From his earliest days on campus during New Faculty Orientation, Dr. Dan Rush has viewed teaching not as a static routine, but as an evolving craft. Today, as an Associate Professor in Information Technology Management, Dr. Rush’s deep, sustained engagement with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has cemented his reputation as a quintessential campus “power user”—an educator dedicated to continuous improvement for himself, his colleagues, and his students.
Dr. Rush’s connection with the CTL grew significantly when he joined the “Ten for Teaching” program, which opened his eyes to the vast ecosystem of pedagogical resources available to faculty. Intrigued by experiential learning, he soon integrated Service-Learning into his IT Management courses. The experience fundamentally transformed his teaching style by introducing him to the power of reflection. He now asks students to reflect in all of his classes encouraging them to analyze not just core technical topics, but also broader educational questions—including the profound impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on human learning and the tech landscape.
Beyond his own classroom, Dr. Rush has used the CTL as a bridge to the wider academic community. Early in his career, when tasked with connecting with other units across campus and coordinating adjunct faculty, he leveraged CTL programming to build stronger, more collaborative partnerships. Today, he remains an active catalyst for dialogue around teaching and learning, routinely connecting with fellow educators to explore how emerging technology and AI are reshaping higher education.
Through it all, Dr. Rush operates on a personal motto that he actively models for his students: We can always do better. By embracing CTL programs to uncover and refine blind spots in his own instructional design, he demonstrates to his students that learning is a lifelong commitment driven by genuine care for their success.
“The value of a like-minded community of other faculty from across campus cannot be overstated,” Dr. Rush noted. “It is so helpful to walk into that space and know that everybody here is 1) because they want to be, and 2) because they care about students and want to help them learn better.”
Through his commitment to reflection and engagement in pedagogical growth, Dr. Rush exemplifies how taking full advantage of CTL resources enriches the entire university ecosystem.