I hope that this message finds you at the beginning of an exciting fall semester and that you know just how much your dedication to your students during this time of continuing difficulty means to those of us who are working on the implementation of the new Blazer Core Curriculum. I want to welcome all of you to the Blazer Core Curriculum newsletter and share some exciting developments with you.

Over the summer, the Signature Core Curriculum became the Blazer Core Curriculum, and a new website that reflects the vision and values of the Blazer Core was developed. This redesign reflects two important points about our core curriculum. First, by calling this signature effort the Blazer Core Curriculum, we acknowledge that this curriculum belongs to all Blazers and touches every single Department, School, and Unit at UAB.

Faculty who teach in the core curriculum at UAB are among the most dynamic, innovative, and dedicated faculty at the university. Almost every week, we read stories about their exciting courses and achievements in UAB’s eReporter. The Blazer Core Fellows program recognizes the achievement of these faculty by providing opportunities for them to explore innovative and impactful pedagogy through a two-year fellowship that is funded by the Office of the Provost. The Core Fellows Program, founded by CTL Executive Director Dr. Scott Phillips, is a partnership between the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Blazer Core Curriculum. This program is open to all full-time faculty who teach courses in the core curriculum and provides a professional development stipend of $3000 in the first year and $1000 in the second year, in addition to a conference travel fund for pedagogy conferences.

The Blazer Core Curriculum Student Consultants on University Teaching (SCOUT) program was founded by CTL Executive Director Dr. Scott Phillips in 2020 and has grown and flourished under the supervision of Andrea Bennett, Program Manager for the Blazer Core Curriculum.

As you will learn from the short interviews with Dr. Samiksha Raut and Dr. Scott Brande below, the Blazer Core Fellows program is tailored to the needs and interests of core faculty and provides transformative insights into their teaching.