FROSTBURG — Frostburg State University has approved sabbatical leave for three faculty members — one from each college — to focus on career goals and other academic interests. Pete Herzfeld, Jeffrey McClellan and Rebekah Taylor were selected from 10 applicants at the university.
“These requests are evidence of these individuals’ professional achievements and interest in continuing to develop and grow professionally,” said Al Delia, acting president/vice president for regional development and engagement. “It is an indication of the dedication our faculty have to their careers and to this university.”
The applications were reviewed by the Faculty Development and Sabbatical/Research Leave Subcommittee, department chairs, college deans and the provost.
Herzfeld, a professor in the department of visual arts, College of Arts, Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, will use his sabbatical to examine how to integrate artificial intelligence into the visual arts curriculum at FSU. “The support of the university awarding me a sabbatical leave means a great deal to me and I am genuinely appreciative of the opportunity to embark on this journey of personal and professional growth,” said Herzfeld.
McClellan, a professor in the department of management, College of Business, Engineering and Computational and Mathematical Sciences, will draft and initiate the process of publishing a book titled “Momentary Leadership: How Leaders and Followers Partner to Cocreate Effective Leadership.”
“I am looking forward to taking the time to write the book that I have been developing the content for over the past nearly 16 years at FSU,” said McClellan. “Leadership is a momentary phenomenon and I hope that the book I write will help leaders and followers to make the most of the leadership moments in their lives. I appreciate the support of my department, the dean’s office and the faculty and administrators who took the time to review and approve my request for the sabbatical,” he said.
Taylor, an associate professor and chair of the department of biology, College of Education and Health and Natural Sciences, will use the Del Signore Microscopy Suite in FSU’s Compton Science Center to create interdisciplinary partnerships, stimulate discovery and promote the university as a regional leader in science. Her work will help strengthen the connection between science and the visual arts by merging the practices of microscopy and photography. She will also create a digital repository of images taken in the suite. “I’m very excited to share the joy I experience observing the microworld with the excellent microscopes we have at FSU,” said Taylor.
Upon their return from sabbatical leave, the professors will report on the results of their work and share their experiences with the campus community. “I encourage any member of our faculty interested in pursuing a sabbatical to travel, write, conduct research or otherwise develop new personal and professional skills to apply next year,” said Delia. “We are fortunate to have such tremendous faculty educating our future leaders.”