After seven years of working as an independent contractor (during four of which I was completing my Ph.D.), the opportunity to work closely again with colleagues has been a special blessing. I’ve enjoyed the daily sharing of experiences, ideas, and needs very much, and am thankful to work with a group of such caring, Christ-centered individuals. I owe special thanks to experienced professors and mentors Brenda Bender, Terry Baggs, and Denise Barnett for their patience and willingness to answer questions and give assistance. I also appreciate their openness to the new (and not-so-new) ideas of a recent arrival. In following their example, I believe that I have demonstrated collegiality in concrete ways by sharing thoughts, ideas and resources, by helping others and seeking help, and by working productively and cheerfully within the team to plan and carry out a variety of projects. Some examples of collegiality were detailed in the section on “Service to the Institution” (collegiality and service certainly overlap), but here I mention additional instances where I feel I have demonstrated collegiality.
Within the department I have had opportunities to exercise collegiality starting with the acts of basic Christian fellowship and hospitality. I see Romans 12:10 &13 exemplified in the department: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. . . Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” I feel I have demonstrated love to my colleagues by caring for them in difficult times with concrete acts of service (providing meals during illnesses or deaths, offering to help cover a task or class in difficult moments), and I have been blessed to humbly receive care from their hands at such times in my own life. I have sought to honor and encourage them by affirming their work, both in their presence and outside of it. I have asked for forgiveness when I felt I misspoke in instances of disagreement. I have shared with my colleagues in providing hospitality to students, and enjoyed other times of table-fellowship by either initiating or responding to informal invitations to have meals together.
Work in our context provides many other opportunities for more specific collegial actions. When we all participate together in tasks of significance to our department, I feel I have demonstrated patience, a positive attitude, and a willingness to adapt my own opinion or stance after listening to my colleagues. Examples of instances of this type of collaboration have been: collaborating on interviewing graduate school applicants, writing and grading comprehensive examinations, and problem-solving situations with students. Below I attach interactions on some of these topics that I feel demonstrate collegial actions and attitudes.
In the life of the department I have also had the opportunity to team with one or two colleagues (and with students) to accomplish a specific goal. I think that I am a helpful and supportive teammate, and that I reliably complete my part of the task. I also am willing to do more than my share if a collaborator is having difficulty. Examples of these types of collaborations include: guest speaker spots in classes (both giving and inviting guest lectures), collaborative course assignments, and clinic program development initiatives, to name a few opportunities.
Most recently I worked with our the clinic director, Diana Taylor, to develop a summer language and literacy camp for children with language-based reading difficulties. On a volunteer basis, I guided the theory-based assessment and therapy planning of the seven graduate students and provided some of the camp supervision. This was a great learning experience for ALL involved!
Graduate students and campers at the “Bridge Builders” Language and Literacy camp, summer 2013
Again, the opportunities that exist within the department to demonstrate collegiality are one of the aspects of this job that make it fulfilling. I realized this shortly after arriving — I then realized how lonely my years of contracting/consulting had been!
Commendation / affirmation
Letter from Diana Taylor_collegiality
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