Students will get a say in who gets to be the newest faculty member of the John V. Roach Honors College.
The Honors College is hosting three candidates vying for a new position that will focus on the place of science in society. The three candidates give public talks and participate in “student-only” discussion forums.
Students can submit feedback forms to share their impressions of the candidates after these events, said Dr. Sarah Robbins, acting dean of the Honors College.
“We would always want to have student input around anything going on in honors,” Robbins said. “We want them to be involved in decision-making in the college.”
The decision to hire a new faculty member was made in response to TCU’s move to start a new medical school, Robbins said.
Bailey Shepherd, a senior biology major, is on the search committee that is bringing the candidates to campus. She said the committee has focused on students during their search for potential new faculty.
“They really do look closely at what the students have to say about the candidates because they’re going to be the ones who are taught by them,” Shepherd said.
Robbins said the search committee will give more weight to student input that demonstrates investment and commitment to the faculty selection process.
Robbins called all three candidates “fabulous” and wants to remind students that faculty selection is a two-way street.
“These candidates are so strong that they’re also being courted by other universities,” she said. “We also need to convince them that they want to come [to TCU].”
Robbins said her own decision to teach at TCU was influenced by her interactions and conversations with students during her first campus visit.
“There’s no better ambassadors for TCU than TCU students,” Robbins said.
Robbins said she hopes the hiring process will be complete by the time students begin to register for classes next fall.
The final candidate will be on campus Feb. 11 and 12. The students-only visit will be on Feb. 11 at 3:30 p.m. in Milton Daniel Great Hall.
