The Faculty Lounge@UofSC is a free virtual public access classroom series developed by Professor Toby Jenkins in the University of South Carolina’s Higher Education Graduate Program. The series invites national education scholars to have critical one on one conversations about racism in higher education. As part of a partnership with SCETV Education, the webinar episodes are open for the public to register and “sit in” on the class meeting via Zoom or view a live stream on YouTube and Facebook. The public can also access all past videos on the UofSC Museum of Education’s YouTube Channel or access the series as an audio podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Jenkins, who also serves as the Director of the Museum of Education (a research center in the UofSC College of Education), created the series in the spirit of one her favorite past television shows. “’Inside the Actors Studio’ was a master class created at Pace University where celebrity actors, affiliated with the Actors Studio, would come, sit and engage in critical conversations about the craft. Students taking the course were wowed by having the opportunity to hear legends reflect. These legends benefited from being a part of an actor community that put them on stage as an act of communion and not performance. It was a hit. This component of my course is designed in that spirit.” Jenkins drew additional inspiration from a 2019 Inside Higher Education article by Bonnie Morris titled, Faculty Lounge, and re-imagined the “Actors Studio” concept as a college faculty lounge. In the article, Morris describes the college faculty lounge as the “intellectual lab” for humanities and social science professors who did not have traditional science labs where they might work out ideas and consider theories. Jenkins acknowledges that in current busy, technological times (with or without a pandemic) campus faculty lounges may not actually be as vibrant as they once were. But the spirit of this space can be re-imagined, innovated, and most importantly opened up.
“The original intent of the faculty lounge on college campuses was to provide an intellectual space for faculty to push cultures of thought among their peers. All too often the reality is a musty room, uninviting room filled with idle talk. I wanted to explore the idea of academic “movers and shakers” in our field- those people who seem to always be in service to the body of research or their community, to be given space to reflect, debate, question and mentor.” says Jenkins. In UofSC’s higher education-focused version of this dialogue series, Jenkins has invited major higher education scholars who are doing the difficult, important, and life-giving work of anti-racism.
The sessions are highly rated by higher education participants across the country. “We have had participants from California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, and of course throughout South Carolina,” said Jenkins. “I have been pleased to see a broad showing of P-20 educators as well as community leaders who are also doing important educational work. This is really the direction we must go in higher education- identifying avenues to offer our students, public partners, colleagues, and constituents access to needed education on racism. We need to make this knowledge as accessible as possible.” Professor Lori Patton Davis shared feedback that she received from professionals who attended her episode. “The UofSC class was excellent. I watched start to finish. I think it is right on point to suggest the Actors Studio. That is exactly the feel I got the entire time. Best I’ve seen so far.” Given the number of virtual professional development opportunities now being offered across the country, the enormous show of support and positive feedback for the content, structure, and communal feel of the program is important.
When asked what makes this initiative so impactful, Jenkins explained: “In our dreams, the faculty lounge is a space for critical conversation, debate, and idea exchange. Reflecting, revising, rethinking might all occur. Mentoring, guiding, and advising often happens. Careers are developed, directions reconsidered, and past experiences are transformed into insight and wisdom. And we need more of this in higher education. As a Museum Director, I critically understand the value of aesthetic activism and education. How it looks and how it feels matters. And so, our courses and our public programs must not only be spaces to share important information and research, but they must also be sites of wisdom and sources of inspiration and action.”
“The original intent of the faculty lounge on college campuses was to provide an intellectual space for faculty to push cultures of thought among their peers. All too often the reality is a musty room, uninviting room filled with idle talk. I wanted to explore the idea of academic “movers and shakers” in our field- those people who seem to always be in service to the body of research or their community, to be given space to reflect, debate, question and mentor.” says Jenkins. In UofSC’s higher education-focused version of this dialogue series, Jenkins has invited major higher education scholars who are doing the difficult, important, and life-giving work of anti-racism.
The sessions are highly rated by higher education participants across the country. “We have had participants from California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, and of course throughout South Carolina,” said Jenkins. “I have been pleased to see a broad showing of P-20 educators as well as community leaders who are also doing important educational work. This is really the direction we must go in higher education- identifying avenues to offer our students, public partners, colleagues, and constituents access to needed education on racism. We need to make this knowledge as accessible as possible.” Professor Lori Patton Davis shared feedback that she received from professionals who attended her episode. “The UofSC class was excellent. I watched start to finish. I think it is right on point to suggest the Actors Studio. That is exactly the feel I got the entire time. Best I’ve seen so far.” Given the number of virtual professional development opportunities now being offered across the country, the enormous show of support and positive feedback for the content, structure, and communal feel of the program is important.
When asked what makes this initiative so impactful, Jenkins explained: “In our dreams, the faculty lounge is a space for critical conversation, debate, and idea exchange. Reflecting, revising, rethinking might all occur. Mentoring, guiding, and advising often happens. Careers are developed, directions reconsidered, and past experiences are transformed into insight and wisdom. And we need more of this in higher education. As a Museum Director, I critically understand the value of aesthetic activism and education. How it looks and how it feels matters. And so, our courses and our public programs must not only be spaces to share important information and research, but they must also be sites of wisdom and sources of inspiration and action.”