Month: June 2016

I value collaborative scholarship. This isn’t because working collaboratively is easier; in fact, it can be considerably more difficult. It is simply that I find the most fruitful discussions occur across disciplines and among participants. One of the advantages of working at a liberal arts institution is this appreciation for interdisciplinarity, and I seek out…

I prefer to do things quietly. That is my style, and that is the approach with which I am comfortable. A Dagara proverb admonishes us in the following terms: “A koli kyâpulé puÉ na a tîîkpeh mi be” [it is in the tiny bottles that one usually finds the most potent medicines]. The moral of…

I have enjoyed the many opportunities I have had to serve the campus and St. Peter community. Gustavus aims to prepare students for ‘lives of leadership and service’ and I hope to be a positive role model in this manner. My involvement also demonstrates my commitment to the College, my department, my colleagues, the students,…

I am committed to the college’s goal of encouraging and supporting a diverse community. This stems from my conviction that diversity is the fodder for creativity – different perspectives enrich our understanding of topics and challenge us to see the world in a more nuanced way. Margaret Bloch Qazi Associate Professor of Biology ### Excerpted…

My scholarship continues to focus thanks to the suggestion and careful edits of many other scholars on campus. I am so very fortunate that so many other members of the community took the lead before me in service so that I may benefit from their insight and wisdom as I stepped forward. Michele Koomen Associate…

Teach-ins are one way to harness the incredible knowledge base our faculty, staff, and administrators possess, and by doing so show our students the multifarious dimensions of these events … It is my job as a teacher to help frame the questions and seek the answers … They are questions that point towards the responsibilities…

I value the interdisciplinary nature of my field of study and work to incorporate an interdisciplinary and international approach to what I teach … My courses seek to model and teach intellectual diversity and critical thinking as students engage in controversial and value-laden questions facing this nation. My commitment to helping students develop the skills…

To build community in our classroom, I encourage an atmosphere at once informal and respectful. Students do, and are intended to, respond to one another, not just to me. My expectations for the students are high and my demands rigorous. The bedrock of my teaching is commitment to the profound importance of what we in…

I want my students to be thoughtful and creative in their work, demonstrating persistence, commitment and character. I want them to absorb and master a wide repertoire of material and make it their own. Most importantly, I want my students to develop not only as musicians, but also as individuals, each with unique gifting and…

I came to Gustavus because of my desire to impart my enthusiasm and knowledge of biology, specifically in genetics, to undergraduates at a liberal arts college. Liberal arts students are encouraged to investigate different viewpoints and find cross-disciplinary connections in their studies, and I believe that this perspective is invaluable in the development of scientists…