Teaching Philosophy   In the summer of 1996, Chancellor Bardo asked if I would give the faculty welcome at Freshman Convocation, and looking back at what I said to our in coming Freshman, it seems to me now that this address comes close to my constantly evolving, "Teaching Philosophy." As you will see in these remarks, my ideas about teaching stress mutual responsibility that of both student and teacher. When I was introduced at the reception for the finalists of the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award, Dr. Christine Stevens called my statement, "A Student's Bill of Rights." It's a good designation if one included "A Faculty's Responsibility to Teaching." Expectations From a Student's Perspective You have the right to expect a written statement of policy, covering, among other items, attendance; grading, syllabus; penalties for late work; due dates of required work; class conduct; office hours; office telephone, etc.; You have the right to expect classes held during the regularly scheduled time, for the regularly scheduled length of time including 8:00 a.m. classes, evening classes, Friday afternoon classes, classes before and after holidays; You have the right to expect currency in technology and in our particular academic discipline; You have the right to expect our continuing enthusiasm, even passion, for teaching; You have the right to expect our interest in your whole learning experience; You have the right to expect and demand university level teaching; Finally, you have the right to expect from us, indeed to hold us accountable for, the highest ethical and professional conduct in this most noble of professions.

Expectations From a Teacher's Perspective We have the right to require a mature attitude toward coursework, for example, attending class regularly; coming to class on time, alert and prepared; spending at least two hours outside of class preparing for each hour spend in class; reserving all week nights for academics and acknowledging that frequently our demands will necessitate that weekends also will be spent in academics; We have the right to require that you educate the whole individual by attending performances, lectures, workshops that we arrange for your learning experience; We have the right to require from you ethics and civility in your academic behavior; We have the right to require that you take advantage of the small student-to-teacher ratio by getting to know us outside of class for the guidance that we can and want to offer; We have the right to require that you do passing work before exiting our courses; We have the right to require that you place academics first, and when faced with a choice of academics or social activities, that you choose academics; Finally, we have the right to require that you bring honor to our University by your conduct both on and off campus. I acknowledge that my requirements and expectations of students are high, but they are, I believe, no higher than the standards I set for myself. For finally, my consistent attitude toward my students reflects a philosophy express by Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger's novel Catcher in the Rye: "I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the edge,--I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going. I have to come out from somewhere and catch them." And I suppose that's how I most often see myself in relation to my students a catcher in the rye.