Carol Gilles
Associate professor of reading/language arts
Columbia, Mo.
A highly sought-out scholar of literacy education, middle school language arts education, and induction-year mentoring, Carol Gilles, M Ed '78, PhD '91, is chair of the Academic Committee for the MU Teaching Fellows program, which she co-founded in 1994. The program offers support for teachers in their first year and the opportunity for them to earn a master's degree. Growing rapidly, it began with two local teaching fellows; last year there were 87 teaching fellows from across Missouri. Both the program and her longitudinal research on induction-year mentoring are nationally recognized. She coordinates middle level faculty in her department and serves on the MU Campus Writing Board. She consistently receives excellent evaluations from students; she has received numerous teaching awards, including the Provost's Junior Faculty Teaching Award. Her outreach efforts include a Saturday Morning Book Group, which she has led for 10 years. It is comprised of area teachers and professors who read and critique literature for children and young adults. She is a member of the Jefferson Club. Active in the Olivet Christian Church, Gilles and her husband, Jere, have three children: Andrew, Elizabeth and Sara.