LEARNING TOGETHER: Clerk of Faculty Maria Rosales
Maria Rosales is a Professor of Political Science at Guilford College and the previous Director of Faculty Development for the Center for Principled Problem Solving and Excellence in Teaching. In March, Maria took on the role of Clerk of Faculty, which was previously held by Jim Hood ‘79.
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A key part of teaching for me is getting
Thanks to Dan and Beth Mosca, we received a significant gift to the Endowment for the Center for Principled Problem Solving for faculty development. What makes Guilford's faculty unique?
to know students so that we can build a
Guilford College faculty, like the
community of learning together. I had
staff who work here, give deeply of
enough experience and knowledge from
themselves. They want their students to
my years of teaching and reading about
have what they need to excel. We work
how people learn that it felt relatively
closely with students on projects, we try
straightforward to me most of the time.
to get to know students as whole people
How has teaching changed during the pandemic?
Before the pandemic, I was on campus a lot for teaching and research and meetings with students and colleagues.
Then the pandemic came, and I was
and we are excited to share with our
not only learning how to move those
work with faculty one-on-one. As time-
students why learning our subjects is
practices online, but also trying to help
pressured as the situation was, I enjoyed
difficult but worthwhile.
my colleagues learn how to do this. I
getting to talk with my colleagues about
would be reading a book about online
what they were teaching and how they
teaching the same week I was co-
were approaching remote learning. I also
facilitating a workshop on the topic.
learn better when I talk through what
My skills in online teaching have
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What is your impression of this year's first-year students?
I enjoyed getting to know students in
I am learning, so these opportunities
my Initiate class! They made me laugh
improved my own online teaching.
every class at some point. And I was
remind myself that my goals and the
Starting in March, I became the
impressed by how encouraging they
basic principles remain the same, just
incoming Clerk of the Faculty, while
were of each other's work.
in a very different setting. So it is about
I was also the outgoing Director of
modifying and adjusting more than
Faculty Development. [This meant] I
about starting from scratch. And I take
got to be part of policy discussion that
student feedback seriously, which has
directly affected the choices faculty
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been helping me learn along the way.
were able to make during the spring.
hard time lately, with financial
And of course I was teaching myself,
problems coinciding with the pandemic.
which influenced my thinking.
The professors and staff who work
improved already, especially when I
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How have you supported the faculty during this time?
As Clerk of the Faculty, my goal is
What would you like to tell Guilford alumni?
Guilford has been going through a
here are keeping the heart of Guilford
I was part of a small group of people who
to help faculty collectively refine and
beating. We are so proud to see you
quickly put together workshops and
articulate our ideas. That means I am
out in the world doing meaningful
discussions to help faculty transition
trying to listen carefully, to notice
work, and we would love to work with
to teaching online. We also held virtual
areas of agreement and disagreement,
you to share your experiences with
office hours and had consultations to
and to be open to possibilities.
current students. W W W. G U I L F O R D . E D U | 5
