Executive Summary

The 2023-2024 academic year marked the second year in my (Emily Contois, Associate Professor of Media Studies) Faculty in Residence (FiR) journey at The University of Tulsa, along with my husband, Chris, and our dog, Raven.

TU’s FiR program is a living-learning community that provides both formal and informal interactions between students and professors that form a bridge between the classroom and student life, with the goal of enriching students’ daily lives and overall college experience.

Our second year continued successful first-year programming—like weekly office hours, weekly tag along calendars, and monthly dinners at our home—as well as new additions like semesterly academic skills workshops, updates to a community study space in LaFortune House, and my teaching three sections of the First Year Experience course.

This year’s program was also marked by tragedy, as our beloved family dog, Raven, died unexpectedly in early February 2024. She was a student favorite and played an active role in our FiR program. Her loss introduced some unavoidable changes to our plans, but her passing also documented the intended outcomes of our FiR program—sustained, meaningful relationships between faculty and students that enrich the college experience. I was touched and grateful to receive messages, cards, flowers, and other sweet gestures from students and alumni here in Tulsa and from around the world. Chris and I are excited to adopt a new rescue dog this summer, and eager to introduce her to students in the fall.

Starting in spring 2024, our FiR program also began an expansion in focus, from mostly LaFortune House residents to all TU students. This broader, campus-wide audience will comprise our efforts in future years, which we look forward to embarking upon in fall 2024.

FiR Program Elements

Building from the higher ed literature on effective FiR programs, we seek to facilitate sustained interactions with students that combine academic and social elements, as well as providing opportunities for “deeper life” conversations once solid professor-student relationships have been cultivated.

2023 Pilot: FYE-FiR Coordination

In fall 2023, the FiR program—with support from TU’s President and Provost offices—coordinated with Housing, Student Advising and Student Success, and New Student Programs to pilot an FiR program enhancement. Rather than just living with LaFortune House residents and offering in-building programming, I taught about 50% of these residents across three sections of TU’s 1-credit hour First Year Experience course, along with first-year students living in other dorms. This effort aspired to further integrate the FiR program into the first-year student experience and foster stronger connections between myself as FiR with students living in LaFortune House.

The coordination between FYE and FiR was received very positively by some students. For example, one student commented on the FYE course evaluation:

Professor Contois clearly enjoyed teaching the course which in turn really allowed me to enjoy the course and what we were talking about each class. She was also extremely easy to reach and was clear about when her office hours were and even held some in my dorm which made it even easier to reach her.

Another student commented at length:

Professor Contois is absolutely amazing! I love her so so much. She cares about all of her students so much and wants the best for all of us. She wants to make sure we are always comfortable with what we are talking about but also engaged in the conversation and getting us all involved. I absolutely love her and Raven!! For our reflection papers, she takes time out of her day and her nights to read every single word and write us several comments back and then a genuine comment back to us which just makes me feel so loved. Professor Contois genuinely feels like my college momma because she invited me for dinner at her house, I go to office hours with her and she talks to me not only about school but also about my life and always says to come to her if I ever need anything or need help with anything. I just love her and her family so much!

For other students, the synthesis between FiR and FYE was less influential. Several students who were placed in LaFortune House as part of Hurricane Prep (a summer-time bridge program) rather than voluntarily selecting the dorm and the FiR program, reported in their evaluations that they found their fall FYE class with me duplicative, and were thus less engaged with both FYE and the FiR program.

I’m taking these pilot program results into account as I ponder if and when to continue intensive FYE teaching. I am also considering other innovative possibilities to synthesize FiR programming with coursework in future years.

FiR’s Role in Student Recruitment

As Faculty in Residence, I participate in student recruitment events each semester, usually speaking on panels for prospective student parents. Having done so for two years, the FiR program is now able to support students and their families, even before they enroll at TU. For example, at the spring 2024 TU Up Close lunch, I re-met several parents whose student will enroll in the fall.

One representative comment from a student’s father sent to me on Instagram reads:

Can’t tell you how excited [our child] is to be coming to Tulsa next year! You were a huge part of her decision! Thank you for everything you do!

FiR Student Welcome Efforts

Handwritten Welcome Notes on every suite door were one way that I welcomed students to their new home in LaFortune House.

Move in Day in August 2023 was an opportunity to meet many students and their families as they moved into LaFortune House. Raven and I met families outside and walked the halls to introduce ourselves and answer questions.

FiR Flyers & Business Cards communicated FiR standing events. I designed them each semester, and with RA help, they were posted throughout the building. I also distributed FiR business cards to all residents at our first LaFortune hall meeting, left stacks in the LaFortune lobby for all of the fall semester, and passed them out in all of my fall 2023 classes.

Student Orientation provided an opportunity for me and Raven to introduce our FiR program to new students, beyond those who live in LaFortune House.

