Announcing Amanda Irvin as Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning

Columbia University Senior Vice Provost Soulaymane Kachani announces Amanda Irvin as the next Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, effective July 1, 2024.

May 30, 2024

Dear colleagues,

I am delighted to share with you that Amanda Irvin will serve as the next Executive Director of the Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), effective July 1, 2024. Amanda will succeed Catherine Ross, who announced last year that she will be retiring this June, concluding her wonderful seven-year tenure as Executive Director of the CTL, and a remarkable 30-year career in higher education.

Amanda currently serves as Senior Director of Faculty Programs and Services at the Columbia CTL, where she leads teams at both the Morningside and Medical campuses with grace and tenacity. She has been with the CTL since 2016, having previously served as Associate Director, and then Director, of Faculty Programs and Services. In her roles, she has managed the development and implementation of numerous programs to support pedagogical innovation, purposeful use of educational technology, and learner-centered teaching for faculty and instructors across Columbia.

Amanda has overseen the CTL’s work in several important initiatives over the past years, including providing guidance and support for instructors in: adapting to online and hybrid teaching during the pandemic, incorporating generative AI technology into teaching, adopting pedagogies of care while teaching during times of stress and challenge, and advancing mentorship practices at Columbia. She has also supervised the Office of the Provost’s Teaching and Learning Grants program, which has funded hundreds of innovative faculty projects.

Recognized as a national expert in educational development, Amanda has led the development of many resources and programs to support inclusive and anti-racist teaching at Columbia. She has contributed a range of articles in teaching and learning publications, joining with other CTL colleagues to lead conversations on topics such as such as disembroiling HOT moments in the classroom (Petitti, Irvin, Kachani, 2024), supporting department chairs in centering inclusive teaching (Klaf and Irvin, 2022), and designing online and in-person learning to be more inclusive (Irvin, 2021). She is frequently invited as a keynote speaker to inspire and support national and international conversations about teaching through change—supporting faculty and centering learning as the world, institutions, and technological advancements change around us. She also serves as an Associate Editor for College Teaching, and volunteers her time on the faculty for the Institute for New Educational Developers, where she engages and mentors a new generation of Center for Teaching and Learning professionals.

Prior to joining the Columbia CTL, Amanda served as Assistant Director of Faculty Development of the Koehler Center for Teaching Excellence at Texas Christian University where she was also an affiliate faculty member in the Department of English. Amanda holds a Ph.D. in English and a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies from Texas Christian University, an M.A. in English from Radford University, and a B.A. in English from the University of Central Florida.

In her new role as Executive Director, Amanda will provide academic vision and strategic leadership for the CTL and will work closely with Columbia’s schools and faculty leaders to determine priorities for the Center and to develop exciting new initiatives. Amanda has been working closely with Catherine Ross to ensure a seamless and supportive transition. Please join me in congratulating Amanda on her new role.

Sincerely,