September 2024 Wally Cordes Chair: Deb Korth

The Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center recognized Deb Korth as the September 2024 Wally Cordes Chair.  

Korth arrived at the U of A in 2000 to pursue her doctoral degree in higher education administration and college teaching. After graduating with her doctorate, she led the university's Enhanced Learning Center before being named director of the Math Resource and Teaching Center in the Department of Mathematical Sciences in May 2005. During her time in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Korth also served as vice chair from 2010-2016 and as an associate clinical professor.

In 2017, she became the director of student success for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, and in 2020 she was promoted to teaching professor. She was named a Provost's Faculty Fellow for General Education the next year and was named assistant dean of student success for Fulbright College in 2022. In September 2024, she was promoted to senior associate vice provost for student success and academic excellence. 

Beyond these professional roles, Korth has served the U of A campus by promoting faculty development and through a commitment to student success. She serves as the faculty liaison to the Association of College and University Educators' certification program, which provides pathways to external certification in effective teaching for U of A faculty. She is also a certified peer observer for the TFSC's peer mentorship program that promotes supportive feedback on pedagogy to colleagues on campus.  

Korth's Cordes Chair presentation on Sept. 27 drew from her interests and experiences, including a story about a professor she did not know who provided support to her while she managed a distance education class in the early days of her Ph.D. studies. She later learned that the professor was Wally Cordes.

She also described the four buckets of student success:

1. Wrapping students in services ensuring students have access to services and resources, including both proactive and reactive initiatives;
2. Breaking down institutional barriers to improve student access and navigation;
3. Supporting and promoting good teaching and inclusive classrooms; and
4. Creating opportunities that help students grow and envision their future selves.

Attendees were treated to a variety of JELL-O poke cakes, in recognition of Korth's work to align teaching practices on campus with general education learning outcomes (GELOs).

About the Cordes Chair: The Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center recognizes six outstanding teaching faculty each academic year as Wally Cordes Chairs. Faculty are selected as Cordes Chairs because they embody the student-centered teaching excellence that late University Professor Emeritus Wally Cordes exhibited throughout his more than 40-year career at the University of Arkansas. 

About Teaching and Faculty Support Center: The TFSC invests in faculty excellence, promotes innovation in teaching and learning, and supports programs to advance student success. The center provides educational opportunities such as faculty luncheons, teaching symposia, and new faculty orientation. TFSC offers competitive teaching and learning grants for faculty, celebrates effective teaching with several awards and an awards reception, and promotes faculty-to-faculty mentoring through classroom observation. More information about TFSC can be found at their website or by following us on LinkedIn.