Standing FiR Events

During the 2023-2024 academic year, we held the following events on a regular basis to offer both academic and social support to students, especially those in their first year of college.

A Weekly Tag Along schedule was posted on my Instagram (@emilycontois) every Sunday or Monday, listing campus events that I planned to attend that week, in an effort to model university citizenship and engagement. Students were always welcome to tag along with me, so they could explore and engage all that TU offers without having to do so alone. We’ve attended TU Symphony Orchestra concerts, student organization events, student athletic events, fitness classes at the Collins Fitness Center, events hosted by the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities at 101 Archer, and much more.

FiR Apartment Dinners were possible thanks to the wonderful support of TU Catering. We hosted 3 dinners in our home each semester, dining with LaFortune residents and RAs, as well as students from across the TU campus and recent alumni, too. These dinners will continue to be open to all TU students with invites sent to students who complete our RSVP survey. Next year, we’ll share the survey via my Instagram, emails to students enrolled in my classes, and with postings in the TU Events calendar.

A LaFortune Lobby Office Hour took place one afternoon every week. These provided opportunities for students in my classes, as well as any and all TU students to stop by for academic and social help, or just to chat or co-work. Lobby office hours also provided opportunity for informal and impromptu interactions with LaFortune residents as they passed through the lobby on their way to classes.

A Pup & PJs Office Hour took place one night every week from 8-9 pm in the Faculty Study adjacent to our FiR apartment. The students, Raven, and I loved this special time together. These office hours were discontinued after February 2024, but we hope to bring them back in the future, if and when our new rescue dog feels ready to do so.

Daily Campus Walks: Every day we could, Raven and I walked campus in the morning (and often in the afternoon and evening, too), making every effort to say hello and engage with TU students and our entire TU community. She was also a fan of the new Starbucks on campus, where she was always offered a pup cup.

Meals at Pat Case Dining Center: I interacted with residents and students (as well as faculty and staff friends) multiple times a week, whether at lunch, dinner, or weekend brunch. Sometimes I swung by for a quick bite. Other times I settled in for a couple hours with my meal and reading or other work.

Funnily enough, parents off campus loved seeing these photos. One representative comment sent to me on Instagram reads:

I love that you’re showing that it’s possible to eat healthy on a college campus.

RA Meetings were hosted in my home once per month, so I can work closely with the student leaders in LaFortune House on events and staying up to date on any students of concern. I also hosted a dinner at the end of the academic year to thank the RAs for their hard work.

Semesterly Class Visits provided opportunity to host all of my classes at my home at least once per semester with the goal of fostering a special learning environment grounded in nurturing hospitality, while also raising FiR program awareness.

Monthly (or more) Residential and Campus Events were opportunities for Chris, Raven, and I to further integrate with our TU community like (pictured below) game night, attending TU football games, a sex ed event, the annual Student Activities Fair, and watching Barbie together.

Special Events

Get Organized Workshop & Dinner in early fall 2023 was a new academic skills workshop I developed to provide step-by-step recommendations for students to lead an organized, lower-stress, and well-balanced college life.

Halloween Party was a fun, social event to welcome students into our home for fellowship and community-building.

Mid-Semester Notes, handwritten and posted to every suite door, offered encouragement to students, along with the reminder that I was always available to meet with and support them.

LaFortune 2nd Floor Classroom Update was a project I took on over the Thanksgiving 2023 break. This space had fallen into disorganization and was rarely used, but some cleaning, furniture repositioning, and a few stylish touches made it a favorite study spot for LaFortune residents.

Valentine’s on every suite door was a way for me as Faculty in Residence to express care for every student. We had planned and already purchased goodies and other supplies for a Valentine’s Birthday Party for Raven, so we instead gave away those items as part of special office hours and during my classes on February 14.

Finals Planning Workshops took place in both fall 2023 and spring 2024 to assist students to plan ahead for the busy weeks of finals. I developed and distributed to students custom calendars; infographics depicting “The Contois Method” for intentional, successful, low-stress finals; as well as snacks and giveaways.

Faculty Summer Writing Plan Workshop is hosted annually by Dr. Danielle Macdonald, TU professor and Director of the Henneke Center, with writing coach and TU Professor Emerita, Joli Jensen, in the Faculty Study in the McFarlin Library. When April 2024 storms caused flooding in the library, I volunteered to host the writing workshop in the FiR apartment. It was a wonderful opportunity to welcome faculty peers into LaFortune House and into my home.

Conclusion

As we conclude our second year as TU’s Faculty in Residence family, we’ve established events, rituals, and communication methods that realize our mission to cultivate meaningful relationships between students and faculty. As we look to our third year, we will build on these successes and further expand our efforts beyond LaFortune House to all TU students. Watch the TU Events Calendar for postings, as well as my Instagram, @emilycontois!