La Salle launches Freshman-Faculty Institute in an effort to increase discourse outside of class

By Frank Visco
Collegian Editor
January 23, 2008

As part of the university’s ongoing plans to improve the freshman experience, the Office of the Provost has launched the Freshmen-Faculty Institute, a new program that is expected to increase discourse between freshmen and full-time faculty.

According to Thomas Keagy, Dean of La Salle’s School of Arts and Sciences, the institute’s main objective is to organize several informal discussion groups in which freshmen and faculty can dialogue on any topic of interest. Groups are expected to meet for the first time by the middle of February.

“We wanted to address in a special way, how we deal with freshmen,” Keagy said. “Many of our professors don’t get much opportunity to interact with freshmen because they’re needed in upper division classes. This will allow them that interaction, while also providing the freshmen class with more resources.”

Echoing that comment, Dr. Joel Garver, a philosophy professor who will also be acting as the institute’s director, called attention to the fact that many freshmen are taught by adjuncts.

“There are some great full-time faculty members here that freshmen never get the chance to see,” he said. “Many low-level core classes are taught by adjuncts, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but this is a chance for students to establish more contacts.”

The institute is expected to adhere to a loose structure. A total of 16 faculty volunteers have been culled from 16 different majors, so Garver indicated there are a variety of options.

He pointed to current events, books and films as possible discussion topics. More specifically, Bonni Zetick, director of the social work and criminal justice programs, has suggested that a group view Michael Moore’s Sicko and then talk about it from the perspective of several disciplines.

“It’s pretty open-ended,” Garver said. “As long as it involved faculty talking to students over food, it fits into our criteria.”

Intended to operate on a volunteer basis, the institute is expected to start small in its pilot semester. The goal is to attract a group of 60 to 75 freshmen, who could be split into about eight or nine groups that would be led by two faculty members.

While increased discourse is the main purpose for the institute, Keagy also said the program could foster “new techniques and experiments” that could eventually be implemented in classrooms.

Both Garver and Keagy acknowledge that the institute is similar to the FYO program and the Honors labs that all freshmen are required to take. However, unlike those programs, students will not receive a class credit for their involvement with the institute. Nevertheless, Garver is optimistic about student’s interest.

“The difference is that we’re hoping students will see this as fun,” Garver said. “They will have input into the topics, and it won’t be graded so that will open things up more.”

Although Garver says that it’s “hard to tell” if students will embrace the program, he did point out that 35 students have joined the program’s Facebook group, Student-Faculty Colloquia.

“For me, when it came down to making the final decision of what college I was going attend, one of the most important things was that the college had to have a large sense of community.” she said. “[This] just reinforces everything I first thought about La Salle. I love the idea, because it really shows me that professors, faculty and other staff really enjoy spending time with the students.”

The idea for Institute originated with Provost Richard Nigro, who wanted to “increase connectivity between freshmen and faculty,” Keagy said. Eventually it was entrusted to Garver, who, along with Nancy Jones, director of the integrated science and business technology program, and Teri Ceraso, director of the Learning Support Program, cultivated the program and recruited faculty. All faculty volunteers were required to commit for at least two years so that the institute could function as a work in progress.

“The program is probably going to look a little different a year or two down the line,” Keagy said. “We wanted to have a cadre of faculty that could stay together as cohorts to discuss things and improve the program as we go.”

Keagy said the Freshman Faculty Institute is just one of the school’s many freshmen-based initiatives. He specifically mentioned that the school recently had consultants on campus to review the Freshman Writing Program.

“[The Institute] just part of a bigger piece of interest in our focused look at the freshmen,” he said. “We aren’t only focusing on them, but we believe it’s important to start at the freshmen class and work our way up.”

viscof1@lasalle.edu