Instructors collaborate to give students broader experience
Chesapeake College faculty members are using the Honors Program to work across their departments and provide students with multi-discipline learning opportunities.
The latest is an honors symposium titled “Growing and Giving” about business and sustainability. The event, scheduled for Monday, Nov. 17 from 1 to 2:15 p.m. in the Cadby Theatre, is also free and open to the public.
The symposium is one activity the Honors Committee faculty members hope will encourage students to explore ideas beyond their academic majors.
David Harper, who teaches English, said instructors are working together to encourage students to seek various perspectives in their research and projects.
“Part of the Honors Program mission is to keep students from learning in silos,” Harper said. “We want to help our students develop tool kits to apply to any issue. The techniques and methods of one discipline can be applied to another. Our students need to be able to collaborate with colleagues and explore other disciplines.”
Business instructor Cathy Rust organized the symposium to bring together economic and environmental issues. Featured speakers include Chip Akridge of Akridge Real Estate, Dan Bridges of Aqua Pools and landscaper Ryan Payne.
“In the past, I had organized a small business symposium for my students each semester, but this will give them a broader perspective,” Rust said. “The students will learn about how small business owners approach sustainability.”
Rust, who tries to incorporate social responsibility in her classes, thinks it’s important for students to hear from local entrepreneurs are both successful and concerned about sustainability.
The symposium, the instructors said, will help students see the connections between what they learn on Chesapeake’s campus and the greater community.
Greg Farley, who teaches biology and is director of the Center for Leadership in Environmental Education (CLEEn), will bring his students to the symposium.
“Clearly, the time for ivory tower, academic science is over,” Farley said. “I tell my science students that we need to make sure people understand the broader implications of what we do. Our ideas can contribute to vibrant industry on the Eastern Shore.”