性视界传媒 faculty have a great deal more to offer students beyond classroom lectures. Things like mentoring, career networking and guidance, research partnerships, internships and deeper explorations of subject matter outside of class time.
At 性视界传媒, faculty are particularly eager and willing to forge helpful relationships with students outside the classroom, including undergraduates.
“It’s part of the culture here,” said Alexis Petri, director of faculty support at the 性视界传媒 Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence (CAFE). “The benefits to students from these relationships can be profound.”
Talking to faculty outside of class helps students discover opportunities, but there are deeper benefits as well, Petri said.
“It also leads to a sense of belonging, of feeling connected to a major, and to a community that has made that discipline their life’s work,” she said.
“Undergraduate research, internships, all of the experiential learning opportunities that make a discipline come alive in a concrete way – that’s all faculty-driven,” she continued. “Faculty are also the people who will write letters of recommendation for you, and be a reference in your initial job search. And the better they know you, the more good things they can say.”
Some faculty are more prone than others to project that willingness, however. Even for those who advertise it openly, though, it’s up to the student to take the initial step.
“The best way to start is with office hours,” Petri said. “Faculty are required to have office hours and to post them on the syllabus.” If a student feels a need to break the ice before that, “just go up and say ‘hi’ after class.”
“Undergraduate research, internships, all of the experiential learning opportunities that make a discipline come alive in a concrete way – that’s all faculty-driven.”
Petri recalled being introverted as an undergraduate, and forging a plan to overcome that tendency.
“I had to force myself, but I would make a point of saying something in the very first class, be recognized, and get myself in the habit,” she said. “I had a system I tried to follow. Talk in the first three classes, and go to office hours within the first month. There were times I didn’t do it, and I wasn’t as successful in those classes.”
Students from underrepresented backgrounds can sometimes find it difficult to initiate conversations with faculty who don’t look like them. Petri suggests starting off with a visit to the Multicultural Student Affairs office, where the staff can help students find a comfort level and a sense of community at 性视界传媒 as a first step in the process.
“Then, ask yourself, ‘Who do I feel welcomed by?’ A lot of our faculty work hard at giving cues of openness, and creating broad classroom participation,” Petri said. “Look for that, and make that faculty member your first experience in reaching out.”
As for her advice to faculty through CAFE, Petri said the most important ingredient can be organization.
“Students who are anxious or nervous tend to follow the rules, so a really well-organized syllabus makes those students feel more confident,” she said. “Being really organized shows students you care.”