Faculty members devote a significant amount of time and energy to mentoring and guiding students. As teachers, we are examples of those who participate in a dynamic learning environment where student-teacher relationships interchange and intersect throughout the learning process. Particularly, faculty are the role models students draw from as their lives are shaped in navigating their respective programs over a four-year period (and I do emphasize FOUR for parents’ sake!). We must therefore be careful, despite our preferences, interests, and biases, to set examples that will shape students’ lives for their good and for the good of those they will serve in the future.
Under Service, I mention student groups that I advise and support. Under Student Research Mentoring, I provide specific research activities where I work with both undergraduate and graduate students in guiding their research interests. Here, I provide a representative sample of the many opportunities we have to fulfill unique service opportunities for students with diverse needs.
Supporting Student Interests
Matt Spector was an honors SITC student who had an interest in engineering. However, he saw value in ACU and wanted to begin his academic career here and apply for an engineering program during his sophomore year. However, an opportunity came for him during his freshman year to apply to a program that would provide a 4 year scholarship and a combined internship in engineering. He therefore asked my assistance and that of other faculty with engineering backgrounds to provide guidance in completing the application and to write letters of recommendation for him. As a result, Matt was accepted into the program. Although we lost a great student, we were able to serve the interests of the student and perhaps planted the seed for Matt to return to ACU as a faculty member in the new Engineering and Physics program slated to begin the fall of 2012.
In addition to Matt, I have mentored other students in the Honors College in completing special projects or internships required by the honors program. Preston Wolfolk completed a research project as part of my microeconomics course on controversial issues in economics; Benjamin Hayes completed an internship at PFSweb to evaluate an information system upgrade. Jess Weeden continues as a research assistant in developing metrics to inform businesses in developing organizational structures that support the interests of women in the business environment.
Letters of Recommendation
I write a number of letters of recommendation for students interested in pursuing graduate programs and for employment. Although many students ask me to make recommendations on their behalf, I only recommend students whom I feel are well-suited for the responsibilities they will face in committing to such programs, and specifically state this in my letters. As faculty, our industry experience helps students prepare for and find jobs that will both provide for their families and serve long-term career interests. I therefore take special time to speak with students in class about skills that will be important in their careers. In my course evaluations, students often comment regarding the relevance of activities and assignments required for the class. I take extra time to help students see the importance of assignments as relevant for their careers and not just busy work for a completion grade. As faculty, we must stay current with industry initiatives, seek and trust God’s guidance and not be misguided by a consumer society. I was confirmed of my commitment at a recent graduation where a student thanked me for spending time in class on a specific enterprise application. He admitted that, during the course, he did not understand why I took so much time in class to make sure students understood the importance of an integrated systems environment. Yet, when he began to interview, every company he interviewed with asked if he had this experience. He felt both prepared and thankful for the opportunities presented to him at ACU.
Foreign Student Needs
Our foreign students have numerous needs that are unique as they work to be successful in a different country and culture. I have worked with students from various areas in Africa, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Germany, Russia, the Ukraine, South America…the list goes on. Their needs are as diverse as their origins. For example, many students from Asia require much patience and support regarding language challenges. Although they understand written English, their spoken English and ability to understand the same is often limited. I therefore spend considerable time on Blackboard to make sure written details are provided for each assignment (see example here). In preparation for the Global IT Leadership Program which was initially attended by students from Chinese, I sat in on two semesters of Mandarin Chinese to learn the language. Although I did not have the best language skills, the students were impressed that I understood some of their language and felt more welcome in class.
There are many examples of student support that faculty provide that could not be listed here. I tutor students who struggle in math because I understand math as the language of science; I counsel African American students who struggle to fit in to a serving/giving community and help them participate in doing the same; I support the financial needs of a number of students who need extra support to grow in extra-curricular activities; I provide transportation to students who want to attend worship services at congregations that are farther away from campus.
One final example of a service opportunity came with a student from Africa. Many students come to ACU on sports scholarships but lose them when they become injured or otherwise ineligible to compete. One female student had a particular need where her immigration status had lapsed. This student had graduated from ACU, had completed graduate work in California, and was returning to ACU to begin a graduate program here. She had consulted the graduate program in California and a few attorneys who said her immigration situation was too complicated and recommended that she return to her native country in Africa. When she returned to ACU, the international department gave us instructions on what she could try to resolve her immigration issue. She and I conducted the research, completed the appropriate papers, and submitted the renewal application covered by the prayers of the ACU community. Within five months, her immigration renewal was accepted.
We are truly here to serve as a community of believers who share a common hope in Christ.