Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
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Laurie Cozad

Newburyport,MA

Summary

Dedicated and enthusiastic educator eager to contribute to a strong, vital collaborative program focusing on interfaith initiatives and issues of social justice. Bringing years of experience to the process of arranging programs that are both intellectually exciting and personally engaging. Skilled in cultivating long-lasting relationships with students, staff, and faculty that serve to promote program success and strengthen interdepartmental ties. Offering excellent written and spoken communication and exercising both good judgment and a sense of humor. Direct experience of the U.S. judicial system and committed to social justice that extends beyond the classroom and into the community.

Overview

22
22
years of professional experience

Work History

Adjunct Professor of World Religions

Merrimack College
01.2017 - Current
  • Wrote the syllabus and taught two World Religions courses per semester, providing instruction for up to 30 students and/or 15 honors students.
  • Built relationships with students, provided mentoring on professional and academic goals while providing coaching on effective study habits.
  • Provided feed-back to students through graded quizzes, tests, homework and projects.
  • Built discussions into lessons, actively soliciting input, creating debate templates as well as collaborative in-class assignments.
  • Assisted and identified at-risk students to eliminate student barriers to learning.
  • Organized, prepared and revised course material and applied technological options for online learning.
  • Used a variety of learning modalities and support materials to facilitate the learning process.

Program/Division Director and Associate Professor

Lesley University
07.2012 - 06.2015
  • Advised students as they worked to design their own degree programs.
  • Mentored those students who came to me as first generation college graduates, those from underserved communities, and those struggling to meet the demands of graduate school.
  • Held weekly 'salons' for students to get together and exchange ideas in an informal setting.
  • Taught 'Foundations of Contemplative Practice: The Buddhist Traditions'.
  • Attended weekly meetings with the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences to discuss and optimize strategies.
  • Supported faculty for Fulbright Scholarships and other academic opportunities.
  • Promoted collaborative decision making for a team of 10 faculty.
  • Co-founded the Mindfulness Studies Program and worked with faculty both to redesign the Self-Designed Master's Degree Program and to promote the Peace, Justice and Restorative Practices Certificate Program.
  • Worked with faculty to create a school-wide day of Mindfulness.
  • Trained staff and supported their efforts to succeed within their own scholastic sector, i.e., student advising or study abroad.
  • Promoted the Graduate School by giving exciting and dynamic presentations to potential overseas partners.
  • Recruited talented individuals bringing skills related to diversity, equity, and inclusion to our programs.
  • Participated in workshops to further my own education into issues of cultural literacy.
  • Continued work on a book that looked at what kinds of churches were accepted as 'legitimate' according to the U.S. Judiciary.



Assistant/Associate Professor

University Of Mississippi
08.1998 - 05.2012
  • Held a dual appointment in the Department of Philosophy and Religion as well as the Croft Institute for International Studies
  • Taught a variety of courses, all of which focused on developing students' knowledge of themselves through learning about 'others'; finding their own voice in relation to learning about oppressive social structures; and exploring both the particularities and commonalities that exist cross-culturally.
  • Developed 12 courses from inception to completion; continuously restructured these courses to include new materials, new teaching tools, and new technologies.
  • Was an active participant in the Sarah Isom Gender Studies Committee for 11 years wherein we worked to create a safe space for LGBTQ students.
  • Addressed the concerns brought to me by our African American Students in a culture wherein their voices were consistently ignored by the Administration.
  • Was the featured speaker at various community fora such as the Unitarian Church and the 9/11 task force.
  • Scheduled student-led retreats where students would get to know each other beyond the boundaries of the classroom.
  • Took 20 students to China to explore, first-hand, what they were studying.
  • Wrote a book, Sacred Snakes, that examined the ways that orthodox texts in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions both attempted to co-opt indigenous traditions and ended up preserving them at the same time.
  • Served on a variety of committees.
  • Gave myriad presentations at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion.

Education

Ph.D. - History of Religions

University of Chicago Divinity School
Chicago, IL
12.1999

Master of Arts - Religion

University of Chicago Divinity School
Chicago, IL
12.1992

Master of Science - International Relations

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service
Washington, DC
05.1986

Bachelor of Arts - English

University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
06.1983

Bachelor of Arts - Music

Boston University School For Fine Arts
Boston, MA

Skills

  • Cross-Departmental Engagement
  • Community Involvement
  • Developing Program Activities
  • Assessing Student Satisfaction
  • Grant Writing
  • Experientially educated in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
  • Knowing that I can always use more education in DEI
  • Direct Experience of advocating for religious freedom
  • Engaging with students and other faculty in one of the most exciting realms of human activity: religion
  • Familiarity with technology and online teaching
  • Bringing vibrancy and enthusiasm to my vocation

Timeline

Adjunct Professor of World Religions

Merrimack College
01.2017 - Current

Program/Division Director and Associate Professor

Lesley University
07.2012 - 06.2015

Assistant/Associate Professor

University Of Mississippi
08.1998 - 05.2012

Ph.D. - History of Religions

University of Chicago Divinity School

Master of Arts - Religion

University of Chicago Divinity School

Master of Science - International Relations

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service

Bachelor of Arts - English

University of Minnesota

Bachelor of Arts - Music

Boston University School For Fine Arts

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Laurie Cozad