Ford School writing instructor Beth Chimera will assume the title of “teaching professor,” in recognition of her proficiency, standards, methods, and creativity as a lecturer, as well as her contribution to University service and to inclusive teaching that advances diversity, equity, and inclusion. The promotion will take effect September 1, 2024.
“Beth thoughtfully contributes to one of our core goals of policy education: policy communication. By helping students understand the importance of the written word in educating and inspiring others around key policy issues, she offers a critical instrument in the policy toolkit,” said Celeste Watkins-Hayes, dean of the Ford School of Public Policy. “We are so proud she is part of our Ford School community.”
Chimera joined the Ford School’s best-in-class writing center in 2013. In addition to offering individual writing-center tutorial hours to graduate and undergraduate students, she teaches the "Introduction to Policy Writing" first-year graduate course and the "Persuasive Policy Writing" undergraduate course. She also regularly conducts ad hoc writing workshops for students and faculty.
Since the fall of 2019, Chimera has served on the Ford School’s BA Program Committee. She has worked as a senior or contributing editor for a variety of national publications. She received her MFA in fiction writing from the University of Michigan, where she has taught expository and creative writing, and is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize for her short fiction.