Clark Honors College FAQ

This started out as a little essay about how academic life is organized. As I kept thinking of new issues, I recast it in a convenient FAQ form, even if some of the questions may not in fact be all that frequently asked.

Who is Robert D. Clark, anyway? back to top

Robert Clark was the President of the University of Oregon between 1969 and 1975. Clark was an early supporter of the University of Oregon Honors College, which opened with 119 freshmen in 1960. Upon his retirement, the institution was renamed to honor his critical support. President Clark lived in retirement in Eugene, where he died in 2005. Suzanne Clark, an English Professor, is his daughter, and frequently teaches in Clark Honors College. He used to come to many Clark Honors College events, and you may notice his benign portrait in our main office.

What is the difference between a college and a university? back to top

A college is generally smaller, and a university is normally made up of several colleges. The University of Oregon has eight colleges in addition to Clark Honors College (Arts & Sciences, Music, Education, Business, Law, Architecture & Allied Arts, Journalism, Graduate School). "College" also often refers to a small independent liberal arts institution, although the dividing line between college and university has blurred in recent years as many colleges began calling themselves universities, imagining the latter title to convey greater importance and prestige.

What does it mean to be interdisciplinary? back to top

Most of academic life is organized into specialized departments, one (or more) of which you will choose for a major: Chemistry, Romance Languages, Psychology, etc. This organization permits experts to make decisions in their own areas, and departments are important because they set the requirements for graduating in each major, and because in practice they supervise the work of the professors they employ. The downside of departmental specialization is a tendency to fragment knowledge into ever tinier pieces. Against this departmental division of labor are a set of programs which cross disciplinary boundaries, such as Latin American Studies, where historians, poets, and economists who share an interest in Brazil or Mexico can combine their expertise in their teaching and research. Women's Studies brings together professors and students who share a focus on gender. Clark Honors College is another kind of interdisciplinary program, in which faculty from many fields come together with the conviction that there are some common understandings shared by educated people, and that brainy students can benefit from a program that stresses reading, writing, and critical thinking.

I hear people talking about the "canon." This is not a military school, so what's going on? back to top

Artillery is spelled cannon; the academic canon is a set of books, writers, and theories which we presume we should all understand. Decades ago, there was greater consensus about what should be in the canon - Shakespeare, Freud, European history, botany. Most (but not all) professors have come to realize that the old canon was Eurocentric, did not show much curiosity about the rest of the world, and failed to recognize the contributions of non-whites and women. The old canon also made some simplistic assumptions about the relationship between science and the humanities that are no longer tenable. But it is not a simple matter to simply cram more knowledge into the package we offer. Instead, most of us recognize that the old certainties about canonic knowledge are probably gone forever, and that we must engage in an ongoing discussion among ourselves, with our colleagues, and with our students, about what universities should teach.

What should I call my professor? back to top

"Professor" is always safe. Mr. and Ms. will work. Some really like to be first-named, others cannot stand it; if in doubt, just ask. Eugene is a small town, and you are likely to encounter some of your professors in unanticipated spots: they buy groceries, drink beer, and go to movies. Do not be startled to discover your prof outside the classroom; don't be embarrassed - just say hi.

Where do universities find professors? back to top

When a position becomes vacant, we advertise across the nation for qualified applicants. We usually define the position somewhat narrowly ("Atlantic world history" instead of "history") both to fit our curricular needs and to avoid having to review many hundreds of candidates. Teaching in Clark Honors College is regarded as a good job, and we typically have lots of strong applicants. University professors are thus recruited from a national labor pool, and professors are likely to be working far from their home states, and indeed may have worked all over the nation. Universities are a little like the U.S. army in the degree to which their employees may move all around the country over their careers. And like the army, the university divides its workers into ranks.

Professors have ranks? back to top

You bet. The army has more of them, and you can't tell a professor's rank by looking for an eagle on her shoulder, but the principle is the same. There are three ranks for professors, in ascending order: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and (full) Professor. The first position for a new Ph.D. is as an Assistant Professor. After six years of work, the new professor undergoes an up-or-out review; if successful, she is promoted to Associate Professor. After additional years of service, Associate Professors may be reviewed for promotion to Professor. The names Assistant and Associate sound similar, but there is a world of difference. That difference is tenure.

What is tenure, anyway? back to top

Tenure is the permanent right to your teaching job, except in cases of moral turpitude or institutional financial emergency.

Why should universities want to provide permanent employment? back to top

Tenure does not sound like a very businesslike arrangement, as it limits the ability of the university administration to adjust its workforce. Tenure exists in order to protect the freedom of expression of faculty members, and to assure that students can hear a variety of views. Researchers pushing the frontiers of knowledge often give offense to established opinion, and teachers may find that their views are unpopular. Tenure protects them, and also protects students against having a spineless and fearful faculty. The tenure system does place a lot of pressure on new professors, who have to prove themselves successful in the classroom and publish big gobs of research in their first six years. Tenured faculty (Associate and full Professors) are also reviewed on teaching and research accomplishments, but the tension they face is considerably less.

What about teaching assistants? back to top

Teaching assistants, or Graduate Teaching Fellows (GTFs), as they are known at Oregon, are advanced Ph.D. students who are working as instructors or researchers while they complete their degrees. All courses in Clark Honors College are taught by faculty who have already earned the Ph.D., but you will encounter teaching assistants in some of your other classes. Many are wonderful teachers already; almost all are working very hard. Bear in mind that no one is born knowing how to teach, and today's teaching assistants become tomorrow's professors.

