Understanding Student-Faculty Partnerships Through Interviews with Practitioners of the Art

By: Rylin Reynolds

Through being a student worker in the Faculty Development Center my entire second year of college, I have seen the work that faculty are putting in to try to better understand and accommodate their students. During my first year at EMU, I was solely a student and I didn’t connect with any faculty. I kept wondering, “Do they even try to talk to students?” but now I know the “behind the scenes” of the faculty, and the relationships they are building with students. It is better than I had thought!

The Faculty Development Center has opened my eyes to all the relationships faculty members are trying to achieve with their students. I have spent a lot of time this semester interviewing student-faculty partners for the FDC’s weekly newsletter. Many of these partnerships consist of different things: some collaborate on senior theses, other research projects, in teaching, or in other ways. They are all very different and yet, in some ways, very much the same. 

One question I asked while interviewing is, “What advice would you give someone wanting to start a partnership?” Collectively, they all say the same answer using different words. They say that it is easier to start a working partnership with a faculty member or student when you have a close relationship. Get to know your potential partner outside a formal setting and decide if you think they would be a good collaborator! After doing this, they suggest bringing up the partnership opportunity. Some of the students in the partnerships told me they would’ve never known an opportunity like this existed if the faculty member didn’t mention it to them. Courtney Lewis and Alivia English, for example, described it as “taking a leap of faith and hoping the other is interested in what you are offering.” 

Another common theme I have seen throughout these interviews is that there is no battling over power and control. These partners see each other as equals and they both have insights to bring to the table. No one is “more dominant” than the other; they are both equally contributing to achieve the same end goal. They do not see the partnership as being “one person is more powerful” than another. They collectively use their own knowledge and help each other out. Even when the partnership is for a thesis, the student understands that the faculty member is there to help them and make their paper better. If they run into disagreements, they talk about it and brainstorm different ideas to make them both happy. 

While these partnerships are so different, such as concerning what research they are doing, they seem to come across another common issue: it is difficult to schedule time to meet with your partner. You have to remember that these faculty and students have their own everyday lives that consist of classes, family, jobs, etc. They make the most of the time when they can meet in person and discuss their research. They both value each other's time and know that the time they have together doesn’t come easy.

I have found it interesting learning about the partnerships and what they do. These partnerships we have featured on the FDC web page range from collaborative course redesign (such as with Sarah Ginsberg and Shay Morrison) to how to understand and support students in the realm of wellness (such as Zuzana Tomas and Mars Ward) to thesis projects (for example, Maria Milletti and Syed Waisiuddin, or Ron Delph and Riley Coffee). Seeing the wide range of student-faculty partnerships makes me excited. Before doing these interviews, I had no idea these opportunities existed. Not only do I know they exist now but I also know they also aren’t one-sided. It is very important for students to know because being in a partnership with another person of higher power can be daunting. But after doing interviews, I realize there is nothing to be afraid about. Most are open to communication and learning new things. 

More students need to know about partnership opportunities. My very first interview was with Mars Ward and Zuzana Tomas. During this interview, I asked Mars, “What was one thing you took away from this partnership?” They answered with, “I am capable of doing something like this because my academic experience has been tainted by a lot of negativity and lack of confidence and not feeling like I'm smart enough. There was the looming feeling of worthlessness around academia for me, so being able to work with a professor that thinks I’m wonderful and encourages me to be confident, and trust myself.” This was valuable to hear; I love seeing the self-growth these students have developed while in the partnership. 

These partnerships have really opened my eyes to the experiences that students have at EMU. Before I did these interviews, I didn’t know these partnerships were even an option. Now, I have learned that students can take the first step and approach a faculty member, but that it also happens the other way around. My key takeaway from these partnerships is don’t be afraid to start an interaction with a student or faculty member if you both know there is a mutual interest in a topic. Most of the students said they were intimidated at first but quickly realized that the faculty member was there to help them and learn from them as well. As you can see from even a quick look at these Partnership Spotlights, they can make a meaningful difference in the lives of both students and faculty.