Faculty
live with and teach students in residence halls
By
Adrienne Frank
(From American Magazine,
Fall 2006)
2 of 3 pages
“The transformation was breathtaking. But even more
moving was the expression on their faces,” Richardson
says of Angotti and Krichinsky.
“I could not have imagined a more moving acknowledgment
of my four years living in Anderson Hall than this very special
gift,” continues Richardson, who prepared a feast of
Moroccan lamb and couscous for 30 students that very night.
Richardson, who is the director of the Center for Teaching
Excellence (CTE), moved into Anderson in 2002 for a pilot
faculty in residence program that he and Gail Hanson, vice
president of campus life, were eager to try as a way of “tying
residential life into the intellectual life of the university,” says
Hanson. As faculty resident, part of Richardson’s job
is to make life more pleasant for students. His fridge is
stocked with Klondike ice cream bars, and his couch, a popular
spot for conversations about everything from politics to
literature, is inviting and well worn. A culinary enthusiast,
Richardson also prepares dinner for students five to six
times each semester, something he can now do more expansively
in the “Dolce” lounge.
After four years he’s acclimated to life in the residence
halls. Like any new resident, though, Richardson says it
took time to develop a true sense of belonging.
“I was surprised at how difficult it was to get noticed,
at first,” he recalls. “Moving on campus was
a significant event for me, and I thought it would be a significant
event for students, but it really wasn’t. It took some
time, and it took me doing different kinds of things to be
noticed.” That effort has become “one of the
most valuable and rewarding experiences” of his career
he says.
“Several other faculty were intrigued by John’s
adventure and have followed in his footsteps,” says
Hanson. John Doolittle, School of Communication (SOC), lives
in Hughes, while W. Joseph Campbell, also of SOC, maintains
an office in McDowell. Patrick Jackson, SIS, moved into an
office in Leonard last spring.
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