Statistics staff member named 2025-26 Adams Fellow
Dola Pathak, an academic specialist in Michigan State University’s Department of Statistics and Probability (STT), has been selected for the 2025-26 Adams Academy Fellowship.
Pathak is one of 11 individuals chosen for the cross-disciplinary cohort of faculty and academic staff from MSU. She is the first member of the department to be selected since the fellowship began in 2008.
The Adams Academy Fellowship, offered annually by MSU’s Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development, allows participants to explore research on effective university teaching practices and apply those insights to their own instruction. The academy is named in honor of former MSU President Walter Adams and his wife, Pauline Adams, a faculty member emerita, in recognition of their commitment to instructional excellence.
Pathak, who also holds a joint appointment as an assistant professor in the College of Nursing, joined MSU in 2019. She teaches a variety of statistics courses and co-coordinates the department’s Instructional Mentoring Program, which supports first-year Ph.D. students serving as graduate teaching assistants. The program provides resources to help students adapt culturally and succeed in the classroom, while fostering a supportive, judgment-free environment. In the College of Nursing, Pathak collaborates with faculty and students on health care data analysis and serves as a statistical consultant on grant projects.
Pathak has been recognized for her teaching with the College of Natural Science’s Outstanding Teaching Prize in 2022-23 and the #iteachmsu Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation Educator Award in 2023-24.
“I have a strong desire to evolve as an effective and mindful instructor,” Pathak said. “I also firmly believe that learning happens when there is a cross-disciplinary exchange of ideas and training. I am honored and excited to participate as a fellow and am very grateful for the support I have received from the department.”
As part of the fellowship, participants will complete group and self-directed readings on educational theory and practice, meet monthly to discuss selected topics, and develop a paper, presentation or reflective essay on a self-chosen educational theme. Each fellow receives $3,000 for professional development related to teaching and learning.
Pathak said she hopes to make the most of this experience.
“I get an opportunity to be in a collaborative community of teacher-scholars dedicated to excellence in teaching and learning across diverse educational contexts,” she said. “I am looking forward to gaining helpful insights and using this experience to create a positive, supportive learning environment that shapes students’ experiences and outcomes.”
The Adams Academy is open to all tenure-system faculty, fixed-term faculty, academic staff and librarians at MSU. Applications for the 2026-27 cohort will open in 2026.
