Professor Meg Benke is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the State University of New York, Empire State College, and Professor, School of Graduate Studies, in adult learning and emerging technologies. She is a Visiting Professor to the School of Lifelong Learning and Education in SETU Waterford since 2018.
Professor Benke was the first Fulbright research professor at the School of Education and Lifelong Learning in 2015, doing research with the further education sector and advising on blended learning strategy, and continuing as a visiting lecturer. She has partnered and/or presented with several other Irish institutions on the topic of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
Professor Benke has had an extensive administrative career at Empire State College, previously serving as Dean of the Center for Distance Learning and Acting President of the college. As a Professor, Benke chaired the division of education and coordinated the programs in adult learning and emerging technologies.
Professor Benke was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame for her contributions to adult and online learning and was recognized for the Most Outstanding Achievement in Online Learning by an Individual by the Online Learning Consortium in 2007.
Professor Benke also served as a commissioner for the Middle States Association for Higher Education (Higher Education Accreditation), chairing the substantive change committee which oversees areas such as adding online or competency-based programs.
Professor Benke’s presentations and publications focus on adult learning, online learning, prior learning assessment and progressive education. Recent book chapters include in an edited volume, Leading Change in Distance Education, “Optimizing Student Success,” “Leading Beyond the Institution,” “Visualizing and Actionable Future,” and “Game Changers: Education and Information Technology,” edited by Diane Oblinger. SUNY Empire State College: A Game Changer in Open Learning, Educause Digital Book.
Professor Maggie Gregson is Professor of Vocational Education, and Research Lead at the School of Education, University of Sunderland. She was Visiting Professor at the School of Education and Lifelong Learning in SETU Waterford for two years (2021–2022 and 2022–2023 academic years) as part of SETU Waterford’s UK Joint Research Professor initiative.
The programme, the first of its kind in the Irish Institute of Technology (IoT) and Technological University (TU) sector, aimed to assign an eminent UK-based research professor to each School within the university to enhance SETU Waterford’s international partnerships, collaborations and research capability.
Professor Gregson worked with Dr Helen Murphy, Head of School of Education and Lifelong Learning, and colleagues across the School, to help build research capacity in the School and strengthen the engagement of School staff in educational research.
Professor Gregson is Director of the Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training at the University of Sunderland (SUNCETT), where she manages and teaches Master of Arts and Master of Philosophy programmes, supervises PhDs, and leads national developments in advancing understanding of and support for practitioner research in the Further Adult and Vocational Education sector. She has published widely in the fields of practice-focused research, vocational education, and educational assessment and evaluation.
Professor Gregson's engagement as a Visiting Professor at SETU has been marked by her dedication to enhancing the educational research capabilities within the School of Education and Lifelong Learning. In her first year, she conducted a series of virtual visits, encompassing research development workshops, guided seminars and individual tutorials aimed at inspiring and equipping participants for their research endeavours. During her second virtual visit, she made valid contributions to methodological and research development. In her third visit, conducted on-site, Professor Gregson further strengthened her relationship with staff and students while contributing to the enhancement of ongoing research projects.
Dr Jenifer Schneider, Professor of Literacy Studies at the University of South Florida (USF), Tampa, was the second visiting international Fulbright Scholar to visit SETU Waterford. She joined Dr Anne Graham Cagney and her colleagues in the Literacy Development Centre at SETU Waterford’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning in 2016.