Amelia Earhart Faculty-in-Residence Program seeking applicants

University Residences is seeking applications for the Amelia Earhart Faculty-In-Residence Program.

The program integrates a faculty member into residential communities to serve as an intellectual catalyst for the residential community experience. The idea was inspired by Earhart, who, after being invited to join the University in 1934, chose to live among and mentor students in the Women’s Residence Hall. For the next three years, Earhart gave her time and talents to the residents of her community. Her personal touch and mentorship changed the lives of many women at Purdue.

In 2016, University Residences reintroduced the opportunity for Purdue faculty to, like Earhart, provide mentorship to students in residences. Each faculty-in-residence is as different as the residence halls in which they live, says Jonathan Manz, associate director of Residential Academic Initiatives.

"Hosting colleagues to speak during a luncheon, holding movie nights, joining students at the recreation center or welcoming parents and families during move-in are a few examples of intentional interactions faculty have," Manz says. "However, it is the personal relationships, developed on a Sunday evening in a lounge or a deep discussion over dinner, which are the hallmark of this experience both for students and faculty members."

TJ Boisseau, associate professor of interdisciplinary studies, is the inaugural Amelia Earhart faculty-in-residence and continues to serve the Windsor Halls community. Sorin Matei, professor and associate dean for research and graduate education, serves as the faculty-in-residence for some of the apartment communities while also supporting Cary Quadrangle and providing programming out of the virtual reality studio in McCutcheon Hall.

University Residences is currently accepting applications for a faculty-in-residence position for Earhart Hall. More information and the application can be found on the program website or directed to FIR@purdue.edu.