Michael Jessup

I am passionate about teaching and learning and have been arduously working to enhance the art and science of teaching. Course evaluations routinely demonstrate my zeal for teaching, students, and sociology. I am continually integrating pedagogy that fosters active learning, using case studies, games/simulations, multimedia, as well as developing extensive experiential and high-impact learning opportunities. One of my strengths is developing high-impact programming emphasizing experiential education and intercultural competency. For example, in a Community and Urban Affairs course, students participate in a four-day Chicago immersion experience, where students use public transportation, spend time and assess community strengths in Indian/Pakistani and Hispanic/Latinx neighborhoods, panhandle for lunch money in affluent neighborhoods, witness African American community organizing, and partner with homeless people selling StreetWise. (StreetWise is a homeless-inspired newspaper produced and sold by the economically vulnerable to become financially independent and connect with social services networks.) Over the years, I have developed twenty-five partnerships with ministries, social service agencies, and organizations to help students become more internationally competent and culturally sensitive citizens.

I have had the privilege of leading teams of students and faculty on numerous international experiences, namely in Rwanda (8), Uganda (9), South Korea (3), Japan (1), Chile (1), and Ireland/N. Ireland (4). I have organized and led faculty/student development teams to Rwanda and Uganda, sponsoring a series of workshops on tribal/racial reconciliation, trauma counseling/healing, microfinance/microenterprise, writing as healing, and coordinating an international documentary filmmaking course as well. I recently developed and coordinated tribal reconciliation workshops in Bidi Bidi, one of the world's largest refugee camps in northern Uganda, and Omugo Camp in NW Uganda. In fact, the training material I developed in trauma and reconciliation is now being used in several refugee camps across Rwanda and Uganda.

I also serve as President -- Executive Board of Directors, Urban Light Community Development Foundation. ULDC supports women in recovery, affordable housing, and community development and engagement in Muncie, IN.