Partners with the Professor
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Also fortunate to find a mentor was Donnell Butler. Donnell, a student at Franklin, says sociology professor Katherine McClelland "gave me a great chance to explore my ideas without feeling intimidated. That's a good feeling, when somebody makes you feel like you're a partner. You work harder because you want to be worthy of that respect." The two worked as a team on research, and during McClelland's first-year seminar, Butler also taught with her. "(Sociology) spoke to him in the same way it spoke to me," said McCleeland.

Such relationships can be a turning point in a student's life. Hood College biology professor Drew Ferrier said it happened to him. "You can learn about biology or biologists by sitting in a classroom, but when you're mentored by a professor you become a biologist," he said. "You're no longer sitting on the sidelines, but are a participant. These are watershed experiences that can literally be what makes you decide what you want to do."

Ferrier said he was involved in a three week program where he was guided by a professor in Florida. "I left as a biology student," he said, "but I came back an environmental biologist." Ferrier said he "lived it and loved it." Immersion, he believes, is something that really does cause a change in you. "You have to make students a participant," he said, "and that's what an interactive relationship with a professor can do for you."

At Randolph Macon's Women's College, the emphasis is on teaching, not publishing or research. Kristi Kneas, a 1995 graduate, worked with Professor of Chemistry William Mattson to do research on improving measurements in chemical analysis. Both Kneas and Mattson presented papers at the 207th American Chemical Society National Meeting in San Diego, California, a rare opportunity for an undergraduate. Randolph professors also provide unique opportunities abroad. Recent overseas experiences include an archaeological dig in Carthage, Tunisia, a course on rain forest ecology in Costa Rica, and a political science "outing" to South Africa.

There are many more such instances. A senior and professor of behavioral psychology at Wheaton College, Masachusetts work together to complete a unique study about how children learn music. A history professor with a law degree at Birmingham Southern College helps his students get internships in law firms. Such stories are inspirational. But in today's busy lifestyle, how does one go about getting to know their professors?

Academic and Professional Assistance
Many universities are large, with classes taught by assistants, and the climate can be impersonal. For this reason, it is best to find a school that has a faculty:student ratio that ensures classes are small and students get personal attention. Some universities place teaching excellence above everything, and make every effort to help students understand that their relations with faculty are as important is what they are learning in the classroom. Working with the professor is considered part of the total student experience. Look for a university that puts emphasis on collaborative research projects involving students and faculty. Check college rankings that indicate the importance faculty place on interactions with students. It is not uncommon for classroom conversations to spill over to lunch and dinner conversations with faculty members.

More importantly, professors make themselves available for academic and professional help which often translates into internships, career direction, jobs and graduate school acceptances. If you are having difficulty with a subject, ask for one-on-one help. Visits to faculty members during office hours can provide a more leisurely means of mastering the material. Use out of classroom visits to explore dimensions of a topic not covered in class. It can be an exciting and enjoyable experience to debate or discuss issues with a professor, a way of stretching your mind and moving to a higher stage of learning, to find out about what else exists on the subject.

If unsure about approaching a professor, it's important to remember that many have become professors because they love to teach and love their discipline deeply, and there's nothing that makes them happier than to learn that one of their students shares their passion. Student-faculty interactions not only benefit both students and faculty members, but create opportunities beyond the classroom that can result in career opportunities and lifetime friendships.

Faculty are there to share their expertise and love of a particular discipline and to show the connections between those disciplines and life. Students experience intellectual growth, become more oriented towards a scholarly career and develop higher aspirations. Student-faculty interaction has also been shown to have positive correlations with every area of academic attainment outcome: college GPA, degree attainment, graduating with honors, and enrollment in graduate or professional school. One woman, under the influence of her professor, had the courage to choose a male dominated career.

Professors are also part of the reason alumni remember their college days so fondly. For many, the relationship doesn't end at commencement. The person who was a professor has become a friend - sometimes for life. Students who don't take advantage of that opportunity miss much of what a college education is all about.