Dr. Michele Forte

Dr. Michele Forte is an Associate Professor and Mentor at the Center for Distance Learning at SUNY Empire State College, where she teaches courses in Community and Human Services. She co-created an innovative online space designed to support the success of first-year students and has actively contributed to the development of SUNY REAL as part of a Lumina-funded project, participating in the faculty team that developed the Global Learning Qualifications Framework. Dr. Forte was also invited to join the Open SUNY student support team for a SUNY-wide reassignment. As a co-PI in the first Metaliteracy Innovative Instructional Technology Grant (IITG), she co-developed the expanded Metaliteracy Learning Objectives and participated in the inaugural metaliteracy connectivist MOOC. With 12 years of experience at SUNY Albany in Project Renaissance, a pioneering freshman-year experience program, she brings extensive knowledge to her role. A licensed social worker, Dr. Forte served as a counselor at the Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York from 1999 to 2011. She holds an interdisciplinary doctoral degree from the University at Albany, focusing on social welfare and women’s studies. Her diverse interests range from exploring the intersections of feminist theory and power dynamics in group settings to creating student-centered strategies that engage and retain first-year adult learners, as well as examining the impact of social media on various stages of the grief and loss process.