Cronan Named Co-Director of University Teaching Center

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Paul Cronan

Paul Cronan, professor of information systems, who holds the M.D. Matthews Endowed Chair in Information Systems in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, has been named to a three-year term as co-director of the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center.

The center has three faculty co-directors, each with a one-quarter time appointment, who serve three-year rotating terms. Co-directors are appointed by Provost Sharon Gaber.

“Paul Cronan is a great addition to the Teaching and Faculty Support Center,” said Gaber. “He brings a wealth of experience in teaching, working with students, technology and academic integrity. We are pleased to have him joining the center.”

Cronan was a co-founder of the center and served a one-year term as co-director when it opened in 1993. He is the past co-director of the Walton College Center for Teaching Effectiveness, and is past president and executive committee member of the university Teaching Academy. His dedication to teaching was recognized when he was named the 1995 Computer Educator of the Year by the International Association for Computer Information Systems.

“I am deeply honored to be able to serve as co-director of the Teaching and Faculty Support Center,” said Cronan. “The center’s mission is essential to the quality of education we provide here at the University of Arkansas, and I am proud to be part of this important work.

“When the center was established we wanted to ensure that as many worthy faculty members got a chance to serve as possible, so two of the initial co-directors had abbreviated terms. The year I spent as co-director was very rewarding, and I am grateful for the chance to serve again, for a full three years.”

Cronan will replace Janine Parry, professor of political science, as co-director of the center, starting in the fall semester 2011.

“The University of Arkansas’ teaching center is uniquely active, vibrant, and effective among U.S. universities, and Paul Cronan will keep that tradition strong,” said Parry. “I’ve come to believe the center’s success is in no small part the result of its one-of-a-kind rotating leadership among active faculty from across the campus. Paul was instrumental in that design, when he helped create the center, but we didn’t get a chance to capitalize on his ideas and experience in his abbreviated term. We’re thrilled to have him aboard again!”

Cronan is director of the Master of Information Systems program, teaches database systems, as well as graduate information systems courses and computer information systems research courses in the Walton College. He is interested in the use of technology and teaching portfolios for the improvement of teaching and learning.  

Cronan earned a Doctor of Business Administration in information systems/management science from Louisiana Technical University; a master’s degree in economics from South Dakota State University, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Southwestern Louisiana University.

The Teaching and Faculty Support Center was established in 1992 to act as a resource center for University of Arkansas teachers. The center hosts regular luncheon programs for both new and not-so-new faculty, publishes a monthly newsletter full of teaching tips and strategies, organizes orientation for new faculty and teaching assistants, and orchestrates a nationally-renowned three-day teaching camp every summer.

Cronan joins Marianne Neighbors, professor of nursing, and Norman Dennis, professor of civil engineering, in directing the activities of the teaching center. Co-directors are assisted by a full-time administrator for the center, Lori Libbert.