Providence, RI -- Providence College has announced the launch of a new dimension of the College's Web site that is dedicated to the teaching excellence, scholarly pursuits, and collaborative research projects of the Providence College faculty. 

Located on the "Academics" section of the Web site and collectively known as "Teaching That Transforms," the new Web pages feature profiles of 41 faculty members, who agreed to participate in a "pilot" program for the project. The profiles are comprised of individuals from the six major discipline areas of the College: humanities, fine and performing arts, natural science, social science, business administration, and education.

Each of the faculty profile Web pages includes a portrait of the faculty member taken by a professional photographer, a quote from the faculty member drawn from his or her teaching philosophy, and information about their position, academic background, sample courses, teaching philosophy, research and interests, notable academic appointments and awards, publication highlights, and selected scholarly presentations.

In addition to the profiles, several other pages are featured.  The link opens with a "landing," or introductory page, containing greetings and a message from College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P.  There also are pages devoted to general facts about the faculty, scholarly collaborations between faculty and students, the Joseph R. Accinno Faculty Teaching Award, and faculty development resources. 

The new Web pages were produced by the Office of Media and Community Relations in a collaborative effort with the Office of the Vice President for Academic Administration and the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE). The Web address for the pages is 
www.providence.edu/Academics/Faculty.

College faculty members and administrators joined to preview the new Web pages at a reception sponsored by the CTE on Tuesday, November 15. The pages officially went live that afternoon.

"This was an exciting project. We are particularly grateful to the faculty members who participated in our pilot program," said Patricia S. Vieira, executive director of media and community relations.

"Research conducted among current and prospective college students holds that an institution's perceived academic rigor is an important factor in choosing a college," explained Vieira. "This new section on our Web site truly showcases the teaching philosophy, research, and scholarship of our faculty and demonstrates how the faculty's passion and expertise enhance the undergraduate experience here."

Vieira worked with each faculty member to gather information and to draft the profiles while Trisha Rojcewicz, Web editor and media relations coordinator, built each Web page.

"In my mind, the goal of the project has been to project to the outside world--as well as to communicate internally across our own campus--the strengths of PC's faculty, their research, and their teaching," said Dr. Joan R. Branham, associate professor of art history and director of the CTE. "Specifically, we wanted to get the profiles of individual faculty members up front and center . . . into public and scholarly prominence on the PC site."

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Visit the new Teaching that Transforms Web pages.