Faculty Involvement

FACULTY in Residence

Mission Statement

The Faculty in Residence Program seeks to create an integrative and transformative Northeastern student experience by cultivating opportunities for enjoyment and learning.

Vision

To set the standard for engaging the residential student with faculty beyond the classroom to catalyze personal and professional development.

Values

Welcoming Community: The Faculty in Residence Program will foster an environment of comfort, care, and sense of belonging for students.
Respect and Acceptance: The Faculty in Residence Program will promote a culture of awareness, inclusion, and comfort with difference.
Learning and Inquiry: The Faculty in Residence Program will help students to gain perspective, develop curiosity, and critically question their values and beliefs.
Life Skills: The Faculty in Residence Program will create collaborative opportunities and skill-based programs for personal and professional development.
Engaged Citizen: The Faculty in Residence Program will encourage students to model ethical behavior and help them to become effective communicators for positive change.

MEET OUR FACULTY IN RESIDENCE:

professor Michael hoppmann, phd

College of Arts, Media and Design
Ryder Hall 102K
email: m.hoppmann@northeastern.edu

A little bit about Michael's background…

Originally from the Harz mountains in Northern Germany, Michael spent most of his adult life in Tübingen, where he studied Philosophy and Rhetoric, and did more competitive debating than is good for any single person. In 2008 Michael came to Northeastern for a one-year PostDoc in the Communication Studies department – and never left again. Currently Michael is an Assistant Teaching Professor and serves as the Public Speaking Director at Northeastern.

Michael has two core academic interests: 1) understanding what it takes to communicate reasonably and 2) train people to communicate effectively. Sometimes the two overlap, sometimes they don’t. The first area is usually referred to as “Argumentation Theory”, the study of norms and felicity conditions of reasonable communication, or – more figuratively speaking – formal logic’s, younger, prettier and more approachable twin sister. The second area is Public Speaking Pedagogy and Rhetoric at large – which is why the Director of Public Speaking is his dream job.

A little bit about Michael's interests…

Too many to list, but some of the active hobbies that stand out are: climbing (only indoor so far, but with credible plans to take it outdoor as soon as the time allows), skiing (growing up in the German mountains does that to a child), live music (and loving what Boston has to offer in that regard) and traveling (yet another wonderful fit for an active academic).

Professor Jacob Stump

Department of Philosophy & Religion
408 Renaissance Park
email: jacob.stump@northeastern.edu

A little bit about Jacob's background…

Jacob grew up fishin’ and huntin’ and muddin’ in Oklahoma. After high school, he flew to Beijing and taught English in Jilin Province for a semester before zigzagging the country for two months, sleeping in train stations and budget hostels. He walked part of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain and then matriculated to Wabash College, a tiny liberal arts college in the cornfields of Indiana. He studied German in Berlin and Dresden for a year. He then got his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Toronto, where he was part of its Collaborative Program in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy. He writes on moral psychology in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy, and he leads the Philosophy as a Way of Life Working Group.

A little bit about Jacob's interests…

Playing piano badly, learning how to cook Szechuan food (thankful for C-Mart), long runs as a form of therapy, gaining a remedial education in economic systems and US history, stumbling conversations that explore abstract territory, pickup basketball and pickup soccer, slow thinking, any film movement with ‘New Wave’ in the name, making houseplants happy, learning how to kitesurf, wondering what the Aristotelian virtues look like today – many things, all in an attempt to stay close to what’s meaningful and maybe even beautiful.

“I think that nothing is more pleasurable (fun, thrilling) than a philosophical conversation, so long as it’s done well, and, in my teaching, I try to acquaint students with that experience. One thing that I love about being a Faculty in Residence is that the opportunities for this are no longer only in the classroom but now also around the bonfires across campus and in the elevators and lobby of East Village. I feel closer to the ancient Greek philosophical ideal of an intellectual community, and I find that to be so energizing.”

