Who’s Who and What’s What

 What’s What

 What is the difference between a college and a university?

Miami University Hamilton is a regional campus of Miami University. Universities are composed of different colleges or schools, which are usually academic divisions of related departments. Miami University has the following divisions within the University: College of Arts and Science; the Richard T. Farmer School of Business Administration; School of Education and Allied Professions; School of Engineering and Applied Science; School of Fine Arts; School of Interdisciplinary Studies (Western); and the Graduate School. Each division has a Dean, which is kind of like a vice president. If you plan to complete a bachelor’s (sometimes called a baccalaureate) degree, you will declare a major within one of these divisions.

Why do I have to take courses in the Miami Plan?

A lot of students complain about having take classes in the Miami Plan (with which you should make yourself familiar if you have not already). The truth is, most colleges and universities in the United States have some version of the Miami Plan, general education courses that provide skills and knowledge that our culture deems important. Even if you have declared a major already, Miami Plan courses are very important to your education. I frequently have students volunteer during class discussions information related to my class that they have learned in courses in Anthropology, Black World Studies, Sociology, Biology, History, Botany, Art, Geography, Geology, and even Math. If you have not declared a major, you may find a new area of study that will lead to a major. I have a friend who, during our first year of college, was required to take an Art History class. She’s now a curator in a museum. I had a student who took a science class and became an environmental activist; the last time I saw her, she was just back from Civil Disobedience Camp where she had learned to scale buildings and chain herself to natural flora without damaging it.

 Who’s Who

 
Who is in charge?

The President of the University is Dr. David Hodge, and his office is located on the Oxford Campus. Provost Jeffrey Herbst, who is another executive, and the Deans of the Colleges and Schools are also located on the Oxford Campus. Miami University Hamilton has its own administrators. Dr. Daniel Hall is the Campus Dean, a kind of CEO who oversees all aspects of campus. Dr. Lee Sanders, Dr. Bob Rusbosin, Dr. Michael Carrafiello, and Mr. Chris Connell also work under the auspices of the Campus Dean's Office.

 Who is teaching my classes?

Your professors at Miami University Hamilton are excellent instructors. Most colleges and universities have a standard set of titles for the people who teach there, and they can be difficult to understand at first.

Assistant Professor. An assistant professor is someone recently hired by the university who has not yet earned tenure. (Tenure is a kind of job security that you find in academic environments, awarded for good teaching, good scholarship, and good service to the institution. Tenure protects intellectual freedom, so that professors cannot be fired for teaching a topic that administrators or legislators disagree with. For example, a professor who teaches that Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald cannot be fired by a legislator or administrator who believes the assassination was a CIA conspiracy.) Most assistant professors have completed their Ph.D.s in the academic discipline that they teach at Miami Hamilton. A Ph.D. is earned after extensive work—the average is eleven years—beyond the bachelor’s (or baccalaureate) degree.  Although still within the six-year probationary period, many assistant professors have a good deal of teaching experience because they taught as Teaching Assistants (see below) while completing their doctoral degrees.

Associate Professor. These professors have earned tenure after demonstrating excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. They have been at the university for at least six years and usually have a great deal of teaching experience.

(Full) Professors. The rank of (Full) Professor is awarded to those faculty members who have achieved outstanding distinction in their field through research and teaching. Most (Full) Professors have worked in their academic field for many years.

The instructors that you have whose title includes the word Professor often have responsibilities and activities within the campus community that go beyond their work in the classroom. Many of your professors not only teach, they also do original research, which they publish in academic journals and books. They attend conferences, where they present and listen to innovations in teaching and in their areas of expertise. They also provide service to the university community through committee work and other volunteer activities. These professional activities often enrich the classroom environment as well.

 

There are other kinds of instructors that you may meet in your studies at Miami University.

Visiting Assistant Professor. These instructors are appointed for a period of 1-5 years and have earned their Ph.D. They cannot teach at Miami for more than five years.

Visiting Instructor. These instructors have usually completed at least a Master’s degree (two years of study beyond the Bachelor’s degree) or beyond and, like Visiting Assistant Professors, are eligible to teach at Miami for up to five years.

Adjunct Faculty. These instructors vary widely in background and situation. Adjunct faculty teach part-time at Hamilton (three or fewer courses) and often have jobs at other schools or businesses in the community. In the recent space crunch at Miami Hamilton, they often have difficulty finding their own office space, a situation that is not a reflection on their ability or importance to the mission of this campus. Nor does their adjunct status reflect their abilities as teachers or scholars. There are many reasons that instructors teach courses, and they may discuss those with you.

Teaching Assistants. Miami Hamilton does not, in general, have Teaching Assistants in the classroom. When you relocate to the Oxford campus, however, you may find that some lower-division courses are taught or assisted by graduate students in a variety of academic disciplines. First-Year Composition at Oxford, for example, is taught almost exclusively by graduate students (students how have earned at least a bachelor’s degree in English).