Rate My Professor Mary Bair

Mary Bair serves as Professor and Chair of the Literacy, Educational Foundations, and Technology Department within the College of Education and Community Innovation at Grand Valley State University. In this leadership role, she oversees programs including master's degrees in Literacy Studies and Learning, Design, and Technology, as well as graduate certificates in Online/Blended Instruction and English as a Second Language (ESOL). Bair is also a Faculty Associate at the Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center. Having marked 20 years of service at GVSU in 2026, she has demonstrated long-term commitment to the institution. Her excellence in mentoring was recognized with the Outstanding Mentor to Colleagues Award in 2024 from the College of Education and Community Innovation, and she previously received the University Outstanding Teacher Award associated with Special Education.

Bair's scholarly work focuses on education, with emphasis on faculty development, teacher professionalism, online teaching paradoxes, professional dispositions, and identity development among faculty of color. Her Google Scholar profile lists over 500 citations. Notable publications include "Paradoxes of Online Teaching" co-authored with David E. Bair (2011, International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 145 citations); "Identifying Dispositions that Matter: Reaching for Consensus Using a Delphi Study" (2017, The Teacher Educator, 66 citations); "Academic Writing at the Graduate Level: Improving the Curriculum through Faculty Collaboration" with C.E. Mader (2013, Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 56 citations); "Faculty Emotions: A Self-Study of Teacher Educators" (2010, Studying Teacher Education, 46 citations); and "Faculty Development through Cognitive Coaching" (2017, The Journal of Faculty Development, 31 citations). Other significant works cover peer-mentoring models via faculty learning labs, science education resources, and the role of narrative storytelling in professional development. Through her research, teaching, and administrative roles, Bair contributes to enhancing educator preparation, faculty collaboration, and innovative teaching practices.