Thursday, July 28, 2011

Worlds Colliding


I love it when worlds collide, as George used to say on Seinfeld.

The two worlds are both related to higher education.  My son, who did not want to go to college after high school, attended community college. He was just accepted at a prestigious private university and I’m convinced it was the relationships he built with his professors that propelled him forward.

At his orientation, the welcome included advice from Making the Most of College by Professor Richard J. Light (Harvard University Press), based on a 10-year study of which factors were most likely to improve students’ learning and overall happiness.
  • Get to know at least one faculty member reasonably well each semester, and get that faculty member to know you too. You’ll feel more connected to your school (and those letters of recommendation from faculty members will be helpful later on). For students at large schools or commuter campuses this may be more difficult, but it’s worth the effort. 
How can your student do this?  I suggest they visit each professor once or twice during office hours just to introduce themselves, show interest in the professor’s work, let them know a little about you and comment on the class. 

The second world emerged from the Texas Community College Teachers Association this week where I conducted a two-day workshop on relationship-building. It turns out that some of the colleges are working on professional development courses to help professors connect with students on a more personal basis to improve the rate of student success!

They are also using relationship-building skills to improve their networking with community and business leaders, to build consensus among their colleagues and peers in the state to initiate new programs.