The Courage to Learn: Honoring the Complexity of Learning for Educators and Students

Marcia Eames-Sheavly is an ICF Certified Integral Professional Coach and Circle of Trust (R) facilitator prepared by the Center for Courage & Renewal. Marcia has been the recipient of two national writing awards, along with receiving the American Horticultural Society's Great American Gardener Teaching Award, the highest teaching honor given by this society; the Innovative Teaching Award, offered by Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for creativity in undergraduate teaching; the Kaplan Family Distinguished Faculty Fellowship, by the Cornell University Public Service Center for excellence in service learning, and most recently, the Professor of Merit award, given by College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2020, particularly distinguished as an award nominated by the senior class. Paul Michalec is currently a Clinical Professor at the University of Denver and the Morgridge College of Education. In 2005, Paul became a Circle of Trust (R) facilitator prepared by the Center for Courage & Renewal. He regularly leads Courage-informed retreats and professional development for educators, clergy, community activists and health care providers. In 2015, Paul was honored for his teaching when he was named the University of Denver's Distinguished Teacher. In 2020, Paul completed a Master of Theological Studies from the Iliff School of Theology. Paul is an active blogger exploring the interface between the deep calling to teach and institutional imperatives that often lean toward external measures of efficiency and effectiveness. Catherine M. Wehlburg, Ph.D. is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychology at Athens State University in Athens, Alabama. Prior to this appointment, she served as a Senior Fellow at AAC&U. Dr. Wehlburg has held many administrative and academic roles over the past thirty years as Founding Dean for Sciences, Mathematics, and Education at Marymount University; Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness at Texas Christian University; and Department Chair of Psychology at Stephens College. She has been recognized for her work in student learning outcomes assessment by being elected president of the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE) and received their Outstanding Achievement Award. Dr. Wehlburg currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief for New Directions for Teaching and Learning.