First Faculty Meeting of 2009

Friday was our first faculty meeting of the new year.


Photo: College Director Father Freddy talks to the College faculty in La Paz.

The meeting started with a discussion of the vision and mission of the College, then a rundown of professor rights and responsibilities -- basically, according to Father Freddy, You were hired as a professional in your area of expertise, and for your commitment to the development of your students as people as well as professionals.

We want to focus on three areas especially this year, he continued: ethics, research and grammar.

A survey last year showed that most professors incorporate ethical lessons in their classes, and all considered their personal behavior as one of the best ways to "teach" ethics. Through a grant this year with South Dakota State University, the College will continue to create ways to bring ethics training to the classroom.

This semester, professors will form groups to help students do small research projects in their classes, and these projects will be part of their semester grade. The very best projects will be published in a journal created by the College.

For one such project last semester, education students did a research project to identify the most common grammar problems at the College. The research showed that students need help throughout their studies to compensate for the poor instruction that rural students often receive. "Every professor is also a grammar teacher," Father Freddy reminded the group.

"We will all be faced with challenges," he continued. "Working with young people is not always easy, as they push limits and discover who they are. But our work to create a new Bolivia through education is a reality, and each of you will contribute, and create that brighter future we all imagine."