Mike Egan

Assistant Professor

Education Department

Whosoever  will be great among you shall be your minister, and whosoever of you would be the chiefest shall be servant of all.  (Mark 10:43-44)

The ethic of service is at the core of my values.  A commitment to service led me to teach in the developing world for 7 years, advocate for the neediest students in American schools, and work as a teacher educator with a view toward influencing the development of future generations of teachers.  My own rich experiences with service learning as an undergraduate student moves me to advocate for further service learning opportunities for Augustana students.  I believe that young people’s lives are enriched by reflecting on the role of service, and examining how their own talents can contribute to the larger society.

The Role of Service

Service(2009)

I benefit greatly from the opportunity to serve as an advisor for mathematics teaching majors and first year students.  Advising builds personal rapport, which in turn enhances teaching.

With these considerations in mind, the “service” I’ve rendered to Augustana that I’m most excited about has been my collaboration with Becca Poock of the CVR in proposing the formalization of service learning as one means of meeting a graduation requirement (e.g., meeting the LC requirement).  Further detail about this work, as well as some of my other services to the College, are summarized below:

Service Learning Proposal

Responding to the faculty’s concerns about the viability of Learning Communities (LCs) in the Augustana Curriculum, I collaborated with Becca Poock of the CVR in tabling a proposal to the Gen Ed Committee calling for an expanded definition of LCs to include courses with substantive Service and/or Experiential Learning components.  The proposal was viewed favorably by the Gen Ed Committee, and is now included as one of the options listed on the Evergreen II document circulating the faculty.

Advising

Within the education department I have the responsibility of advising all Secondary Mathematics Teaching majors who entered Augustana since the fall of 2008.  As of this writing, this includes 4 sophomore advisees.  I am also serving as a first-year advisor this year, responsible for a group of 14 first-year students.

Committee Work

Since the fall of 2009 I have been a member of the College’s Academic Computer Committee.

Student Recruitment

· Made numerous personal phone calls to prospective students identified by the Admissions Department during the spring of 2009

· Represented the Education Department at the Scholarship Competition on Jan. 24, 2009

· Attended the Admissions Department’s Scholarship Reception on March 15, 2009, greeting prospective students and their families

· Attended the Admissions Department’s luncheon for prospective students and their families on March 23, 2009; met and spoke with parents of prospective students

· Interviewed prospective Honors Program students on March 31, April 3, April 9, and May 8 of 2009

· Allowed a prospective student to sit in on my EDUC 384 course on April 6, 2009; spoke with the student afterward

· Represented the Education Department at the Prospective Student Visit Day on April 25, 2009

· Represented the Education Department at the June 25, 2009 Summer Visit Day

· Talked with a prospective student and her parents in my office on July 28, 2009

Faculty Development

Made two separate presentations about the potential of electronic course and professional portfolios.  The first presentation was on Sept. 30, 2009 at a Teaching Circle session for new faculty.  The second presentation was on Oct. 1, 2009 at an ACTL session on course portfolios intended for the full faculty

Other Forms of Service

Contributed to the Mathematics Department’s external review in 2009 by interviewing with the reviewers about the teacher education program for math majors

Involvement in the Campus Community

· Participate in the mathematics department’s reading group

· Participate in Pastor Priggie’s weekly Bible study sessions held during the Wednesday lunch hour

Involvement in the Rock Island Community

· Serve on the grant-writing committee of Jordan Catholic School

· Serve as a parent advisor to Jordan Catholic School’s math committee

Coach Jordan’s K-1 Girls’ Softball team in the Moline Dad’s League