A Catchy Turn of Phrase

You know how you have a song to which you think you know the lyrics and then one day, you learn the actual lyrics and the song becomes so much more clear?  Well something similar happened to me last night during a tour guide training event.  Despite my nearly decade-long career at the College, I’ve often found it hard to articulate the intellectual community that exists on our campus.  I had always felt it’s kind of one of those you-have-to-be there kind of things.  Last night’s tour guide training speaker was Provost Geoff Feiss and his answer to one student’s question really helped me find a way to articulate something I had often felt to be inexplicable.

One student asked him what he thought was most unique about W&M’s academic environment.  There are certainly automatic reponses to this that every tour guide and admission counselor uses.  William & Mary offers small classes, an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio, limitless opportunities for undergraduate research, etc.  But to hear Provost Feiss describe our academic environment as a symbiotic two-way street of sorts was that kind of ah-ha, light-bulb-going-off-above-my-head moment.

He first explained that the level of dedication to teaching that exists among W&M faculty is unique amongst most other elite institutions.  This dedication to teaching is evidenced by the fact that 99% of W&M courses are taught by the faculty.  But he said it goes beyond that.  Despite his experience at 5 competitor institutions, he had never seen department meetings and faculty forums that actually discuss what is  best for students.  At many institutions, what matters to students is often not even a topic of discussion but here at the College, the students really matter.  He said that this dedication on the faculty’s part inspires a genuine interest in academics from the students.  The students are able to perceive the faculty’s interest in teaching and in turn respond with an equally strong dedication to learning.  Our students demand a challenge, they crave knowledge, they crave intellectual discussion.  Their desire combined with faculty commitment make our classrooms active and dynamic.  Furthermore, it ensures that it is not only the faculty doing the teaching.  Instead, students and faculty teach each other.

I thank the Provost for making my job easier.  He was able to articulate what I’ve been feeling all along.

– Wendy Livingston