Windchief Named Teaching Scholar
Sweeney “Hawk” Windchief has been recognized by Montana State University for his work to involve graduate students in shaping their course curriculum and desired learning outcomes.
He is an associate professor in the Department of Education in MSU’s College of Education, Health and Human Development and is one of two MSU faculty members selected to take part in the state university system’s 2021-2022 Teaching Scholars program, which seeks to help students succeed at Montana campuses.
Scholars participating in the program receive a $1,500 award as well as a $500 stipend to design and facilitate a faculty learning community at their institution. In addition to Windchief, Jennifer Brown, associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, was also among the 11 scholars picked from across the university system. The theme of this year’s Teaching Scholars program is innovations in teaching and learning.
Windchief will lead a series of faculty workshops at MSU in which participants learn about involving graduate students in shaping their own course curriculum, a process that Windchief uses in many of his courses.
“This technique provides the students with the opportunity to actively invest in their own learning of the course material while feeling empowered to develop how they will learn in a systematic and calculated way,” Windchief wrote in his award acceptance.
Windchief is an Assiniboine tribal member and was keynote speaker at Fort Peck Community College’s spring graduation in 2021.
Now in its third year, the MUS Teaching Scholars program was created to elevate excellent teaching and learning as the signature feature of an MUS education and to continuously make the profound impact of high-quality teaching on individuals more accessible to all students. The program recognizes faculty members who have made exemplary contributions to teaching and learning by supporting them in leading peers in further advancing excellence in teaching. This year’s group of scholars is funded through support from the National Association of System Heads and the Lumina Foundation.
To learn more about the MUS Teaching Scholars program, visit mus.edu/che/ arsa/mus-teaching-scholars/.
