What it means to be a faculty member?
Knowledge is one of the most important distinctions between human and other creatures and is the property that brought us to all the civilizations and cultures that we see nowadays. And at this age scientists and professors are at the front line of creating and spreading the knowledge between humans. As faculty members we have the responsibility to do our best in:
Educating the students to be prepared for 21st century life
Helping the society to find its path toward a better life and solve various problems that the society encounters
Keeping the Earth and the world green and clean as a home for all living creatures
Helping the human society to become full of respect, morality and dignity
Educating the next generation of scientists and professors to continue these missions
In order to follow these missions we need a huge amount of resources and energies among which the most valuable source is people’s minds and their creativity. We need to know how to stimulate this creativity and keep it nourished and alive. Especially we should be aware that teachers and faculty have the power to easily impede students from creativity and critical thinking. Therefore, we should emphasize on our role as facilitators of learning for students rather than just deliverers of information to them. At this age the flow of information is at an enormous rate so that trying to deliver all the useful information is impossible and inefficient. Instead, it is much more efficient and valuable to prepare the students to deal with every new problem, situation or job. This is what is called ‘problem-solving’ and ‘analytical thinking’.
Furthermore, appreciation of ethics in the society as well as the mother Earth are values that are best spread through exercise in any small or large community. This is what faculty members should have in mind when they encounter students: one student, a group of students, a classroom, a department, a university or a broader audience when they present their ideas in writing or speech or online publishing.