Current Students

Message from the Dean: Why Students First

In a few weeks, I will visit my alma mater, New York University (NYU), to deliver a speech in memory of a professor that profoundly touched thousands of lives, including mine. This upcoming event, has caused me to reflect on my student days at NYU, remembering those difficult times of hope, moments of doubt and uncertainty, pressure of exams and assignments, memorable interactions with faculty, staff and fellow students, and the impact of it all on the man I have grown to become. As I mused on these experiences, I could not help but wonder whether my own interactions with colleagues, students and others here at UWM and elsewhere have touched lives as weightily as mine was influenced by my late mentor.

As I pondered on the road ahead, I am reminded of our own students and the first order of business in our Strategic Plan which warrants that we place our students first. As detailed in that plan, we will take action steps and implement quantitative measures that ensure students success, and we will do so first and foremost. Clearly documented is how the action steps and quantitative measures will make a difference in the lives of our students—they will enable us to foster their growth and development, support their efforts to earn their degree and graduate on time, ensure quality education that puts them at the top of their respective fields, suitably positioning them for the best jobs out there, etc. As reflections on my time at NYU brought things shapely into focus, it became clear to me that “Students First” denotes much more than the quantifiable measures of student success detailed in that document.

Students First necessitates that we align and prioritize our resources to support students’ success first and foremost before embarking on other endeavors. Implicate in this assertion is that we will technologically adapt our classrooms, lectures, labs and all other pedagogical interactions to the evolving ways that students learn, and not burden them with outmoded interactive teaching methods of times past.

Students First embodies dignity and respect for every student, regardless of race, color, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Within this notion lies mutual respect and the type of respect that provokes even greater respect from the respected. It means that as faculty and staff of the College of Health Sciences (CHS), we do not just welcome every student with open arms, but offer an enabling environment that supports the hopes and aspirations of every student, and optimizes their abilities to perform and succeed.

Students First means that each faculty and staff—at all levels—will offer his or her best effort without holding back anything; implying that we will not just educate our students with our heads, but with our hearts and hands. Implicit in this notion is our acknowledgement that we are called to support the weak more so than the strong. Therefore, like the good shepherd, we must be willing to step away from the flock and go the extra mile to rescue, and if necessary, resuscitate and rehabilitate that lost sheep; thereby turning failure into success. It encompasses a framework in which mentoring virtually amounts to hand-holding to point the way, and advising becomes a thing of the heart, not just of the mind.

Students First calls on the faculty and staff of the college to inspire the type of hope and confidence that engenders joy, happiness and a sense of duty in every student; while upholding academic rigor and maintaining the highest standards of academic performance. That sense of hope and confidence, coupled with personal responsibility, accountability and professionalism, is not just inspired in the classroom but on the hallways, in and outside the elevators, on campus grounds, and wherever we encounter our students. The obvious implication here is that the environment must be friendly and conducive, without violating the purity and sanctity of that time honored relationship between the student and the faculty/staff, and without degenerating into friendships that mar genuine achievement and success.

Students First is not just a slogan, but a belief that reminds us of the resonating words of astronaut Christa McAuliffe, that is: “I touch the future. I teach.”  As esteemed members of an institution of higher learning, our interactions with students invariably serve as models for the future generation. We are not just held to higher standards because “higher learning” implies “higher standards”, but because our impact on students endures from generation to generation. Modeling of such attitudes, behaviors and professional standards does not just occur at certain times or places, but at all times and everywhere.

Students First implies touching the future in a variety of ways, not just in the classroom. Our poise and professional appearance serve as models for our students. Upholding equity and fairness in all our interactions within and outside the classroom touches the future. Our collegial relationships serve as models for the next generation—our students. And so do our affect and deportment everywhere. We can go on and on with numerous examples of how our esteemed positions as men and women with responsibility for our students, influence the future.

Students First is not just a notion in the same sense as a businessman would say “Customers first”; it is the deeper realization that within our students lie the future. Therefore, our interactions with each of them touch and shape the future, making it possible to achieve our Mission of “… [enriching] the health and well-being of people in Wisconsin and the world through innovative research, outstanding education and exceptional service, and … [inspiring] others to carry out this work.

Welcome to the 2011 – 2012 academic year!

Chukuka S. Enwemeka, PhD, FACSM
Professor and Dean