Biology professor Shannon Jones enjoys getting to know students beyond the classroom as one of the University of Richmond’s five Faculty in Residence. For four years, she has hosted activities such as wellness bingo and trivia nights in first-year residence halls, helping students connect with one another — and with faculty.

“Outside the classroom, I get to know students as whole people, which deepens the mentoring relationships I value so much,” Jones said. “I also appreciate meeting students I might never encounter in my courses.”

Administered by Residence Life and Housing, the Faculty in Residence program pairs professors with first-year residence halls to plan events and build relationships with students. The program is dedicated to fostering an environment inside the residence hall for both personal and professional academic development as students become acclimated to a college setting.

“The Faculty in Residence program bridges the residential experience with the classroom experience, and also makes faculty more accessible,” said Emily DiMaria, area coordinator for Residence Life and Housing.

Jones is assigned to Lora Robins Court, where just under half of the students take part in the Endeavor Program. Jones has been an instructor for the Science, Math, and Research Training (SMART) Endeavor course.

Other faculty in residence include economics lecturer Andrew Alwood, marketing lecturer Bill Bergman, biology professor Colleen Carpenter-Swanson, and senior teaching faculty of journalism Tom Mullen.

Faculty in Residence events

During the year, faculty members host programs that range from social gatherings to discussions tied to their academic expertise. One of the first events is the annual Spider Mural Day around move-in, when students gather in the lobby to sign a spider sticker and place it on a communal web.

“This builds immediate affinity and connection within the halls,” said Joy Heinzman, director of residence life.

Other events draw on faculty interests. Mullen and his students watched Anchorman together and discussed how the media is portrayed in film. Bergman shared his social media knowledge during a “Tacos and TikTok” night.  Alwood hosted a program on financial literacy called Credit Cards and Cronuts, and Carpenter-Swanson focused on wellness baskets during exam periods.

Sometimes the programs are designed to help students navigate the practical side of college life. A few years ago, Nicole Maurantonio, who is now an associate provost, hosted “Don’t Snooze on Registration,” offering to help with course selection while students stopped by for Insomnia Cookies.

“The Faculty in Residence program helps students see that professors are approachable and another support system here, and they’re trying to help them succeed,” said Heinzman.

The program evolved from earlier initiatives that placed faculty in residence halls to strengthen connections between academic and residence life. The faculty no longer live in the halls.

For Nandita Hareesh, a sophomore biochemistry & molecular biology major, those connections made an early impression. She first met Jones through the SMART program and as her Faculty in Residence in Lora Robins Court.

Now a resident assistant in the same hall, Hareesh sees the impact from the other side.

“Knowing that Dr. Jones and other Faculty in Residence are in your corner and ready to support you is why the program is beneficial for students,” Hareesh said.