Shantih Clemans is a faculty member in Community and Human Services and the director of the Center for Mentoring, Learning and Academic Innovation (CMLAI) at SUNY Empire State College. With a prior professional career in social work, specifically in the practice areas of trauma and group work, Shantih has taught courses to Human Services students that pulled from her direct work in the social work field. In addition to a monthly blog on mentoring, Shantih has published and presented on topics including group work with survivors of trauma, vicarious traumatization of social workers, staff supervision, cultural competency, and most recently, the complexity and rewards of teaching and mentoring adult students.
Under Shantih’s leadership, The Center for Mentoring, Learning and Academic Innovation is responsible for many faculty development initiatives including: New Mentor Orientation, the Institute on Mentoring, Teaching and Learning (a summer research institute), a weekly Open Mic peer discussion group, and various webinars connected to teaching and learning.
Alan Mandell is College Professor of Adult Learning and Mentoring at SUNY Empire State College and SUNY Distinguished Service Professor. For more than 40 years, he has served as mentor, administrator and faculty in the Social Sciences and created workshops and consulted on various aspects of adult learning. With Lee Herman he has written extensively about the role of the mentor, including the book, From Teaching to Mentoring: Principles and Practice, Dialogue and Life in Adult Education. With Elana Michelson, he has written about experiential learning, portfolio development and current issues in adult education (including the recently edited, “Adult Learning in the Age of Trump and Brexit”), and with Xenia Coulter, he regularly writes about and edits materials on learning and higher education (including the recently edited, “Adult Educators on Dewey’s Experience and Education). Recognition includes the Eugene Sullivan Award for Leadership, the SUNY Chancellor’s award for Excellence in Teaching, and for Professional Services, the ESC Foundation Award in Mentoring, and the Turben Chair in Adult Learning and Mentoring.
Together, Clemans and Mandell regularly work together in creating and facilitating a wide range of activities focused on supporting colleagues in their multiple faculty roles.
Christopher Price is the Academic Programs Manager for the State University of New York (SUNY) Center for Professional Development (CPD). At the CPD, Chris designs and implements professional development programs for faculty and staff both in and outside SUNY. He is an active member of the Professional and Organization Development (POD) Network serving as a member of the Core Committee in 2020-2022, Chair of the Professional Development Committee in 2018-19, and Chair of the 2017 Institute for New Faculty Developers. Prior to his position at the CPD, Chris was Director of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at SUNY Brockport for 12 years. He started working at Brockport after receiving his PhD in Political Science from the University at Albany in 2004. Chris continues to teach online for Brockport as an instructor in the Master and Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies programs. He has been invited to give a keynote address or presentation over twenty times at conferences and campuses across the U.S. Teaching, learning, and educational development workshops and presentations Chris has conducted include discussion-based teaching, communicating effectively with students, collaborative learning, academic integrity, teaching with technology, course design and using critical reflection to improve teaching and learning. In 2013, he received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service
