F r o n t l i n e Bridging the Gap by Van Nguyen The Faculty Senate's initiative for the '97-'98 school year is to enhance intellectual interaction within the university. There are two committees working towards this goal: the Academic Affairs committee and the Research and Scholarship committee. Both committees are currently in the beginning stages of discussion and research; no definitive plans have been made as of yet. English professor Jahan Ramazani, who chairs the Faculty Senate, says that the faculty as a whole felt a need for increased intellectual interaction between students and faculty, as well as amongst faculty members themselves. According to Ramazani, "Intellectual interaction has always been a concern," but this year the Faculty Senate decided to formally address the issue. He states that not enough interaction occurs because of "high student to teacher ratios, and because teachers have high demands on time." It is daunting for students to approach the professors of large lecture classes since the students feel so distant from the teacher. Also, teachers nowadays have to invest more time into finding money for research work. This leads to less time for office hours. Student-teacher interaction is not the only focus of the Faculty Senate; there is a demand for increased interaction between faculty members as well, especially inter-departmental interaction and interaction between the schools of the university. To explore the Faculty Senate's initiative, the Research and Scholarship committee and the Academic Affairs committee have each been given three charges. According to Research and Scholarship committee Chair David Gies, his committee is to consider the possibility of building a faculty center, discuss spaces on and off Grounds where intellectual exchanges could occur, and explore programs that facilitate intellectual exchange. A faculty center is believed to be extremely helpful in increasing faculty interaction. According to Gies, the proposed faculty center should "contain lecture space, dining services, and office space for visiting fellow scholars." Ideally, the new center would be located in the B1 parking lot behind Cabell Hall, across Jefferson Park Avenue. However, there are possible impediments to this location, since it could also serve as alumni parking space for the new athletic stadium. Although funding to build the new faculty center also poses a problem, Gies sees a solution. He states, "It would cost about five million dollars to create parking garages for the new proposed athletic building. That will be about the cost of building a new faculty building. Why would it be so unreasonable to think that someone would give that money [instead of to sport centers], to academics?" Of course, as Gies concedes, funding may not be an issue by the time the Research and Scholarship committee presents a formal proposal to build the faculty center. The committee's charge to discuss potential open areas for intellectual exchange is somewhat easier. One of the most promising areas is the patio space located to the right of Garrett Hall. Gies sees much potential for this space, where teachers and students could meet for coffee and engage in discussion. Meeting with professors in a relaxed, informal atmosphere instead of rigid setting of an office would be less daunting for students. It has not been determined yet whether this area has been reserved for other purposes, but it seems to be the most reasonable and promising space at this point in time. New programs to facilitate interaction include interdisciplinary programs, new lecture courses, reading groups, and workshops. All of these would bring together faculty members from different departments (or schools) in a shared learning environment. For example, in an interdisciplinary course, a student might have a psychology teacher and an English professor teaching one class on the presence of mental disorders in twentieth century literature. Teachers could learn teaching skills from one another, and students could have the benefit of learning from two different angles at the same time in an integrated format. The three charges for the Academic Affairs committee are the following: to promote excellence in teaching, to recommend measures that enhance junior faculty development and retention, and to recommend measures that will facilitate interdisciplinary teaching. The first charge is extended from last year's initiative in which a three-year pilot program was introduced to enhance teaching excellence. One hundred thousand dollars was appropriated by the Provost to spend on programs to do just that. The Academic Affairs committee is first investigating current teaching methods throughout the university. It has issued a call for proposals, wherein faculty members will give their input as to how to improve the level and nature of teaching here at U.Va. By the end of spring semester, it will present a formal proposal of ways to improve teaching to the Provost's office. The other two charges more directly relate to the Faculty Senate's '97-'98 initiative. Junior faculty members are important because according to committee member Edward Ayers, they are usually more open to change and bring in new and original ideas about research and teaching. Academic Affairs Committee Chair Ben Ray says that his committee would like to help "create a more nurturing environment for junior faculty to help them develop as teachers and scholars." By creating a more positive environment, junior faculty would be more willing to stay and actively contribute to the learning environment at the university. In doing so, junior faculty and their innovative ideas enhance the intellectual community at U.Va. While interdisciplinary programs enrich the learning environment, they are not as widespread as they could be. This is due in part to funding problems and general lack of support. The Academic Affairs comittee is researching ways to overcome those barriers. Although there have thus far been only discussions and research of issues, the upcoming December 3 meeting of the Faculty Senate may bring forth concrete actions from the discussed issues. In the meantime, Gies suggests that perhaps a graduating class could present benches (to the Faculty Senate), which would be placed around Grounds in discussion format (that is to say, facing one another). That way, students and teachers could sit together and converse in an informal setting.

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