Why are you always telling us to see our CHC advisors?back to top

Students vary in how much advice you want or can stand, and we are not demanding that you become pals with your CHC professors. But at a minimum you should have an annual advising session, just as you should have an annual physical exam, or get your car checked regularly. Advising is our only way of touching base with you to see if things are going as expected, or if you need special attention of some sort. Lots of you check in with your advisors often enough, but a few of you seem to go for years on your own. This makes us a little nervous.

What are office hours? back to top

Professors set aside regular periods each week for meeting with their students called office hours. Office hours are posted on the website at the beginning of each term. Some professors will have sign-up sheets outside their offices for specific time-slots, others will see you on a first-come, first-serve basis. If your schedule will not permit you to come to office hours, make an appointment for a time that will work. Clark Honors College professors are good about making themselves available to you, but bear in mind that there are times when they must tend to other responsibilities. These include holding class, administrative assignments (such as admission of new students or hiring new faculty), and of course, their own research.

What is the point of faculty research? back to top

Professors choose academic life because they enjoy teaching and because they enjoy understanding new things. Each of your professors has her own academic "field," a fairly specialized area where she interacts with other experts around the world who are working to solve the same intellectual puzzles. Publication of articles and books is the primary way we present our discoveries and interpretations to our colleagues. This research is important for its own sake - it is where new knowledge originates. And when your professor is an active researcher, his classes will be shaped by ongoing intellectual controversies. The University considers the quality of faculty research an important criterion when it evaluates professors.

What if I disagree with my professor? back to top

By all means speak up, either in class, or privately (if the issue is personal). Our job is not to indoctrinate you in a particular world-view, but to provoke you to react critically to your classes. It will seem difficult for some of you to challenge your profs, but give it a try - it is good for you, your fellow students may enjoy it, and our faculty expect it.

Won't I get a lower grade? back to top

No. We assign grades on the basis of how you develop and present your own ideas, not how well you parrot ours.

Do I get a chance to evaluate my professor? back to top

Yes. At the end of each quarter, each student is given an opportunity to assess courses in two ways. There is a bubble-sheet form, which generates numerical data used to compare professors and academic programs. This data is available for students to review when they choose courses. There is also a narrative evaluation, which permits a more nuanced evaluation. Students my sign these forms, if they wish them to be included in the professor's personnel file, or they may write anonymously. Either way, the professor and the CHC director will see your evaluations, but not until after grades have been assigned.

Why are so many Clark Honors College students women? back to top

We admit students on the basis of merit. Nearly seventy percent of Clark Honors College students are women because young women in contemporary America tend to have more disciplined study habits, and work harder in high school. Too many boys think that reading and good grades are unimportant. This is unfortunate, but it is a national phenomenon, and is too big a problem for us to solve in Chapman Hall.

What if I encounter sexual harassment? back to top

We certainly hope that you will not, but if you find yourself confronting situations that do not feel right, please speak to a professor with whom you feel comfortable, bring the issue to the attention of the Clark Honors College Director, or check out campus and local resources.

How do I stay in touch? back to top

We post information about CHC events and activities on our website and on the bulletin boards in Chapman Hall. We put out a quarterly newsletter which will tell you about new classes and other news. But we also rely on email to let you know about activities and deadlines. You can help by making sure that you are on the CHC email list. Please also be sure either to check your UO email account regularly or forward messages from it to whatever account you most often use. And the CHC website is the most convenient source for quick information on most subjects.

May I sleep in the CHC library? back to top

There's nothing wrong with a little library or lounge nap, but you cannot spend the night. Chapman Hall is open 7:00 am to 9:00 pm, and the library and computer lab are open 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. If you become a CHC proctor, you can have access to the lounge, library, and computer lab from 7:00 am to 2:00 am.

Can I get out of Eugene and study abroad? back to top

You just arrived on campus, and we don't want to seem to be chasing you away so quickly, but we encourage you to explore some of the 110 Study Abroad Overseas Study Programs in which the University of Oregon participates. We will work with you to make sure that study abroad fits into your curriculum, and that you receive maximum academic credit for the courses you may take in 70 different countries. CHC has a special exchange program with the University Scholars Programme which is the honors college of the National University of Singapore, one of the top universities in the world. Singapore is a major cultural and economic cross roads and, with the medium of instruction being English, the NUS offers a great way to experience Asia even if you don't speak an Asian Language. Closer to home, you can spend a quarter on the Oregon coast at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, in Charleston.

Where do my fees go? back to top

Universities typically set a program's academic budget according to the number of students it teaches. But Clark Honors College is built around small classes, so we can never compete with the large service courses offered in some departments. Our resource fee enables us to continue to cap our classes at twenty-five students, and to guarantee that none of these classes will be taught by graduate students. The fee is thus important in enabling the Honors College to maintain its individual character.

What can the office staff do for me? back to top

Lots. The CHC office in 320 Chapman, can help you resolve problems with the university bureaucracy, point you to non-academic information, find a member of our technical support staff to help with computer issues, etc. Don't be bashful about coming in with your questions. The first person you encounter at the front desk will be our Central Support Coordinator, Kim Putnam-Spreier. Our Academic Coordinator is Kris Kirkeby, Student Services Coordinator is Carol Giantonio, and Our Office manager is Kate Kevern.

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