Matt Newcomb, associate professor of English, appointed Director of the Faculty Development Center

The Division of Academic Affairs announces the appointment of Associate Professor of English Matt Newcomb as the Director of the Faculty Development Center (FDC) for a three-year term.

The FDC Director coordinates a variety of resources and supportive offerings for faculty colleagues, aimed at advancing creative and innovative pedagogy, facilitating scholarship and professional development, and building and sustaining community and a culture of teaching and learning excellence.

Newcomb joined the faculty of SUNY New Paltz’s English Department in 2008, after earning his Ph.D. in English from Pennsylvania State University.

His teaching and scholarly work focus on rhetoric and composition, as well as the scholarship of teaching and learning. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, chapters and conference presentations on these topics. His first book-length work, “Religion, Narrative, and the Environmental Humanities Bridging the Rhetoric Gap,” will be published by Routledge in 2024.

From 2010-2019, Newcomb held the role of Composition Program Coordinator, overseeing the appointment, training and development of adjunct composition faculty including graduate teaching assistants, and leading assessment activities for the composition courses that are a requirement for most new SUNY New Paltz students across majors.

He has served as a core member of the General Education (GE) Board, working extensively on the development and implementation of our GE4, has been a member of the campus’s Writing Board for 16 years, and co-chaired the Strategic Planning & Assessment Council from 2021-2023. In 2020, Newcomb’s contributions were recognized with the Liberal Arts & Sciences Excellence in Service Award.