The Governor's Teaching Fellows Program was established in 1995 by Governor Zell Miller (1991-1999) to provide Georgia's higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing important teaching skills. The goal of the GTF Program is to address faculty members' need to understand and use emerging technologies and instructional tools that are changing the landscape of teaching and learning in higher education. The Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education hosts the program which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025. Program Options The Academic-Year Program Over the course of the academic year, a cohort of 16 Fellows attend six unique three-day workshops while also undertaking a course design/redesign project. The highly interactive seminars, which are held in Meigs Hall in the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education on the University of Georgia campus, focus on teaching tools and practices, emerging technologies in teaching, research on teaching and learning, as well as faculty development and leadership. Every year, the Fellows focus on course design and work intensely on a course they frequently teach or a new course. The Fellows receive hotel accommodations for two nights, breakfast at the hotel, one catered lunch in Meigs Hall, and a modest per diem stipend for two dinners. The program does not cover transportation costs. Scroll down for application information, deadlines, and program dates. Sample symposium agenda May Symposium Fellows attend an intense one-week seminar on the University of Georgia campus. Daily sessions are held in Meigs Hall in the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education. The symposium includes a combination of structured faculty development, classroom activities, experimentation with new technologies, and some project-based learning. The topic changes every year. The 2026 Symposium will examine "Where Generative AI Skills and Human Essential Skills Meet in Higher Ed." Generative AI is becoming more common in higher ed, and society is increasingly looking to AI as the answer. At the other end of the spectrum are those who urge us to keep the human in the loop, reminding us that teaching and learning are still highly personalized and humanistic experiences. Faculty need to find the space where essential human skills meet AI to make the most of both approaches in their teaching and learning. The interlocking goals of the Symposium are to give Fellows dedicated time to explore well-known and lesser-known generative AI tools and strategies with an eye towards understanding which will best complement their personal teaching practice, their discipline, and their students' learning and to strengthen the human-centered aspects of their teaching and help build their students' skills as critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and valued team members. In today's classrooms, AI-infused teaching and human-centered teaching need not be in competition with one another. Rather, they can meet in a place that has the potential to spark creativity and to construct effective new modes of teaching and learning. The May Symposium will help faculty explore that space. The 16 Fellows receive hotel accommodations for five nights, breakfast at the hotel, catered lunches in Meigs Hall, and a modest per diem stipend for dinners. The program does not cover transportation costs. Scroll down for application information, deadlines, and program dates. Key Dates and Deadlines The GTF Program uses an online application process. The application portal for both the 2026 May Symposium and the 2026-2027 Academic-Year Program will open on October 15, 2025. The application deadline for both programs is Monday, January 19, 2026. 2026 May Symposium Program Dates: May 18-22, 2026 Apply Here 2026-27 Academic-Year Program Program Dates: September 2-4, 2026 October 7-9, 2026 November 4-6, 2026 February 3-5, 2027 March 3-5, 2027 April 7-9, 2027 Apply Here 2027 May Symposium Program Dates: May 24-28, 2027 Eligibility The Governor's Teaching Fellows Program is designed for full-time faculty members who teach at accredited public or private colleges or universities in the state of Georgia. Any full-time faculty member regardless of rank or tenure-status may apply. Please note that preference is given to faculty who primarily teach undergraduate students. Faculty at the University of Georgia and at Georgia's technical colleges are not eligible to apply. Fellows are selected based on: Commitment to undergraduate teaching - e.g., how they have improved their teaching practices and how they would like to enhance their teaching and professional development. Academic leadership - e.g., their experience in leading initiatives, mentoring faculty or students, developing programs, or contributing to institutional change. A letter of support from their institution's President or Vice President/ Provost of Academic Affairs (or equivalent). Institutions may submit only TWO candidates for the Academic-Year Program, and ONE for the May Symposium. Please note that two applicants from the same institution are rarely accepted for either program. Application Materials For the May Symposium, the application portal will ask for some general information about yourself and your classes. In addition, you will need to submit the following items in one PDF: A statement explaining your interest in the topic of the May Symposium (300-word maximum). Please note that the topic of the May program usually changes from year to year. A teaching statement with concrete examples of how your teaching is innovative and how you hope to improve it (300-word maximum). A description of your academic leadership, e.g., your experience leading initiatives, mentoring faculty or students, developing programs, or contributing to institutional change (300-word maximum). Your current CV. A letter of support from your institution's President or Vice President of Academic Affairs (or equivalent). A letter template is provided here for your convenience. We recommend that you prepare and combine these materials in the order listed above into a single PDF before you begin the online application. Please include the appropriate heading for each section (except for the letter of support). For the Academic-Year Symposium, the application portal will ask for some general information about yourself and your classes. In addition, you will need to submit the following items in one PDF: A statement explaining your interest in attending the Academic-Year GTF Program (300-word maximum) A teaching statement with concrete examples of how your teaching is innovative and how you hope to improve it (300-word maximum). A description of your academic leadership, e.g., your experience leading initiatives, mentoring faculty or students, developing programs, or contributing to institutional change (300-word maximum). Your Project Proposal: A concise description of the course you propose to design or redesign during the academic year. We believe Fellows will reap the greatest benefit from the program by designing or redesigning a course to use some of the strategies, tools, and ideas presented in the monthly workshops (300-word maximum). Your current CV. A letter of support from your institution's President or Vice President of Academic Affairs (or equivalent). Use the template provided on the GTF website. A letter template is provided here for your convenience. We recommend that you prepare and combine these materials in the order listed above into a single PDF before you begin the online application. Please include the appropriate heading for each section (except for the letter of support).
