♪ [music playing--
no dialogue] ♪♪.
Hi, my name is Reed Benedict.
I'm a criminologist in the
Department of Sociology
and Anthropology, and I'm
honored to have been
named the 2009
Faculty Laureate.
I joined Eastern fifteen years
ago with the intention of
staying for a few years and
then moving on.
I'm still here, and I'm still
here for a reason.
Eastern is a great institution.
Every person who works here,
from the building service
workers to the staff,
faculty, and administration,
we are all here to ensure
that every student
receives an exceptional,
comprehensive education.
I am proud of our students,
as they work hard and
take advantage of the many
opportunities afforded them.
For me, academics is not
simply a matter of earning
a high grade point average.
Rather, it is about teaching our
students to think critically,
communicate clearly,
and become responsible
citizens and leaders.
The students in our college
are learning these skills
that are necessary to excel in
the careers of their choosing.
While learning in the classroom
is imperative, learning
outside the classroom
is also invaluable.
Dean Hanner and I have
been members of the
Triad Faculty Fellows Team
for the past three years.
The Triad Team assists students
with moving into their dorms.
We often meet their
parents and participate
in a variety of programs.
One notable example is the
program where students
from different cultures make
a dish from their respective
country, and their class or
dormmates have to answer
a question about that country
before they can try the dish.
The Fellows program
also facilitates
dining with our students.
It's amazing to me how often
conversations over a meal
turn to what students learned
in class, their service and
internships, or they're asking
questions about career choices.
This services allows us to
directly interact with
our students, and more
importantly, it gives us
the opportunity to bring
academics into their dorms.
The College of Sciences has
always been supportive of
study abroad programs, and I
am fortunate to be teaching
my fifth class in the
Netherlands in May of 2010.
I am teaching this class with my
collegue, Mike Havey in the
Psychology Department,
and most of our students
are recruited from the college.
It was life changing the first
time I taught in Maastricht,
and every time I go back I
continue to learn and grow
as an individual
and a professor.
To observe my students in the
College personally experience
another culture and to mature
and learn is precisely what is
most important to me as I
continue to teach these classes.
In sum, I am fortunate to be a
faculty member at Eastern and
I thank you for your service
to our exceptional College.
♪ [music playing--
no dialogue] ♪♪.
