Exceptional Teaching Leads to Outstanding Learning Outcomes
Teaching is at the very core of our Holy Cross tradition and academic excellence.
About the Center for Teaching Excellence
The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) fosters a vibrant and supportive teaching community, grounded in the belief that rigorous, reflective conversations about learning strengthen both faculty practice and student success.
Throughout the year, CTE will offer a variety of events and programs to help faculty design effective and engaging courses.
To support ethical and innovative teaching in a rapidly changing technological landscape, the CTE and the Office of Information Technology will continue to provide guidance and host workshops on generative AI, Open Educational Resources, and technology integration in the classroom.
In addition, CTE will offer resources and discussions focused on teaching difficult or sensitive subject matter—helping faculty create inclusive, respectful learning environments that foster critical thinking, empathy, and open dialogue around complex issues.
The Center for Teaching Excellence promotes effective, innovative, inclusive and evidence-based college teaching that fosters sustained learning. The center cultivates a campus culture that values diverse approaches to learning and teaching. It supports faculty in enhancing pedagogical practices and facilitates the exchange of ideas and the development of community among faculty.
The Center for Teaching Excellence focuses on a variety of activities designed to support our mission, which include:
- Advancing new initiatives in teaching and learning
- Supporting innovative, inclusive teaching that enables student learning
- Facilitating a culture of continuous teaching improvement
- Building communities of teaching and learning across campus
- Providing support for faculty at all stages of their St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s teaching career
- Recognizing excellence in teaching
Established in 1991, the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) grew from the desire to continually elevate the learning experience for students at St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s. Through the center, faculty members come together to share ideas and strategies for successful teaching. They learn practical and inventive ways to improve teaching methods and respond to the various learning needs of students.
CTE Faculty Events
Fall 2025
| Monday, August 18, 8:30 AM-3:15 PM | New Faculty Orientation |
| Tuesday, August 19, 9:00 AM-2:30 PM | Teaching Symposium |
| Mondays, 1:00-2:00 PM or Tuesdays, 3:30-4:30 PM | Books & Coffee (9/8, 10/6, 11/3, 12/1 in-person or 9/9, 10/7, 11/4, 12/2 on Zoom) |
| Thursdays, 2:00-3:00 PM | Read. Try. Chat. (9/18, 10/16, 11/13, 12/11) |
| Friday, August 22, 2:00-3:30 PM | The Theatre of Failure: Speculative Performance and the Art of the Possible |
| Tuesday, September 4, 8:15-9:15 AM | Drive Student Grit, Growth, & Graduation (Pt. 1) |
| Wednesday, September 17, 12:00-1:00 PM | You Don't Have to Teach Media Literacy to Teach Media Literacy |
| Thursday, October 9, 2:00-3:00 PM | Unlocking Student Potential: Teaching Students How to Learn |
| Tuesday, October 14, 8:15-9:15 AM | Drive Student Grit, Growth, & Graduation (Pt. 2) |
| Thursday, October 30, 9:30-10:45 AM | Elevate Your Teaching and Career: Build Your Personal Advisory Board |
| Friday, November 14, 12:00-1:00 PM | AI Exploration Series: AI Teaching Panel |
Our Leadership
Director
Katherine Lopez, PhD, Associate Professor of Accounting (Munday School of Business)
Administrative Coordinator
Natalie Smyth
Advisory Board
- Georgia Seminet, Associate Professor of Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities (School of Arts and Humanities)
- Claire Edwards, Assistant Professor Biological Sciences (School of Natural Sciences)
- Natalie Beck Aguilera, Associate Professor of Social Work (School of Behavioral Sciences)
- Mary Zadnik, Professor of Occupational Therapy (School of Health Sciences)
- Natalie Shin, Assistant Professor of Management (Munday School of Business)
Information you can use
To keep track of events and information, please use the following resources:
Resource Archive
of recordings and slides for all CTE and Instructional Technology co-hosted events, as well as additional curated resources.
Shared with all events related to teaching support. You can add this to your own calendar by subscribing to the Teaching Support Events calendar and RSVPing to upcoming events. Note: You must subscribe with a St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s Gmail account.
Join the Dialogue
The and closed Google Spaces for faculty promotes conversation and resource sharing.
