Captain Donald May

(Naval ROTC Program)

"My teaching philosophy is to use passion and genuine care. With the military being so large, it's easy for things to become impersonal. What I remember the most about my time in the military are the personal relationships. I want these students and future officers to understand how getting to know the others that they are with is so important. It will truly transcend their time in the military."

Read what Capt. May had to say about how he has applied his experience in Naval ROTC to his role as Commanding Officer here.

Roxanne Ornelas

(Department of Geography; Department of Global & Intercultural Studies)

"I believe in a shared and engaged learning environment. As my present and former students know, this means that I prefer an active classroom in which I'm not the only person speaking out."

Read what Dr. Ornelas had to say about her research on indigenous peoples, women, water resources, and the environment.

Nalin Jayasena

(Department of English)

"Turning on a light in the minds of students is what I enjoy most about teaching. We are all thinkers and I try to encourage them to think for themselves, rather than parrot what others say."

Read what Dr. Jayasena had to say about his Asia and Globalization course and his interest in Sri Lankan cinema.

Amanda Gillespie

(Department of Political Science)

"My favorite part about teaching are my students. The outpour I get from them is really great. Learning is a two-way street. I love when my students engage me in dialogue."

Read what Dr. Gillespie had to say about teaching the politics of gun control and her related research.

Kazue Harada

(Department of Department of German, Russian, Asian, and Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures)

"The best thing about teaching is getting new ideas from my students. For example, in my Japanese civilization course, many of them were interested in manga, anime, and videogames. I'm especially interested in science fiction, but I don't know a lot about the newer stuff. Therefore, I was able to learn about new anime and fan fiction from my students."

Read what Dr. Harada had to say about her research focus on Japanese science fiction by women writers.