Southwestern College Collegian

Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Collegian Front Page

Adding a new faculty member is like searching for gold. The religion department and students are currently involved in the interviewing process to add a new face. Cheryl Rude, associate professor of leadership studies, explains why they are looking for a new faculty member. She said, "The growth in the undergraduate philosophy and religion major, degree completion program in pastoral studies, and master's in specialized ministries programs-both online and on-campus-have reached the point where current personnel are unable to meet the demands of the various programs." There were 38 applicants. Those applicants were narrowed down to Dr. Richard Heyduck and Dr. Matt Thompson. Both had an on-campus interviews. Steve Rankin, professor of religious studies, is the chairperson for the philosophy and religious studies department. He said, "We've settled on a person and that person's name will become public soon. We have made an offer, so the announcement should come soon." Candidates were to write a letter and submit their resume which includes educational background information, their research or publication record, and other information. If they got a phone interview, it lasted about 20 to 30 minutes. During this time, they were asked questions about their academic interests, their teaching style, their awareness and knowledge of the school. Depending on how that interview went, they met with the search committee. They had individual interviews with various high-level administrators, they led a class presentation with students and any faculty and staff interested in observing. Rude said, "In other words, they're showing how they would teach if they were one of our faculty."   This process is common. Rankin said, "It is a standard way for hiring in academia. Really, all colleges do it this way. The reason we do it is because we believe it is the best way to discern whether or not a candidate is a good fit for the school. It also gives the candidate a chance to see and get a feel for a place, its location, geographically, its culture. Some people might like the college, but they decide they don't feel comfortable in this small of a town or in this part of the country." Current faculty are interested in having. Rude said, "Faculty are interested in the expertise the person has. They are interested in the way the person engages with students, and they are interested in finding a good fit as a colleague." Rude believes the key to teaching is to having content expertise, process expertise, energy, and a connection with the students. Rankin looked for several attributes. He said "We are looking for articulate, competent scholars. They need to know their field and they need to be able to communicate effectively. They also need to be pretty relational. As I mentioned, we are a very student oriented college and we're a pretty tight faculty. We get along well. Thirdly, we want people of high ethical character. There is a tremendous amount of trust accorded on faculty from students. We want people to be trustworthy." The tricky part of finding a faculty member is how quick you have to make a decision. Rankin said, "It's always a little scary to try to pick a person who fits on the basis of a fairly limited set of interactions. Even with reading their applications and resumes and listening to them lecture and having interaction, it still can seem a pretty quick way to make a decision. It's certainly not as intense as getting married, but if you think about long-term partnerships and collegiality, to make such a decision on the basis of a couple of conversations within a few hours is pretty fast." Samantha Gillis is a freshman majoring in journalism. You may e-mail her at samantha.gillis@sckans.edu.

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