Professor Maria Elena Villar

Communication Studies
College of Arts, Media and Design
email: m.villar@northeastern.edu

A little bit about Maria Elena's background…

Maria Elena was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Before coming to Boston in 2022, she lived in Miami for 25 years and before that, Chile, New York and Venezuela. She is Professor and Chair of Communication Studies in College of Arts, Media and Design. She has degrees in economics, public health, and communication. Her research and service are around communication for social change, especially with multicultural audiences and minoritized communities. She works on topics ranging from vaccine hesitancy, sexual assault prevention, and impact of climate change on communities.

A little bit about Maria Elena's interests…

If you have never tried dragon boating, Maria Elena would love to take you to practice to try it. She is a member of Ohana New England dragon boat racing team. She would also love for you to join “Hora de Cafe” at the Latinx Student Cultural Center, where anybody can join and practice Spanish at any level. She loves learning about different cultures and will ask you about yours if you let her. She also likes getting to know Boston on her bike a living without a car for the first time in decades. She likes to travel, especially with her (adult) daughter, Adriana. She also likes to spend time at home with her moody cat, Charlie.

“Living in a university community is a greatly opportunity to expand my horizons by learning from others. Everyone here is an expert - some in an academic discipline, some in a particular skill, but we are all experts in our own life experience and there is nothing more valuable than that. I want to help build a world where we can all learn from each other, value our experiences and find solutions together to the problems that ail us.”

Professor Caglar Yildirim

Khoury College of Computer Sciences
email: c.yildirim@northeastern.edu

A little bit about Caglar's background…

Caglar grew up in Ankara, Turkey, where he also completed his undergraduate degree. The first time he left Ankara was when he moved to Ames, IA for his graduate studies at Iowa State University. The move from the capital city of Turkey to a rural college town in the Midwest was quite an experience for him. Little did he know how much he would enjoy living in a small college town! After completing his doctoral studies at Iowa State, Caglar moved to Oswego, NY – a town even smaller than Ames, IA – to start his first faculty position immediately after graduate school. Having survived the harsh winters and whiteouts of Upstate New York, Caglar wound up as a computer science professor at Northeastern and started living in his dream city! He enjoys the cosmopolitan nature of Boston and tries his best to commiserate with Bostonians when they complain about Boston winters.

A little bit about Caglar's interests…

Caglar’s interests are hugely influenced by his research (for better or worse) as he can be found spending a lot of time in virtual reality (VR), mostly developing VR apps or playing games. He has recently started hosting VR game nights for his friends, which he enjoys immensely. He likes to exercise and tries to stretch every morning (in an attempt to counteract the deleterious effects of being a computer scientist on his spine). Caglar also enjoys cooking Turkish food and baking Turkish pastries.

What I enjoy most about serving as a Faculty-in-Residence is the spontaneity of interactions outside the formal classroom environment. I enjoy living with students in a residential setting at IV and running into residents at the dining hall or at the gym, which provides organic opportunities to interact with students and thus enables me to gain insights into their lives beyond the confines of a classroom. I truly value their stories and their participation in our programs.

The Department of Residential Life sees the value of the interaction between students and faculty and thus has created multiple opportunities for out of classroom experiences that bring both together. “The more students interact with faculty in a variety of formal and informal settings, the greater the degree of students will be committed to the institution,” (Pascarella, 1980).

Not only does this type of involvement improve the experiences of students, but research has shown that faculty also have a lot to gain from these interactions. “Faculty tend to have a greater understanding of students’ needs, expectations, strengths and challenges to help guide faculty in the classroom when teaching and meeting with students about their academic expectations and challenges they may face,” (Pascarella, 1975).

There are a number of opportunities for faculty to become more involved with students’ academic and personal experiences.

These opportunities and commitments can range from a simple one time in residence hall program to a field trip within the Boston area to a commitment of living in a residence hall as a Faculty in Residence (FiR). Faculty who participate can request to work with first year students only or second years and above. Outlined below are examples and time commitments for out of classroom interactions with faculty and students.

