Faculty Resource Center
About Us
What is the Faculty Resource Center?
The FRC is a place dedicated to promoting teaching excellence. To that end, the Center offers workshops, various services for observing in-class performance, a modest library of teaching materials, new faculty mentoring, confidential consultations and a community meeting place.
The Center’s principal audience is tenured or tenure-track faculty and librarians. Other vital groups such as Ramapo professional staff who teach, temporary full-time faculty, or adjuncts are invited to utilize the Center's workshops and resources.
Technology instruction is organized through the Instructional Design Center, which offers workshops for all employees at the College, including faculty.
Brief History
The idea to establish a Faculty Resource Center was crystallized in 2001 by (then) Vice President for Academic Affairs Donna Crawley. Over several years of visiting other colleges she became impressed with how much could be accomplished to advance teaching by a small staff. Dr. Crawley and Dr. Kwesi Aggrey, (then) Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, brought the center into being by finding a physical space (E 216), furnishing it, recruiting a Director, and funding a modest budget.
The Center’s Founding Director, Dr. Philip J. McLewin, was appointed January 1, 2003. Its first public event was an open house on January 29, 2003. Forty people dropped by over a two hour period. During the first full semester (Spring 2003) fifteen workshops were held on topics such as plagiarism, dealing with student reactions after war begins, the tenure process (including “The Unexpurgated Truth”), how students learn from both psychological and biological perspectives (“Connective Issues” and “Connective Tissues”), assessing student learning, and even a hike in Harriman State Park with a park history. Workshop facilitators came from faculty in every school at the College.
Dr. Philip Mc Lewin retired in 2007. Dr. Lysandra Perez-Strumolo, Associate Professor of Psychology, was then appointed as the Center's Director.
Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Faculty Resource Center to:
- Promote teaching excellence
- Foster faculty development, vitality and enrichment
- Offer programs and other opportunities that support faculty as educators, scholars, and engaged community leaders and members
Staff and Facilities
Dr. Lysandra Perez-Strumolo is Associate Professor of Psychology in the School of Social Science/Human Services . She specializes in Latino Psychology, psychological responses to trauma, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She has been on the Ramapo faculty since 2002. She divides her time equally between teaching in the psychology program and directing the Faculty Resource Center .
The Center is located in E-216. It contains a large seminar table seating about 12 people, four computer stations, a computer projector and screen, and a small but expanding library on teaching [link to new books].
The Faculty Resource Center Advisory Board, reviews, evaluates, and advises the Director regarding the formation, implementation and effectiveness of policies and programs. Its membership consists of both pre-tenure and tenured representatives from each of Ramapo’s five schools plus the library and TEC.
To contact us:
Lysandra Perez-Strumolo can be reached at 201.684.7823 and via e-mail (checked daily). Her College office is located in G142. The Center’s telephone number of 201.684.7467. Faculty Resource Center e-mail: frc@ramapo.edu (checked sporadically).
Confidentiality Policy for Consultations
The basic principle guiding private consultations:
Faculty Resource Center will not provide any information that could be used for evaluation of an individual in any personnel decision.
A written statement from Provost Edward Cody to Professor Phil McLewin establishes the following policy:
The Center’s Director, and any future staff, will be not be called upon by anyone in the administration to discuss individuals or to testify before grievances or other formal or informal hearings. Consultations with individuals will be confidential. No individual records will be kept of those meetings and contacts. The Director will not be part of any process involving personnel decisions. If, on occasion, there is a need to initiate contacts with others then prior permission will be obtained from the individual.
