North Campus / Collegetown Residential Faculty Program

Purpose, History, and Goals:

The purpose of the North Campus/Collegetown Residential Faculty Program is to enhance the personal growth and development of students by providing opportunities for informal interaction between faculty and students. Faculty members serve as mentors, teachers, and leaders in the residential communities.  Faculty - student interaction in residence halls, community centers, and in the dining facilities will bridge formal academic programs and out of classroom learning and developmental activities for students.

The Faculty in Residence program was created in 1980 as a vehicle for integrating academic and campus life.  The Faculty Fellow program was added in 1985 to increase the number of participating faculty members.  In 1996, the Dining Discussion groups were added to the program to enhance interaction further between students and faculty by providing opportunities to discuss issues, current events, and other topics of interest in the dining units.  Currently, there are 71 Faculty Fellows (FF), 9 Faculty in Residence (FIR), and 27 Dining Discussion Faculty Fellows.

The success of the faculty program results from the collaborative efforts of several areas of the university.  The North Campus/Collegetown Residential Faculty Program Council is one such area that combines faculty, staff, and students in order to monitor the program efforts.  Campus Life functional areas working on the faculty program include Residential Programs, Dining, Facilities, and Residential and Event Services.  Residential Programs specifically focuses on enriching the undergraduate on-campus living experience through various programs and opportunities.

Goals for the North Campus/Collegetown Residential Faculty Program are as follows:

Programmatic Goals:

• To create opportunities for students to immerse themselves in a number of different educational and social program offerings during the academic year by having faculty and Campus Life staff members develop programs that are relevant to students and enrich their academic experience at Cornell.
• To provide opportunities for Faculty in Residence and Faculty Fellows to collaborate on programming ideas.
• To encourage a collaborative partnership between the residence hall staff and the Faculty Fellow/ Faculty in Residence within each residential community.  Identify common ground on which staff and faculty are able to serve together to provide program direction for each respective community.
• To create opportunities for staff and faculty to offer cross-programming activities for various residential complexes and community centers.

Organizational Goals:

• To provide a structure in which the Campus Life professional staff can work effectively with the Associate Director for Faculty Programs in Residential Communities to foster consistent and purposeful faculty involvement in residential communities.
• To provide an approach to training Campus Life professional and student staff that will prepare them to assist in the facilitation and implementation of North Campus/Collegetown Residential Faculty Program.
• To develop an orientation and training program for Faculty in Residence, Faculty Fellows, and Dining Discussion Faculty Fellows that will prepare them for their role.
• To attract faculty who have diverse academic backgrounds and interests that bring an added mix of programmatic opportunities.