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Mary Adler, Ph.D.

California State University Channel Islands​​

Mary Adler, Ph.D.

Mary Adler, Ph.D., English professor at CSU Channel Islands, is recognized for developing Faculty Inquiry Projects (FIP), an innovative faculty development program focused on improving student success by encouraging faculty to collaborate on finding answers to some of their big questions.

The FIP program creates faculty communities—based on an academic discipline or theme—that bring members together over the term of a semester to collaborate on ways to improve teaching outcomes, faculty retention and job satisfaction. In addition to creating a supportive community for faculty, FIP engages faculty in leadership opportunities, changes teaching behavior and supports research and grant writing efforts.

Over the last three semesters, CSUCI has run 17 unique FIP groups with over 92 faculty participants and facilitators in a wide range of ranks, including lecturers, assistants, associates and professors. Dr. Adler's FIP program is a sustainable and scalable model for faculty development, supporting CSUCI faculty in improving graduation rates and overall student success.

Past FIP group topics include: Am I giving too many A's, too many C's? Grading Considerations in College Courses; How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Student Writing; Creating Frameworks for Promoting Learning in STEM and Beyond.

“Dr. Adler is passionate about connecting faculty with similar interests and giving them space and time to work on a topic of their interest," says Alona Kryshchenko, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics at CSU Channel Islands.