What UVM faculty members are saying about the FNR Programs:

Harlan Morehouse, Ph.D., Department of Geography

In early June of 2021, I attended the Faculty Resource Network (FRN) seminar “Writing and Research Across the Curriculum in an Age of Disinformation.” The primary aim for this workshop was to impart strategies for integrating writing, critical thinking, and active reading at a variety of levels, and into various disciplinary and interdisciplinary subjects, with particular focus on research in an age of disinformation. The seminar was well-organized and provided numerous insights on how to structure writing assignments in the classroom. Further, the seminar offered excellent strategies for fostering critical reading skills in undergraduate instruction, specifically geared toward the development of analysis techniques to help students assess source materials, steering them away from sources that often dispense with mis- and disinformation. Moreover, these strategies with pedagogical practices and open-source classroom technologies to help instructors to apply concepts. Additionally, the seminar was conducted in manner that gave ample time and space for discussion among participants, allowing everyone to share stories and strategies. In sum, the seminar offered a wealth of information for how to best navigate teaching, research, and writing in the current media landscape. I fully intend on folding several lessons from the workshop into my courses at UVM.

Jenn Karson, MFA , Lecturer, Department of Art and Art History

The Faculty Resource Network’s (FRN) summer 2021 seminar Writing and Research Across the Curriculum in the Age of Disinformation was excellent. The instructors were well prepared, time was well spent, the cohort of educators in attendance were wise and welcoming. Most importantly the content was outstanding; I am inspired to incorporate many (if not all) of the innovative and progressive ideas of the seminar into my courses and lab work with students. Thank you to everyone at UVM and FRN who made Writing and Research Across the Curriculum in the Age of Disinformation possible.

Jacques A. Bailly, Associate Professor, Classics

The FRN session I attended was led by Prof. Gruen, one of the best-known, most active, and most respected senior scholars in the field of Ancient History. My fellow attendees were a mix of academics, most of whom were neither historians nor classicists, but were eminently qualified by their willingness, eagerness, and intelligence. The topic was ethnicity and Greco-Roman antiquity, and our readings were a mix of mostly primary texts with selected selections from secondary literature. In all, the session was most like the best workshops I have ever took, or the best graduate seminars I had in graduate school. Everyone was well prepared, more than willing to participate, and had their own perspective and expertise to bring to bear on the subject at hand. The discussion was so spirited and we argued hard and discussed passionately, but respectfully, with each other and the session leader. It was a hunt for the most intelligent, defensible interpretations, and ego and competition had no place in the room: minds changed, evidence was respected, etc. I can’t imagine a better way to approach difficult, multi-faceted material than a session like that. It was invigorating methodologically as well as in terms of specific subject knowledge. I would go again, and again, and again. It was simply superlative.  I will be bringing a good deal of what I learned in the session into my classroom, particularly next semester, when I will be teaching material relevant to the FRN session topic I attended.

Jessica Evans, Lecturer, Classics

Over the summer I attended a seminar on "Understanding Story for Social Justice" through the Faculty Resource Network at NYU. The course helped me develop ways to incorporate storytelling into my courses at UVM, both in terms of course content and practice. It was such a pleasure to have the experience of being a student again, learning not only from the instructor and guest speakers, but from colleagues as well! The FRN offers plenty of opportunities to meet and converse with colleagues from other institutions. I cannot express how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to attend this seminar!

Abigail Sperry, Lecturer, Romance Languages & Linguistics

The week of attending Global South and Cinemas of the Americas was without a doubt, a highlight of my professional development experience. A week long cinematographic journey of the Global South along with a diverse group of participants from as close as New York City and as far away as New Orleans was inspiring and energizing. I enjoyed hearing their different perspectives from a wide variety of disciplines including linguistics, architecture, film studies, and psychology. I learned so much not only from our convener, who did a fantastic job in guiding us through the films, readings and discussions with expertise and passion, but also, from the contributions and questions posed by the group.  I appreciated the opportunity to experience countries, not just Spanish-speaking, through the lens of various film directors, from 1950 up until now. It was refreshing and eye opening to be reintroduced to some iconic films as well as new and unfamiliar ones.  I thought the readings were intellectually challenging and tied in well with the films.  I show films as part of language instruction and am excited to have a new set of tools and perspectives to present and discuss as they relate to a myriad of topics that I cover in my courses including historical events, immigrant communities, indigenous cultures, and the urban experience. I would recommend this program wholeheartedly and feel very fortunate to be a part of the Faculty Resource Network experience.

