Graduate College selects second duo to be fellows

KALAMAZOO—Two faculty members have been selected to be Graduate College Faculty Fellows at Western Michigan University for 2014.

Dr. Julie Apker, associate professor of communication, has been selected to fill one of the two slots available and Dr. Louann A. Bierlein Palmer, professor of educational leadership, research and technology, will continue filling the other.

The college's faculty fellows program, begun last year, gives WMU faculty members an opportunity to develop as leaders on campus while making significant contributions to graduate education.

Dr. Susan R. Stapleton, dean of the Graduate College, says Apker will focus on student and faculty engagement and success, building on the work of her University predecessor, Jon Adams, and help roll out an online orientation for new graduate students as well as devise training opportunities for new graduate directors.

Among other activities, Bierlein Palmer will to help implement a new application system for graduate admissions, in the process drawing upon the knowledge she gained last year as a fellow while developing program descriptions for all of WMU's graduate programs. These program descriptions can be found as downloadable PDF documents at wmich.edu/grad/academics/programs.html.

For more information about the 2014 Graduate College Faculty Fellows and their planned activities, see the Jan. 28 Updates in Academic Affairs newsletter online.