CUE colloquy offers teaching suggestions

The importance of quality teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences was the topic of the annual Committee on Undergraduate Education's colloquy held Wednesday afternoon in Bennett Hall. An even mix of students and faculty crowded Penniman Library to hear 10 professors and one student give brief commentaries on the state of teaching in the College and propose means of improving undergraduate education at the University. Following the presentations, students and faculty voiced their opinions about the commentaries. College Dean Matthew Santirocco, who is leaving the University to become a dean at New York University next semester, said CUE's colloquy focused on teaching because "a lot of conversations about teaching [with students and faculty] suggest that there's a lot to be done -- we need to find a consensus with students and faculty about where we might go next year." Sociology Professor Philip Morgan disagrees with the notion that there are problems with the state of teaching in the College. He said the University is a "research university," which by nature prioritizes teaching less than smaller institutions do. "If you want to go to Swarthmore, you should transfer," Morgan said. He added that although students may complain about professors' teaching abilities, "I think people often vote with their feet, and they're staying on their ass." "I say Penn's doing a good job," Morgan said. Mathematics Department Chairperson Dennis DeTurck took a different approach, saying that "teaching is far from the most important" part of education. "A university is about learning and teaching is only one aspect of this process," he said. College senior Michael Treisman -- who gave a presentation of his viewpoint at the colloquy -- disagreed. He said that asking the question of how important is teaching in the College is like asking, "how important is food to the body, how important is tuition to the University, how important is tenure to the faculty." Treisman said he is concerned "teaching no longer entails the imparting of knowledge." But School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens said, "most great teachers are great because they love to teach...and you can not get tenure at Penn unless you are a great teacher." Daffodil Tyminski said that as a College senior who could have graduated in three years, she is concerned that the coursework is not "rigorous" enough. She said students should be forced to "work as hard as they can in classes." Classical Studies Undergraduate Chairperson Jeremy McInerney was surprised by this. "The constant criticism I've gotten every semester is 'too much reading'," he said. "Now I give less reading than a very good prep school and I still get complaints that it's 'too much.'"