2020 has brought some unique challenges to teaching in higher education. Thankfully, I am surrounded by colleagues who put a premium on inclusive pedagogy and are working tirelessly to assist faculty and students in our transition to remote course delivery. As undeserving as I feel compared to the legions of staff in academic technology who are keeping us all afloat right now, I appreciated this recent shout-out for Graduate Student Appreciation Week from my steadfast advisor, Dr. Senta Goertler:
“Caitlin Cornell has been working tirelessly to improve access to education and other resources for the community at large. She has shared resources and taught people how to keep their courses accessible even during this transition to online. She has led several learning communities that have a great focus on inclusivity and equity, while also being interdisciplinary (e.g., the Applied Scholars group housed in the SLS program and a accessibility learning group that developed out of a course she taught). A Lansing native, she has also been committed to her community delivering meals and other resources to struggling families.”
In the time of an emergency like this, it is important to remember that we are all doing the best we can given our unique situations: staying at home, working from home, homeschooling (or trying) our children…As Dean Long of the College of Arts and Letters recently stated in a letter to the campus community: “it would be unjust to expect business as usual.”
Caitlin Cornell 