By Cliff Foster

Lunden MacDonald, associate professor of Spanish, has been named interim director of the Center for Faculty Development.

MacDonald has served as a faculty associate in the center for the last three years, leading the mentoring program for new faculty. She has also facilitated multiple faculty learning communities and performed faculty consultations on instructional design and technique.

“Because of her deep connections with the CFD, it made sense to appoint her to the interim director position,” says Vicki Golich, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs.

MacDonald replaces the center’s founding director, Mark Potter , who was named associate vice president for academic and civic collaborationin November.

Lunden has published in the field of foreign language pedagogy, focusing primarily on assistive technology and technological ancillaries as solutions to common teaching challenges, Golich says.

Her article, “The Virtual Language Lab: Virtually Painless, Simply Real” appeared in the International Association for Language Learning Technology journal and showcases MSU Denver as a groundbreaking institution in the field of contemporary language pedagogy, Golich says. And, she adds, MacDonald’s presentation at the October 2012 Professional Organizers and Developers Network Conference, “Using Technology to Enhance Universal Design for Learning,” exemplifies her efforts to fuse her research interests in language and development and to share her work for the benefit of scholars throughout higher education.

The Center for Faculty Development has several workshops and events planned, including the regional Teacher Scholar Forum on Feb. 22 that will focus on the intellectual work of advancing student learning and success.