Beyond the Ivory Tower
SUS Colleagues:
It’s hard to believe, but I’ve just passed the six-month mark as dean of SUS. In some ways it feels like just yesterday that I came on board, but in other ways we have already shared a great deal together and so I hardly feel new anymore. Thank you all for a terrific first six months; you have each made my time here very fulfilling.
One of the new initiatives we are all working on currently is our upcoming move to the new building in Largo (Prince George’s County, MD). SUS will be moving in early Spring—likely March of 2009. The new building is very large and designed to maximize natural light throughout. Those of us who have seen the building are excited by its possibilities. Many units will be co-located again (SUS, Graduate School, Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, Course Development, to name a few) and the structural layout encourages collaboration. The potential to work more closely with our colleagues from across the University is exciting.
However, the new building is not a traditional “academic” building. The new building looks like a corporate headquarters—because it was built for precisely that purpose. It may take some getting used to especially for those faculty who have only worked on more traditional campuses. When I lived in Seattle I worked for a University that had rented former Microsoft buildings, so I understand the initial disconnect.
Recently, some of our faculty from Europe and Asia were in Adelphi to attend a teaching institute. We had several informal conversations, and they shared stories about teaching in Quonset huts and other less-than desirable conditions. And yet, these faculty spoke with passion about their teaching and how they feel a mission to help students make sense of their surroundings through education. These faculty feel strongly that one of their roles is to link learning to the context of our military students in these settings.
It occurred to me recently that the two issues of moving to a corporate headquarters and teaching in Quonset huts aren’t really that different. They both require us to underline for ourselves that UMUC’s academic mission goes beyond place, time, or setting. The life of the mind is not limited to brick buildings with ivy-covered walls. We may have gotten used to learning and teaching in those traditional environs, but the realities of higher education require us to link education with the context our students find themselves in.
The question for us as educators in this new environment is “how do we maintain our connection with those aspects of academic life that drew us to higher education in the first place?” I will mention three, but would encourage you to discuss this topic within your 999 online communities.
• Take the initiative to encourage colleagues to join you in discussions related to content and pedagogy intended to meet the needs of UMUC students. Your 999s are ideal for this.
• Stay current in your field not only by reading about topics of interest, but also by writing and presenting. Being a part of the discourse in your field will keep you linked to colleagues. Much of what we do at UMUC lends itself to presenting new ideas about teaching and learning.
• Be a futurist. Rather than lament changes in higher education, read about the potential for the future, including changing faculty roles, new forms of technology, and the latest in learning research.
--Marie
