Our Faculty Teach, Coach, and Care about Students: A New Initiative Begins

If you recall the best course you took in school or college, more often than not it has to do with a faculty member who inspired you, and almost always with an individual who cared about your success. The Gallup-Purdue Index has shown that graduates who had professors who cared about them as individuals were twice as likely to be engaged in their work and three times as likely to be thriving in their overall well-being.

For these reasons, I am pleased to highlight Lunch with a Prof, a new faculty-led initiative designed to connect first-year students with faculty members outside the classroom. Lunch with a Prof is IU Indianapolis’s way of giving our Jaguars the chance to build these transformative connections.

Each faculty member is paired with 6–8 students, often based on shared interests. Over lunch or a cup of coffee (or tea), faculty introduce themselves, share their teaching and research interests, and invite open conversation. Topics can range from coursework and experiential learning to life on campus, challenges, and big questions about the future. Students are encouraged to ask questions, share concerns and be connected to resources that will help them succeed.

With little to no publicity, and in less than a week, more than two dozen faculty members have enthusiastically volunteered. My thanks to Professors Jerry Daday, Randall Roper and Jeremy Wilson whose conversation with me sparked this idea. These colleagues exemplify the spirit of IU Indianapolis: faculty who are deeply committed to student success.

Lunch with a Prof will launch in late September and early October. Faculty members who are interested in volunteering can contact Professor Jerry Daday at jdaday@iu.edu.

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor