CTL Newsletter

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at Georgia College & State University is excited to bring to you Elevate to Celebrate, our bimonthly newsletter dedicated to recognizing and honoring the incredible instructors at GCSU.

In each issue, we’ll highlight faculty achievements, innovative teaching practices, and the impactful work happening across campus. We believe that celebrating excellence in teaching fosters a strong academic community and inspires continued growth.

Stay tuned for stories of dedication, creativity, and collaboration. We invite you to join us in uplifting and applauding the instructors who make GCSU a place of transformative learning!

We are so proud of our instructors and their dedication to lifelong learning for themselves and others. Congratulations to Drs. Denise Cochran, Helen DuPree, and Melanie Hammond on this tremendous achievement!

Newly minted Doctors of Nursing Practice Denise Cochran and Melanie Hammond celebrate together at GCSU's College of Health Sciences Commencement, and with their chairs, Dr. Monica Ketchie and Dr. Sterling Roberts.

Dr. Helen DuPree earned her Ph.D. in Health Promotion and Behavior from the University of Georgia College of Public Health. She celebrated with her husband, Dylan.

Dr. Winchester's class and colleagues toasting him with non-alcoholic sparkling wine in the courtyard of Arts and Sciences on his final day of classes.

A Career Guided by Curiosity

After 25 years at Georgia College & State University, Dr. Jim Winchester is retiring with a career shaped by curiosity, conversation, and a deep commitment to students. Altogether, he has spent 37 years teaching at the college level.

Dr. Winchester’s path to teaching began with a philosophy course on Friedrich Nietzsche during his undergraduate years. He loved the subject enough to pursue a Ph.D., even though he was not certain it would lead to a faculty position. Looking back now, he says his love for learning and discussion is what carried him through nearly four decades in higher education.

Building a Classroom Through Conversation

Over the years, Dr. Winchester became especially thoughtful about how students prepare outside the classroom. Rather than spending class time explaining every reading, he wanted students to wrestle with ideas on their own first and then come together for discussion. His courses emphasized reading closely, writing often, and learning from one another.

“Teaching should be a conversation,” Dr. Winchester said. “The classroom is a place for conversation, not too much lecture.”

That belief shaped the atmosphere in his classes from the very first day. He used activities to help students learn each other’s names and encouraged everyone to speak during discussions. He wanted students to see the classroom as a shared exchange of ideas rather than a one-way lecture.

Supporting Students Through Change

Dr. Winchester also spoke honestly about the challenges facing higher education today, including AI, student mental health concerns, and the difficulty of helping students stay present in a screen-filled world. Even so, he remains hopeful about students and their potential.

Throughout his career, he focused on balancing high expectations with support and encouragement. He believes students grow most when they are challenged and engaged.

A Lasting Legacy

Some of Dr. Winchester’s proudest moments have come from watching former students succeed. Several have gone on to top graduate programs and academic careers, including one former student who will soon join Georgia College’s philosophy department as a tenure-track professor.

As he retires, Dr. Winchester leaves behind more than courses and publications. He leaves a model of teaching grounded in curiosity, conversation, and genuine care for students.

Books Dr. Winchester Recommends

Dr. Winchester recommends Montaigne’s essay “On the Education of Children” for its lasting reminder that teaching should focus on conversation, curiosity, and helping students learn how to think and engage with others, not simply memorize information. Though written in the 16th century, he believes its ideas about education still feel remarkably relevant today.

He also returns often to Audre Lorde’s essay “Uses of the Erotic,” which encourages readers to reflect on what truly matters to them and to pursue work and lives grounded in genuine passion and purpose.

To read more about Dr. Winchester's work, visit Front Page to read the article titled 'Retiring Professor Leaves a Legacy of Mentorship Alongside a New Academic Scholarship for Philosophy Majors.'

Dr. Winchester and his class visiting the Château de Chenonceau while studying abroad in France.

Dr. Sandra Godwin and Valerie Aranda showcasing their posters on their work with students and the community.

A Career Rooted in Connection

After more than two decades at Georgia College & State University, Dr. Sandra Godwin is retiring with a teaching legacy shaped by community engagement, thoughtful dialogue, and a deep commitment to student learning.

Dr. Godwin was drawn to teaching because she valued the face-to-face connection of the classroom. Rather than pursuing a research-focused path, she wanted students to experience sociology as something personal, relevant, and alive. Over time, her teaching evolved into a more student-centered and community-based approach that encouraged students to learn not only from textbooks, but also from the people and communities around them.

Learning Beyond Campus Walls

Some of Dr. Godwin’s most meaningful work involved community-engaged learning partnerships with the Collins P. Lee Center in Harrisburg. Students met regularly with community members, participated in gardening projects, and engaged in conversations about food systems, inequality, and local history.

“It was so much work,” Dr. Godwin reflected, “but...to me [it] is...the pinnacle of my teaching career.”

