The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce that Eric Machan Howd ('90), M.A. (Binghamton University), M.F.A (Vermont College of Fine Arts) has been selected to serve as the new Director for the Office of Extended Studies.
Eric is an alum of Ithaca College, and returned to join our faculty as a Lecturer in 1999 within the Department of Writing, transitioning to full-time as an Assistant Professor in 2017. His teaching currently focuses on professional and technical writing. He has been active in assisting with the college’s transition to Canvas, serving as a member of the LMS Replacement Committee and the Sakai to Canvas Migration Committee, and supporting the Summer 2021 Institute on Canvas hosted by the Center for Faculty Excellence.
Eric spent seventeen years as an administrator, project manager, and instructional designer in higher education. His past administrative and instructional design career saw him working with Cornell University, Binghamton University, and Tompkins-Cortland Community College, as well as the greater State University of New York (SUNY). Eric’s recent publications include: a chapter, “Breaking Through Silos: Collaboration that Supports Instruction,” in the Association of College and Research Libraries 2017 publication Creative Approaches to Instructional Design in Libraries: Moving from Theory to Practical Application; an article in the inaugural issue of the Association for Authentic, Experiential and Evidence-Based Learning’s AAEEBL ePortfolio Review magazine, entitled “Using ePortfolios Instead of an LMS: a Model to Promote Lifelong Learning and Professional Development.” Eric also presented and published his research on “Emotional Intelligence in the Curriculum” at the 2017 Association of Business Communication’s worldwide conference in Ireland (publication of the presentation appears in the proceedings of the conference).
Eric previously led a team of Instructional Designers at Binghamton University and was instrumental in setting up the University’s first official culture of instructional design and student-centered learning. His team developed a SUNY award-winning Teaching Online Certification Program for the Binghamton University campus and in 2017 he and his team received the prestigious SUNY Faculty Advisory Council on Teaching and Technology (FACT2) award for Excellence in Instructional Support for State-Operated and Statutory Campuses for their efforts on creating a quality, high-impact, instructional design environment on the Binghamton University campus. Eric and his Instructional Design team at Binghamton University also contributed heavily to the development and implementation of OpenSUNY’s Course Quality Review rubric (OSCQR) for the development and review of online courses in the greater SUNY system. He is also a recipient of the prestigious SUNY’s Chancellor/Trustees Award for Excellence in Professional Services (2006).
Eric will be engaged with OES on a limited basis until he completes his commitment to teaching fall coursework. He will assume the Director, OES position full time effective January 1, 2022. In the interim, both Christina Moylan, Associate Provost, and Mimi Wright, Assistant Director of the Office of International Programs and Extended Studies, will provide support to maintain the critical functions of OES.
Please join us in giving Eric a warm welcome as he contributes toward a 12-month campus and enhancing our presence with learners in our extended studies and certificate programs in alignment with the college’s strategic plan.