Caring teachers invaluable

By Priscilla Ocen

Here's to the great teachers. The ones who challenge their students to become better people and inspire them to reach for the stars.

At San Diego State, there are many faculty and staff members who go the extra mile for students. I think we've all had one or two, if we're lucky, of these people in our academic careers. These student-oriented faculty and staff reach out to build positive, healthy and educated human beings. They see each student as more than just a number, or a nameless face in a sea of 34,000. Instead, they see young minds in need of guidance and wisdom.

The issue of student matriculation and retention is gaining more attention on both the campus and systemwide levels. According to the SDSU Office of Institutional Research, 75 percent of the Fall 2000 class returned for a second year. While these numbers are promising and have shown improvement over the past few years, it still means that one in four freshmen did not return to SDSU. Although the reasons why students leave the campus are many, they generally fall under two categories: academic or personal.

Faculty and staff play a vital role in the retention of students in the key areas of academic and personal development. When "classrooms without walls" exist, every moment is teachable. Whether it's a lecture or lunch, students have an opportunity to learn and be a part of something greater than themselves. Students need connectedness -- the feeling students have when a base of support exists. When they know that people on campus actually care whether they come or go, stay or leave. Faculty and staff can make students feel like they belong on campus and have a place to turn for academic support or just to talk.

As finals approach, many of us begin to feel overwhelmed, burned out, stressed and emotionally drained. It's at times like these that students need great professors the most.

One such faculty member is Dr. Patricia Washington, an assistant professor in the women's studies department. Dr. Washington is a faculty member whose office door is always open and whose ear is always available.

Dr. Washington seems to be always on; a 24-hour educator, if you will. She brings excitement to her classrooms and students become her extended family. Dr. Washington is one of those faculty members who, in addition to teaching classes and writing for publication, also acts as a mentor for numerous students and student organizations.

I've had and heard of numerous faculty members in various departments that have impacted their students greatly &emdash; that have increased their students' understanding of subjects and their place at the university. Among them are Dr. Bergstrom and Dr. Miles in political science; Dr. Shirley Weber and Dr. Cornwell in africana studies; and Dr. Nancy Federman in sociology.

The list goes on and on.

So, here's to faculty and staff members who go the extra mile to ensure student retention and success. The faculty and staff that really take an interest in their students, inside and outside of the class, and make an impact that lasts well beyond the confines of a four-or-five-year college education. The impact of those teachers, in any capacity, is felt for a lifetime. And to those faculty and staff, thank you for all that you do.

--Priscilla Ocen is a political science senior and Vice President of External Affairs for the Associated Students.