What’s it like to have a professor living in your dorm?
One of the strongest memories I have of my first days at Baylor was meeting the professor who lived in my residence hall. She invited us into her home and fed us all kinds of snacks and goodies while asking us about our fears, doubts and excitements about our new phase in life as college freshmen. It was one of the many moments that showed me I had chosen a university that was unlike the rest — one that went the extra mile to make you feel like family.
This is exactly what Baylor Faculty-In-Residence are tasked with: acting as extra parents for Bears making that transition into adulthood. These professors — 14 in all — live in special apartments designed expressly for them inside almost all of Baylor’s residence halls. [Learn more about the experience in this Summer 2013 Baylor Magazine feature.]
What is this experience like for the students who also live there? Here’s what some Baylor students had to say about some of the men and women currently serving as Faculty-in-Residence:
Dr. James Marcum, Earle Hall (East Village): “Dr. Marcum has always eagerly participated and initiated events to get to know the residents of Earle Hall better. One of the most impactful events of my entire freshman year was Dr. Marcum’s Fireside Chat, where he sat in front of the fireplace in the lobby and talked to any willing students about school and life and how to be successful in college. I left that event inspired by Dr. Marcum’s work ethic and wisdom and really appreciated that opportunity to get to know him.”
Dr. Jonathan Tran, Memorial and Alexander halls [pictured above]: “Dr. Tran actively initiated time to talk to me about my adjustment to Baylor, community life, academic goals, spiritual growth, and overall well-being. The conversations were both greatly helpful for my transition to Baylor as a whole, and very valuable for clarifying my different plans of action for the semester.”
Dr. Clay Butler, BA ’88, Texana House (North Village): “Some of my favorite things [the Butlers] have done are having floors over for taco dinners and ice cream nights, having an illusionist do a performance, and just having residents over for game nights. The entire Butler family is always so welcoming and encouraging; it really is like having a family away from home. Every Thursday the Butlers sit in the lobby of Texana with different snacks and goodies, kind of like ‘office hours,’ where you can just sit and talk and hang out with them for a little while.”
Dr. Robert Creech, University House (North Village): “He would have weekly ‘Coffee and…’ where he would have baked goods and a time of conversation. He would also always say hi when you ran into him, and he was always wondering what was going on in your life. He also provided food during stressful finals time.”
Dr. Bob Kane, University Parks Apartments: “Dr. Kane has been very influential in making my move to Baylor a positive one. In particular, he has made me feel better about knowing I’m behind and will spend more time than my peers finishing an undergraduate degree — something I was mostly bothered with upon transferring in. He relates so well to transfers like myself and shares his own story of extended time in undergrad which is really comforting. It’s awesome for me to see someone with a background like his have ‘PhD’ behind his name and still be approachable and just generally really cool. … He’s that professor you want to talk with about the universe’s greatest mysteries over some pizza and root beer floats.”
Sic ’em, Baylor Faculty-In-Residence!
[We learned of this story from a Bear who shared their Baylor pride. Do you know of an inspiring story, news item, or just a fun link that makes you proud of Baylor and the Baylor family? Let us know! Click here to submit your point of pride!]