The Honor Your Teaching Fellowship: Expanding opportunity and innovation in Auburn’s Honors College

Auburn University’s Honors College is increasing its commitment to academic innovation and faculty engagement through the Honor Your Teaching Fellowship program.

The initiative, now in its fourth cycle, invites faculty from across campus to design and deliver Honors courses, enriching the college’s curriculum and creating meaningful opportunities for both students and faculty.

Faculty interested in applying must secure approval from their department chair and commit to teaching their new course at least twice over a two-year period. Applications are due by Sunday, February 15, at 8:00 p.m. Faculty will receive compensation for developing the course and syllabus.

Suzanne Hunter, the college’s associate director for academic affairs, calls the program a “game changer” because it has brought new voices, new ideas and new approaches to Honors teaching.

“Our students are not required to take these specialty courses, but they’re choosing to,” she said. “We want students to have opportunities to engage outside of the classes for their major. This gives them a greater range of exposure to different topics and a chance to get in a room with people from different perspectives and majors.”

Before the fellowship program began, Hunter said the college recruited faculty individually, resulting in only one or two new Honors classes annually. Now, she said the college offers about 12 new courses each year.

“We started this program to reach a broader audience, maybe find some faculty who haven’t worked with us before,” Hunter said. “We do not have any full‑time faculty in the Honors College. All the faculty who teach Honors classes are from across campus.”

The approach has worked, attracting faculty like Brigitta Brunner-Johnson, professor of communication and journalism, and Elijah Gaddis, the Hollifield Associate Professor of Southern History from the College of Liberal Arts and Robert Finkel, professor of graphic design from the College of Architecture, Design and Construction.

“I honestly didn’t know how to get involved with the Honors College,” said Brunner-Johnson. “I thought people were special and picked for it. Then I saw this program and realized I could get involved.”

The veteran public relations professor created, “Lights, Camera, Action: Entertainment Public Relations,” as a way to teach outside the typical curriculum to non-PR majors.

“It was a way that I could do something that wasn’t a required class,” she said. “I actually made a new class that I always wanted to do, but I hadn't had the opportunity because I typically don't get the chance to do electives.”

For Gaddis and Finkel, their course, “Visualizing the Past: Community-based History and Design,” is an extension of their research project at the Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation in Harpersville, Alabama.

Students are currently participating in a “history harvest,” helping the faculty collect family heirlooms, conducting oral histories and designing exhibits for the community.

“They’re learning about project management, collaborating within a team and how to work with clients,” Gaddis said. “All skills that transcend disciplinary boundaries.”

Their partnership exemplifies a goal of bringing together faculty from different disciplines to offer unique learning experiences. Whether it’s team teaching or creating a new course, Hunter said faculty have options in the fellowship program, including revamping an existing course to make it a better fit for Honors education.

“Almost every year, we’ve had at least one course taught by an interdisciplinary team,” she said. “Faculty see it as an opportunity to connect with a colleague across campus who shares expertise on a topic but approaches it differently and bring those perspectives together for students in the classroom.”

With their shared history of collaboration, teaching together was a logical step for Gaddis and Finkel. It might not be the right move for everyone, but they agree it benefits Auburn Honors students.

“Nobody is going to be a perfect historian or a perfect graphic designer after this class, but they will understand how these disciplines work and how they approach things, which I think is really important,” Gaddis said.

“I see the class as a way to upend the perception that design is just a beautification discipline,” Finkel added. “I hope our students, whether they are in graphic design or not, see visuals as more than the decoration of a message, but how they can help accentuate and enhance communication.”

Brunner‑Johnson, who plans to participate in the program again, offered encouragement to fellow faculty.

“It’s not just about teaching what’s already there,” she said. “You can create something new, connect with students in a different way and make a difference in their Auburn experience.”