The University of Missouri College of Education’s Jeni Hart has been awarded a 2018 Innovative Teaching Award from The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).

Hart’s primary role is Associate Vice Chancellor for Graduate Studies and Associate Vice Provost for Advanced Studies, in addition to her faculty role as a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. 

Hart was noted for efforts in Developing and Diffusing a Cross-Disciplinary, Multi-Institutional University Entrepreneurial Leadership Graduate Course. Together with Matthew Mars, an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Leadership and Innovation at The University of Arizona, a graduate level course is being developed to improve knowledge and entrepreneurial skills in relation to the land-grant mission of both universities.

“We are essentially combining our expertise in agricultural, extension and higher education to create a course that features an open-source, web-based content library of lectures, assignments, and more,” said Hart. “Ultimately, the students in the course will confront an issue at all land-grant institutions, with implications that transcend campus and community boundaries. The goal is to deliver the course in January 2019, and we plan to use the Nureva Room in the College of Education to facilitate collaboration.”

In its fifth year, the APLU awards are intended to bolster innovation in the post-secondary teaching of agriculture and related fields. The program encourages new faculty to expand their scholarship of teaching and learning by creating projects with more senior faculty from other institutions. This supports institutional collaboration and the adoption of innovative teaching and learning experiences for students at more institutions. Awardees share $3,000 to use on classroom aids, travel, or other project needs in the future.

A complete list of award recipients can be found here. Past winners can be viewed here.

APLU is a research, policy, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. With a membership of 237 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations, APLU’s agenda is built on the three pillars of increasing degree completion and academic success, advancing scientific research, and expanding engagement. Annually, member campuses enroll 4.8 million undergraduates and 1.3 million graduate students, award 1.3 million degrees, employ 1.3 million faculty and staff, and conduct $44.9 billion in university-based research.