Annual Programming
The Center for Teaching Excellence will support the following programs in the 2025–2026 academic year:
- New Faculty Orientation An introduction to the university’s teaching culture, resources, and community for new faculty members.
- Teaching Symposium An annual event at the start of the fall semester that highlights innovative teaching practices and fosters collaboration across disciplines.
- Books & Coffee A monthly book club for faculty and staff to build community through shared readings. Each semester begins with a new book selection to guide conversation and connection. Meetings are held on Mondays (in person) or Tuesdays (on Zoom).
- Read. Try. Chat. A monthly book club centered on exploring and applying innovative teaching practices. A new book is introduced each semester to inspire classroom experimentation. Meetings are held on Thursdays.
- Faculty Writing Group Meets every Wednesday from 1-3 PM in Holy Cross Hall 105 to provide time, space, and community for scholarly writing.
- Dedicated teaching sessions Offered throughout the year (listed under CTE Faculty Events) to support ongoing professional growth and classroom excellence.
Awards and Fellowships
Teaching Awards
Given annually, teaching excellence awards at St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s University honor faculty for their exceptional talents and dedication to promoting learning in meaningful, engaging and innovative ways. The selection process is rigorous, evaluating candidates’ course offerings, curricular designs, instructional methods, classroom performances and interactions with students.
Five awards are given annually:
- The is given to one faculty member who has taught at St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s for at least 15 years.
- The is given to two contract faculty members.
- The is given to one adjunct faculty member.
- The honors a faculty member who has designed an innovative course project or teaching method.
- The recognizes the St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s faculty members whose teaching directly supports the St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s University Mission.
Innovation Fellows
Innovation fellowships support faculty who need time, resources and expertise to include pedagogical experimentation in their courses by providing a stipend, participation in the Innovation Institute, and a community of faculty fellows focused on pedagogical innovation.
Learn about our .
Read about .
Delayne Hudspeth, retired professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Instructional Technology at the University of Texas, was a mentor to several St. Edward's faculty members and scores of other master's and doctoral students. Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, Dr. Hudspeth's contributions to innovation in higher education are honored by this award.
The CTE would like to invite you to apply for the Delayne Hudspeth Award for Innovative Instruction. The award, open to all who teach, including full-time (tenure-track and non-tenure-track), part-time, adjunct, and staff who teach, is determined by a panel representing schools across campus and carries a $500 stipend. The application is a Google Form and is due March, 2026. Please see below for more details.
- Delayne Hudspeth Award for Innovative Instruction Deadline:
- March, 2026 (Exact date and application form will be updated at the start of the 2026 Spring semester).
- Application Form
Who can apply?
This award recognizes St. ·¡»å·É²¹°ù»å’s instructors who create innovative learning environments and projects. All teaching faculty members -- including full-time (tenure-track and non-tenure-track), part-time, adjunct, and staff who teach -- are encouraged to apply. Previous Award winners will be considered for the Hudspeth Award five years after their previous win.
What projects are eligible?
Self-nominations should highlight a specific project, an assignment or exercise, a teaching method, a new use of technology, or the redesign of an entire class. Instructors may apply for the award based on an innovation implemented in any of the three years previous to the application deadline. For this year's award, projects implemented in any of the following semesters will be eligible:
- Academic year 2021-2022, including Fall 2021, Spring 2022, and Summer 2022
- Academic year 2022-2023, including Fall 2022, Spring 2023, and Summer 2023
- Academic year 2023-2024, including Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024
- Academic year 2024-2025, including Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025
- Fall 2025
What should the application highlight?
Since this award celebrates innovation, preference will be given to projects that demonstrate the greatest levels of innovation and that clearly present the value of that innovation for student learning. Note that the committee does not equate innovation with adoption of new technologies. While some winning projects have featured new uses of technology, many have not. Please review the Google form before you start crafting your application, as it will help guide you in showcasing your project.
When do you need to submit the application?
The exact application deadline and form will be available at the beginning of the Spring 2026 semester.
How will a winner be determined?
The winner and finalist for the award will be decided upon by the members of Hudspeth Awards Committee. The committee is comprised of representatives from across the university's schools. Applications are blind-reviewed, scored according to the selection criteria, and then discussed until the committee achieves consensus.
Other Questions?
If you have any questions about the award or would like to discuss your application, please contact Dr. Katherine Lopez, who facilitates the award process but is not a voting member.