Announcements and Current Events

Introducing the New CTE Co-Director, Nicole Gonzales Howell

We are excited to announce that Nicole Gonzales-Howell (Rhetoric and Language) will join the Tracy Seeley Center for Teaching Excellence as co-director for a 3-year term effective June 2025. Nicole joins co-Director Keith Hunter (SOM), Program Coordinator Ifeoma Nzerem, and Program Assistant Talia Knowles on the CTE team. 

Nicole Gonzales Howell received her MA from California State University, Fresno and earned her PhD from Syracuse University in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric. In 2014 Nicole was selected as one of the Ethnic Minority Dissertation Fellows at the University of San Francisco (now the Gerardo Marin Dissertation Fellows). Currently, Nicole is a full-time associate professor and the Composition Director in the Rhetoric and Language department where she teaches Written Communication and Public Speaking courses. Additionally, as the Mellon Scholar Coordinator, Nicole works with Mellon Scholars from Foothill and De Anza Community Colleges to support their transfer to USF. Much of Nicole's research has focused on the importance of considering social location (race, gender, class, ability, and sexuality) of both students and teachers and how it relates to many aspects of writing instruction, teacher affect, program administration, and in particular writing assessment. Nicole has been a longstanding CTE champion, enthusiastically participating in and leading much of our programming (including Zumba lessons at our annual teaching retreats!), and we are excited to welcome her aboard.

We would like to recognize and thank Aparna Venkatesan (Physics and Astronomy) who has served as CTE co-director since January 2022. Aparna has provided invaluable leadership, service, and cosmic happenings via our newsletter, and she will be greatly missed. 

Again, the warmest of welcomes from team CTE to Nicole Gonzales Howell! 

Please join us in congratulating our colleagues and award recipients for the 2025 Teaching Awards.

Joint USF/USF Faculty Association’s Distinguished Teaching Award:
Professor James Sikes (Biology)

Joint USF/USF Part-Time Faculty Association’s Distinguished Adjunct Teaching Award:
Professor Beth Packer (Sociology)

Professor Karl Soehnlein (Writing, MFA)
Professor Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite (French Studies)

Innovations in Instruction Awards
Sara Marinelli (English and Comparative Literature)

Sr. Vicky Siu Award for Outstanding Contributions and Service
Kimberly Carfore (Theology & Religious Studies/Environmental Studies)