These experiences helped students move beyond what she described as the “Georgia College bubble” and develop stronger communication skills, empathy, and self-awareness. Dr. Godwin emphasized that meaningful community engagement requires long-term relationships, collaboration, and institutional support - not just for students, but for instructors and community partners as well.

Creating Space for Discussion

In the classroom, Dr. Godwin focused heavily on discussion and helping students feel comfortable sharing ideas, even when conversations became difficult. She encouraged respectful disagreement and worked intentionally to build classroom community by having students learn one another’s names, reflect together, and engage directly with course material.

She also spoke honestly about the realities of teaching today, including burnout, technology, and the challenges of maintaining student engagement in an increasingly distracted world. Her advice to newer faculty was practical and compassionate: prepare less, be more present, find trusted colleagues, and give yourself permission to adapt.

A Lasting Hope for Students

As she retires, Dr. Godwin hopes students leave her classes with one central understanding: social problems are not inevitable.

“Our society and how it exists is a human accomplishment," she said. "We created it ...which...means we can change it."

Books Dr. Godwin Recommends

Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Brown shaped her thinking about the classroom as a shared human space, encouraging students and instructors alike to reflect on inequality, relationships, and how meaningful change happens through dialogue, community, and everyday interactions.

She praised Parker Palmer’s The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life and shared a quote that resonated with her teaching philosophy: “This book is for teachers who have good days and bad - and whose bad days bring the suffering that comes only from something one loves. It is for teachers who refuse to harden their hearts, because they love learners, learning, and the teaching life.”

Valerie Aranda and her students at their final exhibition, hosted at Allied Arts in Milledgeville.

Finding a Path Through Art and Teaching

After 24 years at Georgia College & State University, Valerie Aranda is retiring with a legacy built on creativity, collaboration, and community engagement. Throughout her career, she encouraged students to see art not only as personal expression, but also as a way to connect with others and contribute to the community.

Aranda’s interest in teaching began during her time at community college, when one of her art instructors showed her that a career in both art and teaching was possible. When she joined GCSU in 2002, she was hired to help expand community-based engaged learning through the practice of painting.

Teaching Across Disciplines

Over the years, Aranda taught courses that reflected her wide range of artistic interests, including painting, murals, graphic novels, and interdisciplinary studies. One of her favorite experiences was co-teaching “Art and Social Justice” with Dr. Sandra Godwin. The course brought together students from art, sociology, psychology, English, and education to work on collaborative projects.

One project from that course still hangs in the Arts & Sciences building today: a series of student-created portraits developed through interviews, photography, and painting. Aranda described the classroom as an active workshop space filled with teamwork, conversation, and creativity. “It was a blast,” she said.

Adapting While Staying Grounded

Although higher education changed significantly during her career, especially with the growth of digital technology, Aranda worked to balance new tools with her hands-on teaching style. She incorporated digital platforms, apps, and virtual learning tools while continuing to focus on meaningful, rigorous learning experiences.

Advice for Instructors and Students

As she reflects on her career, Aranda encourages instructors to protect their time and energy. Setting boundaries, making time for scholarship and personal life, and avoiding burnout are all essential to long-term success in teaching.

Most of all, she hopes students remember that their individual strengths matter. Her work across campus and in the community reflects her belief that collaborative art brings many voices together into a shared expression.

Books Aranda Recommends

She recommended Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire, which she used in her “Art and Social Justice” courses with Dr. Godwin. She values the book’s view of education as a shared learning process between teachers and students and shared a quote from the Preface, written by Richard Shaull. “There is no such thing as a neutral educational process. Education either functions as an instrument that is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes 'the practice of freedom,' the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.”

Dr. Glynnis Haley

After several years at Georgia College & State University, Dr. Glynnis Haley, Associate Professor of Nursing, is retiring with a legacy shaped by compassion, adaptability, and student-centered teaching.

Finding a Path to Teaching

Dr. Haley’s journey into education began early in her nursing career when a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) preceptor encouraged her to consider teaching. Although hesitant at first, she soon discovered a passion for helping students grow into confident healthcare professionals.

“As a new teacher, my focus was on what I was teaching,” Dr. Haley shared. “Over time...I came to recognize that people learn in very different ways and...motivation...often needs to be intentionally fostered.”

Teaching Beyond the Content

One of the most meaningful moments in Dr. Haley’s career came in Summer 2017, when she retaught Med-Surg II to a group of 12 nursing students who had previously struggled in the course. The students called themselves “The Dirty Dozen.”

As Dr. Haley got to know the students, she learned more about the personal challenges many of them were facing. She focused not only on teaching the material, but also on rebuilding their confidence and helping them believe they could succeed. Every student completed the course, graduated, and passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).

That experience shaped the way she approached teaching for the rest of her career. It reminded her that understanding the whole student and restoring their hope matters just as much as teaching the content.

Adapting with Students

Throughout her career, Dr. Haley adapted to changes in higher education by incorporating technology, hybrid learning, simulation, discussion boards, and case-based activities into her teaching. She found that today’s students learn best when they are actively involved and receive accessible resources, clear guidance, and regular feedback.

