The Office for Graduate Educator Advancement and Teaching (GREAT) empowers graduate and professional students as postsecondary instructors. Resources and training provided by GREAT will help students to:

• Successfully teach as a TA or instructor while they attend MSU.
• Teach as a tenure-system, fixed-term or adjunct faculty member after leaving MSU.
• Translate their teaching skills into a corporate, non-profit, or policy-sector career.

Mission, Vision, & Values

What we do:

• Graduate Teaching Assistant Preparation Program
• Beginning with orientation, this program provides graduate teaching assistants with professional development opportunities and resources throughout their time as a teaching assistant.


• Certification in College Teaching (CCT)
• This initiative helps graduate students organize, develop, and document their teaching experiences. Through workshops, seminars, coursework, and a mentored teaching project, participants build an e-portfolio that will prepare them for job interviews and plan their professional development as early career faculty.


• Teaching Communities & Fellowships
• GREAT runs the Graduate Teaching Assistant Teaching & Learning Community (GTATLC) and partners with academic units to offer several year-long fellowship programs for students interested in participating in communities of practice with other graduate students.


• IN!SPIRES Wellness Ambassadors
• This group supports and advocates for graduate students and postdocs in their holistic wellbeing. Connect with us if you have challenges transitioning to MSU from a different background (coming from a different country, being a first-generation graduate student or postdoc, have challenges navigating wellbeing resources on campus, or trying to make friends).


• Teaching Resources
• View a collection of resources offered both through and outside the university that will enhance teaching and professional skills. These resources fall into categories like tips and tricks, MSU teaching policies, professional development opportunities, and planning for a teaching career.