From left, Jennifer Ellis, Shewanee Howard-Baptiste and Ahad Nasab.
Faculty-in-Residence goals
- To increase faculty presence and role modeling in the residence halls.
- To provide opportunities for faculty and students to interact outside the classroom.
- To provide a seamless transition between the classroom and the residence hall environment.
- To increase personalization of the residence halls and the university community.
For the first time, UTC will have faculty members living in student housing to work with students, primarily freshmen.
Starting fall semester, Shewanee Howard-Baptiste, Jennifer Ellis and Ahad Nasab will be part of the Faculty-in-Residence program and will live either in UC Foundation Apartments, West Campus Housing or Lockmiller.
“The intent of the Faculty in Residence program is to help students forge relationships with faculty members outside of the classroom during their first year living on campus,” said Valara Sample, director of Residence Life. “It’s a way to help students feel more connected to the campus community. Basically, it connects living and learning to enhance the overall student experience.”
Howard-Baptiste is an associate professor in Exercise Science Health and Human Performance.
Ellis is STEM director of the STEM Education program and the program’s coordinator.
Nasab is department head and Burkett Miller Chair in the Engineering Management and Technology Department.
Howard-Baptiste says she applied for the Faculty-in-Residence position “for the opportunity to serve students outside of the classroom.”
“I take pride in supporting students as a faculty member and advisor, but meeting students in spaces where they feel comfortable is very important,” she says. “My goal is to help students cultivate the skills to become strong academically, to engage in student programming, and to become active citizens in our communities.
“I am looking forward to serving students in a capacity that connects Academic Affairs and Student Affairs in ways that support student success.”
