovation and better serve the Vanderbilt community.  The ever-changing character of higher education, as well as the scale and speed of social challenges we all confront, demand nothing less.

At the beginning of this new academic year, I as Interim Director invite you to reach out to us and learn how we might help you and your students explore opportunities for growth and meet the challenges of teaching and learning in this changing world.