2008 Woodie Awards
Editorial: Faculty-student relations result of URI's new direction
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
04/11/08 - The Faculty-Staff-Student Engagement Committee recently decided that the University of Rhode Island needed to enhance faculty-student relations.
Universities across the nation, including schools like Yale University, Duke University and the College of William and Mary, all state the importance of faculty-student relations in their mission statements. They hold those relationships in the highest regard because these schools know that they are a key to success at any university.
Before any new facilities are built, before new programs are embraced, and before another dorm is constructed on this campus, the university needs to recognize that the most important investments are the people that send students out into the world with knowledge, character and a new sense of self-the professors and staff.
Once upon a time, when going to a university or college was almost impossible for women, low-income students and racial minorities, university administrations weren't racking up the bill with fancy buildings or extra programs - or that wasn't their focus, at least.
The fact is, the foundation of every school is its teachers, staff and professors, and without them, it doesn't matter how many attractions each school provides - the quality of education should be its first priority.
With an expanding student population, less money floating around to fund each department and professors checking out early with a $20,000 check in their pockets, it's hard to imagine how exactly the university is going to live up to FSSEC standards.
How many large lecture-style classes can be added to curricula before the personal aspect of the student-professor relationship completely diminishes?
Though it's clear the university needs to take responsibility, professors should also know that they had a part in the results of the FSSEC report, too. Professors hold a lot of responsibilities, but their first responsibility is to reach out to students. When you see your student in the coffee shop, greet them and ask them how classes are. Go the extra mile and try to reach out to students in a different way than you are used to.
When newly-minted freshmen come home for the first time after experiencing college, it's doubtful that dinner table conversation will strictly revolve around the cleanliness of their dorm room or the fact that there's a brand new building on campus. The hours of conversation will most likely be about what professor has already made a difference in their lives, or what made them change their mind about being an English major.
Professors, advisers and staff are the most crucial elements of this university, and no matter how many new additions bring money into the university, in the long run, a decline in the quality of education will cancel out any kind of attempt to strive for success.
Universities across the nation, including schools like Yale University, Duke University and the College of William and Mary, all state the importance of faculty-student relations in their mission statements. They hold those relationships in the highest regard because these schools know that they are a key to success at any university.
Before any new facilities are built, before new programs are embraced, and before another dorm is constructed on this campus, the university needs to recognize that the most important investments are the people that send students out into the world with knowledge, character and a new sense of self-the professors and staff.
Once upon a time, when going to a university or college was almost impossible for women, low-income students and racial minorities, university administrations weren't racking up the bill with fancy buildings or extra programs - or that wasn't their focus, at least.
The fact is, the foundation of every school is its teachers, staff and professors, and without them, it doesn't matter how many attractions each school provides - the quality of education should be its first priority.
With an expanding student population, less money floating around to fund each department and professors checking out early with a $20,000 check in their pockets, it's hard to imagine how exactly the university is going to live up to FSSEC standards.
How many large lecture-style classes can be added to curricula before the personal aspect of the student-professor relationship completely diminishes?
Though it's clear the university needs to take responsibility, professors should also know that they had a part in the results of the FSSEC report, too. Professors hold a lot of responsibilities, but their first responsibility is to reach out to students. When you see your student in the coffee shop, greet them and ask them how classes are. Go the extra mile and try to reach out to students in a different way than you are used to.
When newly-minted freshmen come home for the first time after experiencing college, it's doubtful that dinner table conversation will strictly revolve around the cleanliness of their dorm room or the fact that there's a brand new building on campus. The hours of conversation will most likely be about what professor has already made a difference in their lives, or what made them change their mind about being an English major.
Professors, advisers and staff are the most crucial elements of this university, and no matter how many new additions bring money into the university, in the long run, a decline in the quality of education will cancel out any kind of attempt to strive for success.