Faculty Reaction

Welcome to the Kick-Off Event's faculty reaction page, where you can see all the post-it notes that were left on the posters for Carleton College, Hobart & William Smith College, Macalester College, and Smith College. Also included are the notes people left on our F&M poster, which was designed to elicit thoughts and ideas from those in attendance (these are located at the bottom of this page). As you scroll down, think about what you would like to see be included in an F&M faculty center and contact either Andrea Lommen (alommen@fandm.edu) or Tim Jackson (tjackson@fandm.edu) with your ideas!

Carleton College

“Love the idea of a centralized physical space to meet.”
“Would like some support for research.”
“Good idea to help faculty redesign courses!”
“I like that it looks at what constrains and fosters learning.”
“Like teaching support (most important aspect to me): Student observers and First day of class.”
“I find I’m assuming an actual physical space. The only model that provides such?”
“Perhaps for F&M, in addition to learning and teaching or teaching and learning, we phrase it ‘Teaching, Learning, and Research Center;’ or ‘Teaching, Research, and Creativity Center,’ or something.”
“Were we to develop such a center, my hope would be that it would not be entirely internally focused. Rather, like the Aspen Institute, it would invite others to dialogue with us on how teaching and learning can be ever evolved in the interest of social transformation. Something like a [illegible] Center that serves as a think tank would be valuable in the region.”
“Keep student & faculty functions separate. We need faculty development.”
“Great to have quantitative learning, too.”
“LOVE the diversity focus.”
“Some might say, ‘Give me more money and loosen restrictions on FRPDF (say to go to a conference where I am not giving a paper) instead.”
“How do you join student insights with faculty perspectives? Can it also be vice versa?”
“First Day of Class...YES!”
“Pro: Amazing space and capacity to foster a community. Con: No focus on research.”
“Strength of Carleton for F&M: Teaching support activities and QuIRK. Weaknesses: Not enough full integration of student programs.”
“Focus on qualitative issues is important.”
“I’d like to hear more about QuIRK.”
“Needs a research component. Three-year position of director isn’t good for innovation. Like the quantitative component.”

Hobart & William Smith Colleges

“Looks great, but needs a research component for it to work at F&M. I also like the role of the director—not reporting to the administration. Needs a qualitative component.”
“1) Is their technology infrastructure within this group? 2) Who decides what and how is put into the classroom?”
“I like the focus on broad student learning support. I hope we include a tutoring center in our planning.”
“The Hobart & William Smith center attracts me a bit because it seems to embody a high degree of energy and institutional investment. What concerns me a little about the ‘spirit of openness’ that animates the center is that it may make it difficult for those who are really struggling with teaching to appear in a place where a person’s struggles are so public.”
“Syllabus for student teaching fellows course? Could Susan Pliner bring it?”
“I might also suggest conducting an assessment of where current faculty support efforts are currently organized and build F&M’s efforts with those entities in mind.”
“THIS is the model!!”
“Love the collaboration between students and faculty.”
“It makes a lot of sense to tie such efforts to library-originated efforts, not only from the point-of-view of centrality of space, but also because of the role and strength of the library personnel.”
“Strengths Hobart: Writing, teaching support. General integration. Weaknesses Hobart: Needs more of a research component. TOP CHOICE.”
“I like the help available for grant proposals.”
“Love the pedagogy workshops and the grant proposals workshops.”
“I like these student programs—especially the help with oral presentations.”
“Seems to strike a balance between teaching and research support.”
“I like the departmental input on tutoring. That is a challenge, particularly for tutors in science courses.”
“LOVE of learning!!! Addresses people with disabilities: good.”
“Developing these efforts with the directors and professional staff, in addition to faculty, may be beneficial.”
“Most original contribution is attention to ACCESSIBILITY.”
“What do we currently do for disabled students?”
“Like the co-existence of ITS and forms of faculty and student support."

Macalester College

“Love the writing center microlectures ideas. Necessary for WAC.”
“I like the focus on faculty instead of students. I also like the mid-career and chair support.”
“Love the bracket of stages in career—New, Mid-Career, Chair.”
“I like the social side for faculty and the fact that ideas springing from informal discussions can then be implemented.”
“Interesting engagement with seminars; a nice outreach.”
“LOVE the emphasis on research as well as teaching.”
“I like the SWAG concept. I have been wanting some support group like that.”
“Teaching + Research = F&M. Bravo!”
“Is faculty research best served by being lumped together with writing, teaching, etc.?”
“Love the ‘faculty club’ aspect of the center—> Look how successful THIS event was!”
“Perhaps a faculty ‘club’ with additional resources for students or for faculty to provide to students.”
“I like the separate programming for new faculty, mid-career, and chairs.”
“Career-phase support, BRAVO! Integration of research & teaching...YES!”
“Exciting to think about how such a center would encourage research collaboration with students.”
“Like focus on scholarly exchanges.”
“The focus on faculty seems advantageous.”
“I like Macalester’s model very much. Although it looks as if it was designed just for faculty, I’m sure students would benefit from the set up.”
“Macalester Strengths: ‘Other’ research support component and research activities. Macalester Weaknesses: Not enough resources and activities. Take Hobart model and add Macalester ‘Research’ and ‘Other.’”
“Like the idea of additional funding opportunity for students."

Smith College

“Very much like the idea of separate spaces for separate functions. However, do we want to try many functions or focus on one (and do that well).”
“LOVE Teaching Arts Lunches! Also—Teaching Circles.”
“Too confusing to have four separate entities.”
“Strengths Smith: Writing Center for faculty and students. Disability services. Weaknesses Smith: Too many centers/institutes; not integrated enough.”
“Disabilities addressed good.”
“What is instructive is the way there are four physical centers united under one umbrella. This structure is appealing!”
“Like the idea of just what happened here today: a kind of happy hour during which—in addition to [illegible]—we discussed pedagogy and purpose.”
“The vocabulary ‘Teaching Arts’ and ‘Teaching Circles’ is aspirational and appealing.”
“Kahn Institute at Smith—interesting model for research (involving students)!”
“The Jacobson Center for Writing seems very similar to our writing center.”
“While of course the purpose of all we do is to create academic focus for students, this model seems to privilege students above faculty.”

Observations on F&M

“1) Structures may not be as important as specific good ideas/programs. 2) Leadership? Support, standing, knowledge; internal and re-trained, or external? 3) Sustainability!!! Space and finances.”
“We need a physical space for faculty to meet and talk about teaching and research. And eat.”
“I hope student academic development will be a part of this planning.”
“The F&M center should combine teaching and research!”
“Focus on faculty and let faculty teach their students.”
“I’d like to see a way of incorporating a variety of learning ‘events’ (such as off-campus study) into the way we think holistically about the teaching/learning experience.”
“I believe there are unexplored synergies in the combination of faculty and student support centers—though I have yet to see a clear articulation of them.”
“There is so much faculty/student collaboration at F&M, and so, I am wondering if the faculty at F&M need a place just for them. That doesn’t mean that there can’t be opportunities to bring the two together now and then.”
“A space for incorporating learning that happens in spaces beyond the classroom—that would be great. And by space, I mean not just physical space, but a way to think about our pedagogy. By ‘learning that happens in spaces beyond the classroom,’ I mean, e.g., off-campus study, community-based learning, and other opportunities. How do we most effectively incorporate these into the ways we think about teaching and learning?”
“1) NSF evaluates proposals on ‘broader impacts.’ 2) I would love to see support for these activities—including ideas for possible activities to describe in proposals.”
“How do we find a balance/consensus on the extent of focus on research vs. teaching?”
“We need to examine who administers these centers! Faculty? Outside experts/administrators?”
“I liked both Carleton’s detailed teaching support and Macalester’s new, mid-career, and chair support.”
“We need to be supported by a center, not pour our already overextended efforts into different goals. Full-time staff will be essential.”
“I would love to hear more about what other faculty are doing. Perhaps publicize successful COG & academic innovation proposals.”
“If we’re going to do this, we need to commit to it FULLY—full, sustained funding, full staffing (as in full-time staffing, not cobbling together multiple part-time positions), full support for infrastructure (As in, we’re going to build a new or renovate an existing space. Let’s provide enough space for all staff and gatherings/meetings; we already have a space crunch on campus!), and as-full-as-possible commitment from the faculty. There is such good teaching and learning happening here—let’s look to INNOVATE and EXPLORE and EXPERIMENT in the area of pedagogy and learning. Let’s go beyond just catching up with our peers!”
“Do we want to incorporate advising into this center? Could it include an advisor to advisors?”
“Will participation in centers dilute faculty teaching/research?”
“In general I like the idea of breaking bread. Is there room for quiet discernment and contemplation of all the ideas? Are there opportunities for retreats that would address values in education?”
“There is an absence of dealing with the increase of diversity. Disabilities are addressed, but how does race/ism, class/ism, and sex/ism get processed in working pedagogical methods?”

Franklin & Marshall College

Faculty Centers Project

Kick Off Event