April 18, 2024
James Henderson, assistant professor of art & design at Susquehanna University, was recently awarded a competitive fellowship with the Nielsen Center for the Liberal Arts at Eckerd College geared toward developing pedagogical innovation helping faculty who are early in their career build their professional network.
“I wanted to participate in this for a few reasons, and the biggest was the opportunity to work with other faculty in similar stages of their career who are teaching at colleges similar to mine,” Henderson said.
The fellowship is a yearlong program that includes three in-person gatherings. Henderson said he pursued the fellowship opportunity in his search for solutions regarding how to better support college students who may have spent significant time out of the classroom due to the Covid pandemic.
“There are issues that we are facing as faculty with a student body that is unique in how they approach their education due to a worldwide pandemic,” Henderson said. “I care about my students and their job prospects. The better educator I am — and these opportunities will make me better — the more equipped I am to provide them an elite education in graphic design.”
Founded in 2021, the Nielsen Center for the Liberal Arts at Eckerd College hosts sustained, small-group conversations among faculty who are early in their career teaching at small liberal arts colleges. Workshops seek to support instructors who are committed to exploring the vocation of liberal arts teaching and learning, develop teaching effectiveness of faculty at small liberal arts colleges and strengthen liberal arts education in small American colleges.
Henderson earned his Master of Fine Arts in graphic design from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He worked for 10 years as a graphic designer with expertise in branding, logo design, vinyl toys, street art and craft beer design before joining the faculty at Susquehanna in 2022. He teaches both lower- and upper-level graphic design courses, including computer application in graphic design, package design and typography.