The Laf

Issue date: 9/11/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Melanie Schor Last week, sod was installed outside Scott Hall but inside is the home to the new faculty center.

The newly refurbished Scott Hall, formerly home to the Delta Upsilon fraternity, now houses the Center for the Integration of Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship, among several other departments that have moved around campus. This new department will function as a haven for faculty to host programs, share materials, discuss pedagogy and allow for informal communication about curriculum.

Professor of Psychology Alan W. Childs was named the center's founding director in April. He did not apply for the position, but was rather appointed by President Dab Weiss and others involved in the creation of the new department.

According to Childs, the bulk of his job will relate to programming. He has already hosted a new faculty orientation for the 27 new additions to the faculty roster, and is looking to create regular workshops focusing on such topics as creating a better classroom climate.

"The provost and the president wanted a focal point [for faculty]," said Childs. "This facilities it."

Provost Wendy Hill said that the creation of the space was rooted in professor requests. "This really was an initiative that came from the faculty," she said. "There are similar kinds of centers at our peer institutions and [faculty wanted] a space that would foster discussion."

Hill, who has been provost for only two years, jumped into the process of revamping Scott Hall after her predecessor Tony Cummings got the ball rolling. She also credits Dean Hannah Stewart Gambino with much of preliminary legwork.

In addition to the Center for the Integration of Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship, Scott Hall houses the study abroad office, the Office of the Dean of the College and the Academic Resource Center. The spaces left vacant in Markle Hall and Hogg Hall, formerly where these departments were located, respectively, have yet to find new tenants. Hill says the college is "exploring" who might get these spaces, but no decisions have been made. She believes the Markle rooms will be delegated to administration and Hogg has the potential to house faculty as Lafayette brings on more professors in conjunction with their pledge to do so in the strategic plan.

According to President Weiss, there were other departments in contention to get the space, as there always are, but the creation of a resource center for faculty appeared to be "the best use for the college." No specific departments were specified.

The donor behind the funds used in the renovation was Trustee Emeritus Walter Scott '59. Weiss said Scott had no specific cause he wished the donation to fund, but rather that the money be "directed to the college in terms of its mission."

The other departments that have found a place in Scott Hall were situated there in hopes of creating "one shop stopping" for students, according to Hill and Childs. For the majority of academic concerns, students are likely to find the necessary administrators in the refurbished space.

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