Our department: small but mighty! I am grateful to have such supportive colleagues in History and Global Studies, and across campus.
Collegiality means two things to me: first, to be collegial, one must be collaborative and supportive of one’s colleagues. This means that even if I think I could do a good job on a particular pedagogical or scholarly task my own, I’ll almost always perform better–more creatively, with greater sensitivity, or more relevance–after talking with a colleague who can provide a second perspective. And I need to be open-handed and generous about assisting and cheering on my fellow faculty, as well, letting my particular set of skills and experiences improve not only my own work here, but the work of my colleagues.
Second, collegiality means “goodness of fit.” This is the idea that I–my training and skills and particular areas of interest–am well-suited to my department and to ACU, and that ACU and my department, with their specific institutional culture and philosophy of teaching and learning, are a good match for me as faculty and as an individual.
This section contains: 1) discussion of my collaboration with and support of colleagues, including letters of support from Dr. Tracy Shilcutt and Dr. Lauren Lemley, and 2) my reflection on how my contributions align with ACU’s needs and mission, and how the environment here suits me. You may navigate through the Collegiality section using the menu below, or follow the links at the bottom of each page.
Collegiality at ACU often extends beyond the simply academic. I have solicited and received very helpful advice on how to juggle parenting and full-time work from Bill and Laura Carroll, and Dan and Laura McGregor. We regularly have colleagues over for dinner, or go to dinner at their houses, or go to movies together. A small academic community like this one, where it’s not very difficult to get to know quite a few folks, makes it easier to work collaboratively. The rather intertwined nature of ACU and church is complex, and I’m not always comfortable with that, but at the same time, it’s really pleasant to walk into a faculty meeting or a lunch at the Bean and see a table full of Minter Laners waving me over to sit with them. And I just spent a weekend at a church camping trip, where I was able to go fishing and swimming and get some encouragement about the tenure process, all with colleagues who are also friends and brethren in Christ. That is a pretty special set of relationships. I’m honored to be part of this community and hope that I can continue to contribute to it. Note_Tracy2_Elliott