New Research Won't Put Teaching on the Back Burner: Initiatives Will Provide More Well-rounded Education

By Lauren Clemence, writing intern

imageLaboratories are popping up at both the Westbrook College and University Campuses. Some of them are for teaching, like the two new physical therapy labs in Portland and the new biology labs in Biddeford. And a new biomedical research laboratory is planned for the Biddeford campus.

Presently, UNE puts a heavy teaching load on its faculty. This creates a problem for some, like Marine Science Professor and Researcher Steve Zeeman, Ph.D.

"Because teaching loads are heavy, scholarship and research often suffer," he says. "I believe that the biggest mistake teachers make is not staying current within their fields. Without that, they are doing their students a disservice. Research allows teachers to stay current."

While research has been going on at UNE for some time, the University has committed itself to placing much more emphasis on research. This has two purposes. The first are the fruits of the research itself. Without research, discoveries from everyday things like aspirin to physical therapy methods would never have been realized.

The second aspect of incorporating more research is the benefit it will serve to the academic programs already present at UNE.

"The benefit of this is that our students will now have another avenue in which to learn," says Vice President of Academic Affairs Lemuel Berry, Ph.D. "Beyond going to the classroom for a traditional lecture and maybe taking a lab or two, students will now have the opportunity to work with the individuals whose total responsibility is performing research for the university. So it provides students with an opportunity for a higher level of interaction with the scholars and researchers."

Teaching
Some may worry that placing so much emphasis on conducting research will undermine the faculty's ability to do what they came to UNE to do, which is teach.

image"One of the things that all faculty must do at a university is to contribute to the body of knowledge," says Associate Professor of Education Don Gnecco, Ed.D. "I think UNE is trying to move forward and not just do a quality job of teaching, but also to recognize that we have a larger responsibility. I never want to see a place like UNE neglect students and what the real mission [of the institution] is, which is to help people learn. I think our primary focus for being here is to be in the classroom, but I absolutely support the idea that we need to be moving to a broader area."

Faculty Research Track
In addition to increasing the amount of faculty research done on campus, UNE created a new "faculty research track" position in the fall of 2002. Rather than hiring tenure-track professors, the university has hired two new faculty members whose primary jobs will be performing medical research. Both Ian Meng, Ph.D., from the University of California-San Francisco, and Geoffrey Bove Ph.D., from Harvard University's Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, will be concentrating on finding safer alternatives to treating pain. Typically, these research-track positions come at little or no cost to the university—the researchers' salaries are paid substantially or entirely through grant money, though the institution usually "fronts" the first-year salary.

"This is a teaching and learning institution. That is not going to change," says Berry. "Research serves as an additional avenue to enhance the teaching and learning experience at this institution. What we learn in our research labs has an impact on all of us in this community."

Even with this increase in research, the goal of the University hasn't changed. Ensuring students get the education they came for continues to be the fundamental focus of everyone on campus.

"The primary reason we want to do this is that the whole purpose of an education is to help shape the mind," states College of Arts and Sciences Dean Jacque Carter, Ph.D. "If we were following the older model, and teaching were the primary activity here, then we would take students and expose them to methodology; but here, we want them to investigate more. An increase in research is an increase in education for students."

The University of New England is growing at a rapid pace. But students need not fear an inundation of teaching assistants suddenly taking over the lecture halls while faculty retreats to the laboratories.

The new plan will allow students to be more involved in performing research. UNE is a community where everyone can work together for the benefit of the University. The inclusion of research in the grand scheme of the institution can only make for a more well-rounded education for everyone.
    

Back to Top

 
» Advanced Search