It was 9:55 a.m. Monday when Kyle Dell, new assistant professor of political science, stepped into his first class. Or tried to.
“It was in King and the door was locked to the classroom. I think this was like hazing the new faculty or something. Everybody had to sit on the floor in the next room. So my first teaching experience at Guilford was on the floor.”
Dell, who previously taught at Boston College, arrived at Guilford with 20 other faculty members this year. They span 13 departments and include eiht new full-time tenure-track professors.
While this number sounds high, “many of the new hirees are replacing people who retired or resigned,” said Adrienne Israel, VicePresident and Academic Dean. “It’s all with the growing student body in mind.”
Additionally, six academic staff members were hired for positions in the Career Development Center, Multicultural Education, and International Center.
Several professors commented on Guilford’s friendliness and the welcome they’ve already received. “Students say ‘hi’ to me even when they don’t know me,” said Kathryn Bowers, assistant professor of Spanish.
“It’s a small place, a cozy place. In one week, I know almost everybody and everybody knows I’m here,” said Latifa Chahoua, who previously taught at UNCG and GTCC. “When I got married in ’96, my husband and I used to come to the campus on the weekend and bring picnics. Neither of us were teaching but we came.”
Israel said, “The thing that struck me is that so many of them had previous experience of Guilford. They had heard of it and really wanted to be here.”