30 Minute Program:

Attend a program held in a residence hall
Take a coffee break with a resident and Resident Assistant (RA)
Hold a 30 minute office hour in one of the college affiliated Living Learning Communities

60 Minute Program:

Hold a faculty dinner
Facilitate a class review session of supplemental workshop
Facilitate a discussion about your research
Hold an office hour in one of the college affiliated Living Learning Communities

Over an Hour:

Attend a field trip with residents to an event in the Boston Area (Freedom Trail tour; trip to the Museum of Fine Arts; attend a performance at the Symphony)
Hold a weekly/bi-weekly book club
Become a Faculty in Residence

There will always be a student staff member (Resident Assistant) or professional staff member (Residence Director) to help plan and facilitate programs.

If you’re interested in becoming more involved in the lives of our students outside of the classroom, please contact Fern Groves (r.pozerski@northeastern.edu), Senior Assistant Director for Residential Life.

Example Programs:

Spooky Science w/ Professor Courtney Pfluger

Dry ice and liquid nitrogen ice cream. “the interactive elements of our presentation had the students in awe and asking inquisitive questions” – RA, Jake Burrell

Meditation and Quality of Life w/ Professor Carey Nolan (Faculty in Residence ’09-’12)

A guided meditation session in the Scared Space

How to Run a Cookie Factory and Other Lessons from Professor Susan Freeman

Freeman led an interactive session with students, showing them how to run a cookie sandwich assembly line and creating competition between teams to see who can be the most efficient after a crash course in Industrial Engineering for non-engineers.

A Knice Knitting Class w/ Professor Ben Caras

Residents in the Creative Expressions LLC learned how to knit. “Faculty programs are fun!” – Melvin Hall resident

Apply to Become a Faculty in Residence

The Department of Housing and Residential Life is currently seeking candidates for the Faculty in Residence position. The Faculty in Residence Program at Northeastern University creates new opportunities for students and faculty to interact outside of the classroom. Through ongoing collaboration with the Department of Housing and Residential Life, the successful candidates will contribute to the community by bridging gaps between the academic, social, and developmental experiences of residential students.

The role of the FiR is to provide students with a role model, teacher, and leader who resides in an on-campus apartment. As a liaison between faculty and students, the incumbent will plan and implement educational, recreational, social, and cultural programs for the residential community with guidance from Housing and Residential Life staff.

This position is in addition to, not in replacement of, the faculty member's normal responsibilities in teaching, research, and service. The Department of Housing and Residential Life expects a three-year commitment with the FiR using the provided apartment as their primary residence.

This position would begin responsibilities in the Fall 2023 semester.

Application Process:

In order to be considered for the position, faculty must submit an application using the form linked below.

We strongly encourage any interested faculty to apply for involvement in the Faculty in Residence program! Below are the eligibility requirements. All applicants:

Must be a faculty member
Must have the support of participation by direct academic supervisor
Must be a current, full-time employee of Northeastern University
Must have department/college approval
Must be willing to undergo background/CORI check
Must have strong academic involvement and student engagement
Must be available for a three year commitment
Must use provided apartment as provided residence

Application Process Details	Application Deadlines & Important Dates
Application Due: The application consists of your information, three written responses, your curriculum vitae, and a letter of intent.	February 10, 2023 CLICK HERE to access application
Recommendations due: The process requires two recommendation forms to be completed on your behalf. One form must be completed by an undergraduate student and/or advisee. The second form must be completed by a current or former colleague.	February 15, 2023 CLICK HERE to access recommendation form
Review of applications: Staff from the Department of Housing and Residential Life, the Honors Program, and current Faculty in Residence will review all applications and recommendation forms.	February 16 - 24, 2023
Interview with selected candidates: A half-day interview with the Department of Housing and Residential Life, current Faculty in Residence, the Honors Program, and/or the Office of the Chancellor.	February 27 - March 8, 2023
Offers extended to top candidates: We will communicate decision details to candidates.	March 13 - 17, 2023
Training and shadowing: Successful candidates will begin shadowing and training for their role during the Spring semester.	April & May 2023

If you have any questions, please reach out to Fern Groves at r.pozerski@northeastern.edu