The Lilly Fellowship Program at Michigan State University cultivates a community of seasoned educators dedicated to advancing excellence in teaching and learning. For the 2026–27 academic year, the program adopts a Teaching-as-Research (TAR) and Applied Action Research (AAR) orientation. Fellows are supported as they systematically investigate their own teaching contexts, implement evidence-informed interventions, and analyze the impact of these innovations on student learning.
Why Apply?
A Highly Supported Structure for Change: Move through a year-long cycle of diagnosing, studying, implementing, and reflecting on instructional innovations.
Leadership Development: Build your capacity to lead pedagogical and curricular change within your unit and across the university.
Applied Research Training: Receive guidance in developing researchable questions and collecting evidence grounded in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL).
Professional Visibility: Complete a publicly shareable scholarly artifact—such as a research brief, white paper, or manuscript draft—to contribute to MSU’s broader educator community.
Financial Support: Fellows receive $10,000 in total support ($5,000 from CTLI with a $5,000 from their home college or department).
Program Experience
The fellowship runs from August 2026 through May 2027. Participants engage in:
Fall Semester (Project Development): Conduct needs assessments, review SoTL literature, and refine research questions with the help of a dedicated mentor and peer support team.
Spring Semester (Implementation & Inquiry): Launch your intervention, collect evidence of impact, and iterate on your practices based on real-time findings.
Ongoing Engagement: Monthly 90-minute sessions featuring guest speakers and institutional leaders, complemented by optional biweekly virtual coworks
Blended Schedule
Our blended structure aims to support equitable engagement for educators across MSU’s ecosystem while establishing a cohort-level sense of community.
Semester
Date
Time
Modality
Kickoff
August 28, 2026
1–3:30 p.m.
On-campus
FS
September 11, 2026
1–2:30 p.m.
Virtual
FS
October 9, 2026
1–2:30 p.m.
On-campus
FS
November 13, 2026
1–2:30 p.m.
Virtual
FS
December 11, 2026
1–2:30 p.m.
On-Campus
SS
January 8, 2027
1–2:30 p.m.
Virtual
SS
February 12, 2027
1–2:30 p.m.
Virtual
SS
March 12, 2027
1–2:30 p.m.
On-campus
SS
April 9, 2027
1–2:30 p.m.
Virtual
SS
March, 5, 2027 TALKS
Full Day
On-campus
Who Should Apply?
We are seeking experienced MSU educators who:
Regularly teach credit-bearing courses or hold sustained instructional roles, and have so for at least five years.
Have a stable teaching context to implement and assess an educational intervention over the academic year.
Are motivated to investigate their own teaching through systematic inquiry.
Value mentorship, peer collaboration, and scholarly engagement.
Are prepared to lead change efforts that strengthen teaching within their program or department.
How to Apply
The application period opens in mid-February 2026 via Qualtrics. Prospective fellows will outline their teaching context, preliminary project interests, and leadership goals. Notifications of selection will be sent by the end of the Spring 2026 term.
Be ready to speak to the following items in your application:
Instructional Record: Verify you have taught at least 5 years at MSU.
Departmental Match: Confirm your Chair/Director agrees to the $5,000 unit match (for a $10,000 total fellowship).
Letter of Support: Have a PDF letter or email from your Chair/Director confirming the match and your participation.
Current CV: Have an updated copy ready to upload.
Spring 2027 "Lab" Course: Identify the specific course or learning experience you will be teaching to implement your research project.
The "Bottleneck": Be ready to describe a specific student learning challenge or "problem" you want to solve.
The Intervention: Briefly explain what change or innovation you want to test in your classroom.
Leadership Vision: A short plan for how you will share this knowledge with your department or college.
Community Mindset: A brief thought on how you’ll contribute to a collaborative, blended peer cohort.
Time Commitment: Confirm your availability for monthly 90-minute sessions and the year-end showcase.
Scholarly Artifact: Commit to producing a final piece of work (like a research brief or #iteachmsu post).
Application available starting Feb. 12, 2026, closing Mar 15, 2026.
Current Fellows
Annick Anctil
Associate Professor - Tenure System, College of Engineering, anctilan@msu.edu
Phillip Delekta
Assistant Professor - Fixed-Term, College of Natural Science, delektap@msu.edu
Louise Mead
Specialist Teacher - Continuing, College of Natural Science, lsmead@msu.edu
Christine Greenhow, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education, College of Education
Eva Kassens-Noor, School of Planning, Design and Construction, and Global Urban Studies, Colleges of Social Science and Agriculture and Natural Resources
David Kim, Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages, Colleges of Arts and Letters
Sriram Narayanan, Department of Supply Chain Management, Eli Broad College of Business
Sean Valles, Philosophy, Lyman Briggs College and College of Arts and Letters