Faculty Involvement

Letter from Anthony Martin

Educators have often stressed the importance of interaction between faculty members and students outside of the classroom. This has clearly been one of the goals of our residence life program. In the past few years, resident directors and resident assistants have approached various members of the faculty and requested assistance related to programs in the residence halls, informal dinners and discussions with residents, etc. - all geared to an increase in the amount of contact residents have with members of the faculty.

Fortunately, many faculty members have responded generously with their time and effort and have assisted in the process of supporting the growth of resident students outside the classroom.

This is the sixth year of our Residence Life Faculty Fellows program, which provides a way of recognizing a number of educators who have been especially active and supportive of our residence life program. This is the third year of our Faculty In Residence program - and we now have six faculty members (several with a spouse and/or children) working with the residence life staff, helping to identify ways we can help students succeed. And we're now in the fifth year of a related program, a Faculty Associates program - this year with fifteen Associates - who have volunteered to work with the students and staff on a specific floor in one of our halls - looking for ways to get to know resident students and make this an even more special community.

We plan to expand these programs and hope to encourage other faculty members to become more involved in residence life. The Residence Life Faculty Fellows program, the Faculty in Residence program and the Faculty Associates program are intended to be small but meaningful steps in the development of community here at UIC. Together with faculty like the ones selected for these programs, we hope to enhance the kind of support and encouragement needed to assist residents in their overall success at UIC.

To those educators in the Residence Life Faculty Fellows program - to our six Faculty in Residence and our fifteen Faculty Associates - thank you for the extra time and effort you have generously given to our residence community.

Anthony M. Martin
Director of Housing

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