During these times of economic uncertainty when resources for professional development are scarce, elite private universities—especially those in urban areas—have a public obligation to the future of higher education.
That was the thinking of officials at New York University in 1984, when they launched the Faculty Resource Network (FRN) which has become an international model for the initiatives and support that it offers its 50 member institutions that include a mix of community colleges, historically Black colleges and universities and other four-year institutions both in the U.S. and abroad.
It’s no secret that at small to medium-size colleges, opportunities for research, curricular advancement and faculty development are often limited. Each year, FRN provides lectures, symposia and intensive seminars for faculty and administrators designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning at its member and affiliate institutions.
FRN’s core belief is that training educators to be innovative teachers, well-informed scholars, and fully rounded intellectuals enriches the educational experience and skills of all their students.
In exchange, participants get a chance to collaborate and network across institutions, forging bonds with other academicians who care deeply about the future of higher education.
Recently, hundreds of FRN members traveled to New Orleans for a two-day discussion titled, “Engaging with Diversity in the College Classroom.” Discussions centered on a variety of topics from the dynamics of diversity in the college classroom, to perspectives on diversity in the global context. Dr. Terrell Strayhorn, president of Do Good Work Educational Consulting, delivered an electrifying keynote about creating student belonging and success in college classrooms.
Dr. Ron Robin, president of the University of Haifa, provided a case study from the Middle East, where 18,000 Palestinian and Israeli students attend classes and learn together, despite the age-old political and religious tensions that have existed in the area for years.
