Excellence in Online Teaching: Kristin Harney , Founders Day Faculty Awards, Academic Year 2023-24. Portrait of Kristin Harney .

Kristin Harney

Kristin Harney, associate professor in the School of Music in the College of Arts and Architecture, has won the Excellence in Online Teaching Award, which recognizes exemplary contributions to the practice of online instruction and the teaching profession. Sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the award comes with a $2,000 honorarium.

Harney has been a proponent of online learning since 2008, when she was accepted to Boston University’s online doctoral program while teaching as an adjunct at MSU. She went on to propose, design and launch, in 2022, MSU’s Master of Music in Music Education program, which is offered 100% online and is the first master’s degree offered in MSU’s School of Music. The program’s first class graduated during the 2023 fall commencement ceremony, and 18 students are currently enrolled in the program, which exceeds the program’s initial target goal, said Jason Bolte, School of Music director.

“Across the entire program and within the courses she teaches, Kristin consistently fosters interpersonal connections between students and faculty and among students,” Bolte said. “Her contributions are unfailingly positive, constructive and support rich engagement and student excitement in the content.”