Dr. Shahnaz Masani, assistant professor of LBC biology has been appointed director of the Lyman Briggs College Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULA) Program. Her appointment is supported by a generous gift from Mike and Nancy McLelland, which provides dedicated resources for the ULA Program and its continued development.
For almost 60 years, ULAs have been part of how LBC supports student learning, belonging, and success. Each semester, more than 120 Briggs students serve as ULAs, working alongside faculty in science and math lectures, labs, and recitations. Through peer learning, ULAs support student engagement, contribute to teaching and learning, while developing their own capacities as educators and student leaders. Dr. Masani will build on this long history and the work of previous leaders, including former program director, Dr. Rachel Barnard. Working closely with college leadership and faculty, she will help guide the next phase of the program by supporting the development of ULAs as peer educators and student leaders, strengthening partnerships with faculty who work with ULAs, and helping shape the program in response to evolving student and faculty needs.
Dr. Masani shared, “I believe that ULAs have the power to transform our learning spaces by noticing frequently overlooked aspects of teaching and learning, including inequities that may shape students’ learning experiences.” She emphasized, “If we want ULAs to be agents of change, we must work towards that as an institution, committing time and resources to developing structures and programming that helps build their skills and agency to effect change.”
She shared her vision, “As ULA director, my goal is to help cultivate an ecosystem where LAs, faculty, and program leaders learn from one another, attend intentionally to power and participation, and share responsibility for creating meaningful change.”
“Dr. Masani brings deep commitments to teaching, mentoring, student development, and inclusive learning environments,” said Paola Leon Arizmendi, LBC’s associate dean for inclusive excellence and academic innovation. “She also brings valuable experience working directly with ULAs in her courses, through the ACCESS Fellowship, and through related efforts that support student leadership and learning. I’m excited for what we will continue to build together in this next phase of the ULA program.”