Julie Roberts, Professor and Director, Linguistics Program, Department of Romance Languages & Linguistics

I would certainly recommend these opportunities to all faculty. The chance to meet and speak with faculty from other institutions about issues and topics that may (or may not) be exactly those on which you spend most of your time is not to be missed. I found the conference I attended expanded my views and knowledge on the European Union, not just in regards to language (my field) but also politics (not my field but fascinating.) Please consider taking part in the FRN offerings. They are well worth your time.

Pablo Bose, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography

Pablo Bose has participated in several different FRN programs -- he was a Scholar-in-Residence in Summer 2009 while researching immigration history in New York, he was part of a seminar on climate change politics in Spring 2010 in Puerto Rico and part of a seminar on immigration challenges in Europe during Summer 2013.  The FRN has been immensely helpful for both his teaching and research -- providing access to libraries, archives and materials, facilitating conversations and collaborations with colleagues at other institutions, and creating opportunities for new research directions.  I recommend this program wholeheartedly -- it is an invaluable resource for UVM faculty for enriching their own teaching and research.

Patricia Julien, Professor, Department of Music and Dance

I have attended five New York University Faculty Resource Network Summer Seminars.  Each has been uniquely beneficial to both my research/creative work and my teaching. The 2005 seminar “Modern Jazz and the Political Imagination” introduced me to interesting, recent scholarship on jazz as a music that has the capacity to symbolize political views and human interaction. At the time, I was putting together a new TAP class and I further investigated this body of work with my students. In 2012, I attended “New Orleans Jazz: A Metaphor for American Life.” Early jazz was a personally underexplored area in both my playing and my previous study. Through this seminar, I gained a better understanding of not just the musical features of early jazz, but also the social, economic, educational, and political aspects that influenced its development. The 2013 summer seminar “Cosmopolitanism and Pop Culture,” gave me an opportunity to address ways to help my students consider issues outside the U.S., drawing on a variety of art forms.

In 2016, I participated in the “How to Write Successful Grant Proposals” seminar and am now better equipped to write thorough and compelling grants. Most recently, “Rock and Soul: Race and Gender in American Music” has helped broaden my understanding of how the roots of jazz were also the roots of rock and soul in the US. The numerous readings and spirited conversations in the seminar will bolster my teaching of the history of jazz. Unlike the professional conferences I attend in my field, these seminars provide the opportunity to hear a topic discussed from many vantage points. I have heard from faculty participants who are economists, linguists, psychologists, visual artists, journalists, political scientists, and fellow musicians all contributing our particular interpretations of the subject under discussion. The conveners, too, have all been experts at the top of their fields. It is an inspiring and edifying way to spend a week in New York.

Cynthia Reyes, Associate Professor, Middle Level Education and Literacy Education

I had the opportunity to attend the NYU Faculty Resource Network seminar “Understanding the New Europe: Economic Dilemmas and Options” in June 2014. It was my first time attending the NYU FRN program.  There are many valuable professional development opportunities at UVM including the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Writing Across the Disciplines but there is something uniquely different about attending a course that is in a large city and is attended by faculty from other higher education institutions across the country.  For me the experience was unparalleled for two reasons: networking opportunity and exposure to new content. I made new friendships during the week within my seminar and across the program with individuals who live as close as New York and as far away as Puerto Rico. It was refreshing and enlightening to reflect on my own institution through the lenses of individuals living in different parts of the country. During the weeklong seminar my new colleagues and I could share common interests, successes, as well as challenges at our various institutions. I also appreciated the opportunity to learn new content and to experience the cognitive dissonance that some students experience in our own classrooms. Although most of the participants in my seminar had degrees in Economics and Business, I not only learned a great deal from them but it was also reaffirming to learn that many appreciated the “newness” with which I interpreted the material and questions they had never thought of outside of their own discipline. The experience was intellectually stimulating, and New York City is always an exhilarating place to visit.

Tina Escaja, Professor, Romance Languages & Linguistics

One of the highlights of my professional career at UVM has been, without a doubt, the opportunity to attend programs and events organized by the Faculty Resource Network. Thanks to our connection with NYU, I have participated in two superb Faculty Enrichment Seminars in New York City and one in San Juan, Puerto Rico, all led by major specialists in their fields. This Spring I will visit NYU as a Scholar-in-Residence, which will enable me to learn and further my current research, and also to strengthen links with faculty and affiliates while living in a city that provides excitement, engagement and myriad opportunities to enhance my creative and professional work. We are very fortunate to be part of this remarkable network.