Shannon Mayer, physics, and Jacqueline Van Hoomissen, biology, are pleased to announce the publication of Awaken the Stars, their co-edited volume of essays on what faculty really teach in their classrooms, beyond the standard course content. The collection is comprised of reflective writings from 25 faculty from a broad range of disciplines at the University of Portland and is dedicated to Brian Doyle, the creative, inquisitive, and joyous colleague who, with a single request for an essay for Portland Magazine, inspired Mayer and Van Hoomissen to curate their current collection.
Mayer and Van Hoomissen hope the essay collection will provide readers with a deeper look at what UP faculty members believe education is really about, and that it will serve as a catalyst to inspire conversations about the deeper meanings of education. The essays add to the national dialogue on the value of higher education, but they are unique in that each author takes a more personal look at how thoughtful engagement, personal connection, and intentionality inform and transform what happens between professor and student. The collection is not an “academic” book, but is a simple collection of personal essays that seek to add compelling and compassionate stories to the national conversation on higher education.
Awaken the Stars is available for through ACTA Publishers (www.actapublications.com) and at the University of Portland bookstore.
For more information contact Mayer at mayers@up.edu or Van Hoomissen at vanhoomi@up.edu.