Meet the CAIFS Team

The mission of the Center for Academic Innovation and Faculty Support (CAIFS) is to bring together the resources and talent of the University to support innovation and to expand opportunities for all faculty at USC Upstate. From instructional technology to active learning classrooms, from assessment tools to professional development initiatives, CAIFS programs and services are here to support the University’s objectives to be a model of excellence in rigorous, career-relevant, and accessible education that fosters an inclusive campus environment. Together, we can kindle and sustain a spirit of innovation as we approach the exciting and transformative academic work we do.

As part of the Center for Academic Innovation and Faculty Support, the Office of Distance Education offers a variety of services to faculty and students to facilitate high-quality design, delivery, accreditation, compliance, enrollment growth, and completion of online courses and programs. The Office of Distance Education also provides strategic leadership to faculty members and academic units to manage, develop, and coordinate the institution’s portfolio of distance education programs and courses. We aim to maintain the highest quality programs and most appropriate educational technology in alignment with the SREB Principles of Good Practice and the SACSCOC Policy Statement.

Celena E. Kusch, Ph.D. Executive Director kuschc@uscupstate.edu

Lynda Davis Administrative Assistant davisls5@uscupstate.edu

Office of Transformative and Inclusive Pedagogy

The Office of Transformative and Inclusive Pedagogy provides vision and strategic leadership to guide institution-wide conversations about and implementation of principles of transformational learning and inclusive pedagogy. The Director of Transformative and Inclusive Pedagogy collaborates with academic units and individual faculty members to facilitate campus-wide inquiry and innovation in order to build academic resilience by design. Applying research-based best practices in the evolving field of higher education, the Director of Transformative and Inclusive Pedagogy leads a team of learning experience designers to determine needs, advise, and support faculty members and academic leadership in designing and assessing a range of program and classroom strategies, including inclusive pedagogy, active learning, technology- and media-enhanced instruction, experiential learning, and outcomes-based instruction.

Jennifer Bland Learning Experience Designer jbland2@uscupstate.edu

Office of Service Learning and Community Engagement

The Office of Service Learning and Community Engagement (OSLCE) was established in 2015 as a forum that cultivates strong reciprocal relationships between USC Upstate faculty, students and community organizations through professional development for faculty, partnerships for community organizations, and awards and support for students.

Dave Marlow, Ph.D. Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement dmarlow@uscupstate.edu