University Center for Teaching and Learning leader will step down in June

Cynthia Golden, associate provost, executive director of the University Center for Teaching and Learning and center associate at the Learning Research and Development Center, announced her intent to step down, effective June 30, 2022. Michael Bridges, currently senior director of teaching support, will serve as interim executive director of the teaching center effective July 1, 2022. 

“While looking back through her time at Pitt, it’s amazing to see all the ways that Cynthia used her incredible talent, knowledge and guidance to influence so many aspects of the teaching, learning and scholarly activities here, from learning space design and management to media production services, from makerspaces and educational technology labs to graduate student teaching support,” said Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Ann E. Cudd.

In the early months of 2020, Golden and her team were instrumental in helping the University rapidly pivot to remote teaching and learning. In addition to providing vital support for remote teaching throughout the University, the teaching center, in collaboration with Pitt Information Technology and faculty, managed the University-wide migration to a new enterprise learning management system, Canvas.

During her 13-year tenure at the University, Golden has served as a member of the Provost’s Advisory Council on Instructional Excellence, the Advisory Committee of the Institute for Clinical Research Education and the Technology Accessibility Committee, as well as other academic committees and task forces related to education, information technology, online learning, diversity and accessibility.

Cudd called Golden “an invaluable resource for all things related to educational information technologies, teaching and learning, and faculty professional development for Pitt faculty and others in the community.”