The 29 members of the New Faculty Investment Program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville received certificates marking completion of their first year of participation.

The program is offered through the university’s Center for Teaching Effectiveness and provides orientation and followup support to new faculty through regularly held instructional sessions taught by faculty, staff and guest speakers.

Some topics covered through the program over the last year include recognizing best practices in studentactive teaching strategies, identifying classroom assessment techniques for evaluating students and themselves, and studying the elements of a productive adviser/student relationship.

Center for Teaching Effectiveness director Dr. Jacqueline Thomas led the certificate distribution event.

Also present were Dr. Duane Gardiner, associate vice president for academic affairs; Dr. Sonny Davis, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Richard A. Aukerman, interim dean of the College of Business Administration; and Dr. Stephan J. Nix, dean of the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering.

New Faculty Investment Program participants receiving certificates were:

Aden Ahmed, assistant professor, mathematics

Steve Bain, assistant professor, educational leadership and counseling

Jorge Caeiro, assistant professor, civil and architectural engineering

Alicia Cavazos, assistant professor, management and marketing

Ruth Chatelaine-Jardon, instructor, management and marketing

John Cord, assistant professor, music

Valentin Ekiaka Nzai, assistant professor, bilingual education

Patricia Gomez, assistant professor, bilingual education

Marybeth Green, assistant professor, educational leadership and counseling

Norma Guzman, assistant professor, bilingual education

Jeffrey Lemaster, lecturer, accounting and CIS

Hua Li, assistant professor, mechanical and industrial engineering

Vincent Louis, assistant professor, psychology and sociology

Gerri Maxwell, assistant professor, educational leadership and counseling

Warren Miller, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction

Claudio Montiel, assistant professor, electrical engineering and computer science

Michael Muzheve, assistant professor, mathematics

Corey Ranson, assistant professor, communications and theatre arts

Monica Ratcliff, assistant professor, curriculum and instruction

Joachim Reinhuber, assistant professor, music

Ryan Rhoades, assistant professor, agronomy and resource sciences

Jae-Joong Ryu, assistant professor, mechanical and industrial engineering

Monica Santaella, assistant professor, management and marketing

Hans Schumann, assistant professor, finance and economics

Arlesa Shephard, assistant professor, human sciences

Sarjinder Singh, assistant professor, mathematics

Ann Wardle, assistant professor, educational leadership and counseling

Colin Wark, assistant professor, psychology and sociology

Zak Watson, assistant professor, language and literature.