Her advice to newer faculty is both practical and encouraging: stay connected to your purpose, set healthy boundaries, and focus on meaningful teaching moments rather than trying to be perfect. She also emphasized the importance of collegial support, collaboration, and ongoing professional development to keep teaching fresh and relevant. Finally, “being willing to adapt and reflect regularly on what is working, and what is not, can help [instructors] maintain both effectiveness and enthusiasm while reducing burnout.”

A Lasting Impact

When asked what she hopes students remember, Dr. Haley pointed to clinical judgment, critical thinking, confidence, and compassionate care. Her hope is that her students will continue developing a commitment to lifelong learning throughout their careers. Her “golden rule” for teaching reflects the approach that defined her career: Teach the learner in front of you, not just the content you planned to deliver.

As colleagues and students celebrate her retirement, her impact on nursing education at GCSU will continue through the many clinicians she guided and supported throughout her career.

A Book Dr. Haley Recommends

Dr. Haley shared this book: Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter Brown, Henry Roediger III, and Mark McDaniel. It highlights evidence-based learning strategies such as retrieval practice, spaced repetition, and interleaving to improve long-term retention which she found helpful as an instructor.

An Unexpected Start

Her path into teaching was not planned. As a student studying classics and philosophy, she became interested in education through reading and reflection. Over time, that curiosity grew into action. She decided to try teaching and quickly realized she had found meaningful work that would guide her career.

Learning, Reflecting, and Growing

She describes this as taking “deep dives” by focusing on one aspect of teaching at a time and working to improve it. Over the years, those efforts added up. They shaped her teaching, informed her scholarship, and supported her work with instructors through initiatives like the Governor’s Teaching Fellows program and the early development of GCSU’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

While she values her work with students, she speaks especially warmly about faculty development. She has enjoyed seeing colleagues grow over time and being part of ongoing conversations about teaching. That sense of shared learning has been a consistent source of energy in her career.

Small Changes, Big Impact

Second, she introduced more active learning. One example is the concept of vertical learning, where students work together using whiteboards during class. This approach gets students moving, talking, and thinking together. It also helps her quickly see whether students understand the material. The result is a more engaged and connected classroom experience.

Meeting the Moment

Her response has been to meet these changes directly. She designs learning experiences that are interactive and meaningful, and she invites honest conversations with students about focus and technology. Her goal is simple: create classes that students want to be part of.

Advice for Staying Engaged

A Lasting Impact

Books Dr. Alby Recommends

• The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning – And How to Help Them Thrive Again by Jared Cooney Horvath
• Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari
• 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People by David Yeager
• Minding Bodies: How Physical Space, Sensation, and Movement Affect Learning by Susan Hrach

Summer is loading...and so are this season's biggest IT updates:

IT Staff Updates

• Jamie DeFoor, Director of System Administration, is retiring effective 7/1/2026; his last day on campus will be 6/18/2026, with a drop-in retirement reception on that day from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Pat Peterson Museum Education Room.
• Riley Denton transitioned to Senior Web Developer on 5/1/2026.
• Carlos Ramirez is scheduled to start as Technology Support Specialist II on 5/26/2026.
• Adam Reynolds started as a Technology Support Specialist II (evening position) on 4/30/2026.

Changes to Smartsheet Licenses

Smartsheet has recently announced a major change to their global licensing model. Soon, the "free collaborator" tier will be eliminated, and any user who needs to enter or edit data directly within a sheet will be required to hold a paid Smartsheet license. Unlicensed users will be restricted to "view-only" access.

The Workaround: Utilizing Smartsheet Forms. Because providing a paid license to every campus collaborator is not financially feasible, we strongly recommend utilizing Smartsheet Forms. Forms allow unlicensed users to continue submitting and updating data seamlessly.

Next Steps for Sheet Owners:

1. Review your current active sheets and identify any unlicensed colleagues who currently edit your data.
2. Begin transitioning those data-entry processes to Smartsheet Forms.
3. Step-by-step documentation for creating forms can be found here: https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2482491-customize-form-appearance.

Thank you for your cooperation as we navigate this vendor-driven change.

Questions? The IT Service Desk is ready to help. Contact us via one of the following methods:

• Submit a self-service ticket at https://askit.gcsu.edu
• Use the “AskIT” tab at the top left of https://my.gcsu.edu
• Call: 478-445-7378
• Email: AskIT@gcsu.edu
• Visit us: Chappell Hall Suite 100

Gifts to the Center for Teaching and Learning Fund help elevate the quality of instruction at Georgia College & State University. Your support empowers faculty through innovative development opportunities, recognizes excellence in teaching, and fosters a culture of continuous improvement in the classroom.

By contributing to this fund, you are directly investing in the academic experience of every student at GCSU - supporting the educators who shape their journey.

Email: ctl@gcsu.edu
Website: https://www.gcsu.edu/ctl
Phone: (478) 445-2520

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