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In an effort to bridge the gap between students and faculty members this semester, the Sam Houston State University SAN Center instituted the "Up Close and Personal" Speaker Series.
"It has come to my attention that the faculty numbers are growing and we have this wonderful influx of new faculty to Sam Houston," said Dr. Bernice Strauss, director of Academic Support Programs at the SAM Center.
"This is just one way students can learn from their professors, and it's a wonderful way to acknowledge and share their expertise with our students."
Speakers for the series have included President James Gaertner, Dr. Katherine Pierce and Dr. Karen Douglas.
Gaertner spoke about his life, the places he has worked, some of the setbacks he had experienced and a few decisions he said he would have
changed given the chance.
After his speech, Gaertner also gave the group of audience members an opportunity to ask questions.
“I made several big mistakes, but then I decided I was going to be myself,” Gaertner said. “You have setbacks, you mess up, but then you have
to come back. It’s never a straight shot.”
Strauss selected speakers from different departments, as well as looking at new faculty members to diversify the lectures.
Douglas was selected, Strauss said, because of her obvious impact on the student body through her classes and activities.
"I chose her because students led me to believe that she was very committed to promoting student success and a number of students who I think well of have shared how instrumental she was in their development," Strauss said.
Strauss said each speaker is given question prompts as an option for their speech, but they are not confined to those questions.
“One of the things we’ve historically been proud of as a university is our ability to create a friendly, intimate atmosphere for our students,” she said. “We want to maintain that level of interaction and keep up those mentoring relationships. That was one reason we started this series.”
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