This is related to an idea I have been trying to push for the last few
years. Three years ago, when my daughter and I went all over the country
visiting different college campuses, we heard the same speech from
everyone. The first thing they would tell us in their presentation was "The
faculty here are very approachable and involved with the students". We
never saw any evidence of it on the campuses. It became our standing joke,
as soon as we would sit down in the auditorium for yet another presentation
by the local admissions team, one of us would turn to the other and say,
"Do you think the faculty are accessible and engaged with the students
here"? As we settled into our seats at Pomona College, we were expecting
the same and shared our usual joke to ourselves. The Dean of Admissions was
the one to deliver the speech and we found him remarkably refreshing to
start with and then he got to the usual topic. He didn't disappoint us, and
came out with some words to the effect that faculty were engaged with
students, but then he actually said something to support it. I will try to
summarize it accurately here.
"If you are on your way to one of the cafeterias and see a creepy guy
standing outside the door by a tree, that's not a creepy guy, he's a
chemistry professor. He's waiting for a student to go to lunch. At Pomona,
all faculty and staff can be taken to any meal on campus, including
breakfast, lunch and dinner, or to any snack bar or coffee shop at any time
of day for free. There is no quota on how many times a student does this.
The only criteria is that there must be a ratio of at least one student to
a faculty or staff member, so in other words, a single student cannot take
out the entire english department at once. They can however have a group of
students take them out. They can do this everyday of the year, including
breaks, as long as the facility is open. Faculty and staff also have free
admission to every campus event, including not just sporting events, but
cultural ones as well. You will see them at a field hockey game in the
afternoon and a violin concert at night. We do everything to encourage
student and faculty interaction".
When we toured the campus and went into the dining halls and snack bars,
cafes etc. they were full, just like the other colleges we had visited, but
it was obvious that a very large number of the tables had faculty or staff
at the table with the students.
I have been teaching now for around 24 years, still a long way short of
many, but I have learned that the more engaged a student is with the
faculty, the more they grow. For me, the greatest way to get that
interaction going is to go to lunch. By getting students out of the
classroom situation, where you get to interact with them more as peers, the
barriers fall down. They understand that you are not just a teacher but a
human being and can talk on all sorts of subjects. This creates a whole new
situation in the classroom, they become more engaged. The main difference
between the University of Phoenix and us, is that student interaction. The
first piece of advice I gave my daughter, going off to college was get to
know your professors. Make excuses to go see them if you have to. They are
what you are paying for. The difficulty I have right now is I can't afford
to go to lunch with students, it costs me over $8 to go to Mills or
Wilsbach, Jasmines or Starbucks require a cosigner. The gift card to take
students to starbucks is a start, but I would love to see them do something
more like Pomona. The majority of my students have meal plans and eat on
campus, it would be nice to be able to join them, with a gift card to
starbucks, I would surpass my eating out budget for the week on Monday.
Another possibility would be a discount if the faculty or staff were
accompanied by a student?


On Thu, Jul 3, 2014 at 12:23 PM, Nowak, Rhea <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>   Great Idea!
>
>  Rhea Nowak
> Associate Professor of Art
> SUNY Oneonta
> Ravine Parkway
> Oneonta, NY 13820
> 607-436-2827
>
>
>   From: <Greenberg>, Jim <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Teaching Breakfast List <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thursday, July 3, 2014 at 10:15 AM
> To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Subject: Re: NYT Article: Americans Think We Have the World's Best
> Colleges. We Don't.
>
>   Rhea,
>
>
>
> In hopes of “priming the pump” to your question.  One thing we can do is
> find more ways to interact with our students, formally and informally,
> around the questions of our disciplines.  How about giving every teaching
> faculty member  a $50 coffee card that they can ONLY use to buy students a
> cup of coffee (or similar).  Yes this idea might be a bit too radical but
> it makes the point.  Imagine faculty and students walking with each other
> to the coffee shop and having conversations.  You know what, make the card
> $100  (-;
>
>
>
>
>
> Jim G.
>
>
>
> *From:* Teaching Breakfast List [mailto:[log in to unmask]
> <[log in to unmask]>] *On Behalf Of *Nowak, Rhea
> *Sent:* Thursday, July 03, 2014 9:20 AM
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
> *Subject:* Re: NYT Article: Americans Think We Have the World's Best
> Colleges. We Don't.
>
>
>
> HI Jim-
>
> A well written article to be sure, but from my point of view not news. My
> question, as always: What can I do to make a difference to our students??
>
> Happy 4th to all too.
>
> Best,
>
> Rhea
>
>
>
> Rhea Nowak
>
> Associate Professor of Art
>
> SUNY Oneonta
>
> Ravine Parkway
>
> Oneonta, NY 13820
>
> 607-436-2827
>
>
>
>
>
> *From: *<Greenberg>, Jim <[log in to unmask]>
> *Reply-To: *Teaching Breakfast List <[log in to unmask]>
> *Date: *Thursday, July 3, 2014 at 9:09 AM
> *To: *"[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
> *Subject: *NYT Article: Americans Think We Have the World's Best
> Colleges. We Don't.
>
>
>
> TBers,
>
>
>
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/upshot/americans-think-we-have-the-worlds-best-colleges-we-dont.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1
>
>
>
> More on the author of this piece, Kevin Carey, can be found here:
>
>
>
> http://newamerica.net/people/kevin_carey
>
>
>
> Hope your summer is going well.  Enjoy the July 4th weekend.
>
>
>
> Mr. James B. Greenberg
>
> Director Teaching, Learning and Technology Center
>
> Milne Library
>
> SUNY College at Oneonta Oneonta, New York 13820
>
>
>
> email: [log in to unmask]
>
> phone: 607-436-2701
>
> fax:   607-436-3677
>
> Twitter: greenbjb
>
>
>
> "Ignorance is curable, stupidity lasts forever"
>
>
>