The Best of Both Worlds

Thanks to the New FacultyWorkshop, I now have dual identities: as a professor in a research-focused university physics department and as Dean of a teaching-focused undergraduate residential science college within that university (Lyman Briggs College). I'll talk first about how the NFW changed my perspective on education and outreach -- and how that affected the climate in the department I was in at the time. Next, I'll comment on how this shift of perspective eventually led to new professional opportunities, including my current dual position. The lessons from the NFW have contributed directly to my acquiring the skills required of a leader in an interdisciplinary college that encourages its faculty both to be active disciplinary researchers and to take a scholarly approach to teaching. Finally, I'll mention how being part of the college's community of teacher-scholars has helped my teaching to continue evolving in directions compatible with the aims of the New Faculty Workshop.