Ohio Wesleyan University is appointing Ashley N. Biser, associate professor of politics and government, to the newly created position of associate dean for faculty development.

In the administrative role, Biser will work to develop and coordinate programming that helps Ohio Wesleyan faculty to implement new teaching methods, technologies and methods of assessing student achievement, OWU officials say. Biser also will help to create programming that promotes faculty scholarship, leadership and advising.

“Ohio Wesleyan faculty work incredibly hard to provide our students with transformative educational experiences, while balancing active research agendas and significant service to the university,” said Biser, who joined the university in 2008. “I am excited to support my colleagues’ endeavors and work together to explore new avenues for collaboration.”

Biser will report to Provost Charles L. Stinemetz, who said the innovation and energy she demonstrates in her classroom made her a logical choice for this new role.

“Dr. Ashley Biser understands the challenges faculty face attempting to balance multiple demands while also continuing to develop as teachers, scholars and campus leaders,” Stinemetz said. “Dr. Biser has a consistent record of engaging in and leading faculty development. I am confident that she will make a strong contribution in this role.”

At Ohio Wesleyan, Biser teaches a wide range of political theory courses including “Democracy and Its Critics,” “Classical Issues in Political Theory” and “Political Theory, Science and Technology.” She also has led an OWU Travel-Learning Course to Athens, Greece, to study theories of citizenship. Her research interests are in contemporary political theory, focusing on the works of Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger.

Biser earned her bachelor of arts degree in politics and German studies from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and her doctorate from the University of Minnesota.

She previously served as a fellow in genetics and the law at the Council for Responsible Genetics in 2003 and was a pre-doctoral visiting scholar at Northwestern University.

Outside the classroom, Biser is a founding board member of Akili Dada, an international nonprofit organization that acts as a leadership incubator for young women in Kenya.