Tuesday, October 7, 1997
UCLA’s visiting professors
are a win-win situation
FACULTY: Schools and teachers both benefit from trading of
resources
By Steven Tanamachi
Daily Bruin Contributor
"In-N-Out" isn’t a term limited to describe the hamburgers sold
in Westwood.
This describes a faction of the UCLA faculty called "visiting
professors" who are hired for between one quarter and two years.
They are academic ambassadors who bring their experience into the
classroom and leave with a heightened understanding of how to
educate the public.
"It’s a great way for faculty to work with colleagues at other
institutions on a temporary basis. Visiting faculty may bring
specialized expertise not available on campus," said Ellen Switkes,
assistant vice president for academic advancement. "They may bring
new techniques to share with UC colleagues and students, and they
bring new ideas about how to govern the university."
Visiting professors are hired for a specified time on account of
their exceptional mastery in their field or because of a tenured
professor’s absence from the department, according to the Academic
Personnel Manual.
Of the 200 visiting professors in the UC system, UCLA has
brought professionals ranging from filmmakers to doctors to
musicians.
John Bishop is part of this distinctive faculty, a visiting
professor as well as an ethnographic documentary film-maker who has
taught in the World Arts and Cultures Department since 1995.
"Visiting professors are here only a short time, and they bring
an interesting and fresh perspective to the campus. (Students
should) look at it as a unique opportunity to get what they have to
offer," said Bishop.
Bishop has brought over 20 years of professional experience to
his department. He has produced documentaries on a spectrum of
topics from the Ju’hua Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert to the Blues
of Mississippi.
Bishop now lives in Los Angeles with his wife.
While he has traveled the globe for his work, another professor
needs only to fly from coast to coast.
"The biggest adjustment will be not having snow in the middle of
winter," said Dr. James P. Nolan, a distinguished service professor
from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Nolan will be temporarily joining the Department of Medicine in
December, and foresees a smooth transition into the new environment
and as a relatively trouble-free time to move out from his home in
Buffalo, N.Y., to an apartment in Santa Monica.
Often, a visiting professor never sets foot in the classroom,
but does his work solely in the laboratory, as will be the case
with Nolan. Even as an accomplished professional, he will be at
UCLA to learn rather than to teach.
"Here I’ll study how UCLA has been successful in education and
medicine," Nolan said.
In the ever-evolving educational system, professionals are
brought into new environments to share their knowledge and
experience. Like a new player joining a baseball team, the visiting
professor brings something unique to the educating team.
But there is a give and take to the education process.
"Visiting appointments permit faculty from other universities to
see how the UC works as an institution and to bring that experience
back to their home campus," Switkes explained.
The experience visiting professors bring into the classroom can
have incredible influences on a student. Breaking down the division
between teacher and student, Bishop is currently working in
conjunction with a former student on a documentary about Shamanism
in Los Angeles.
He said that the support and warm reception from the rest of the
faculty has helped him assimilate into the campus lifestyle.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and the only
negative aspect Bishop spots about his status as a visiting
professor is his not knowing when he will have to leave.
His job is secure through the next two quarters, but what waits
for him after that is unclear.
From what he’s gained at UCLA, how long does he want to continue
to teach?
Quoting Western recording artist David Alan Coe, Bishop’s reply
is: "I’ll hang around as long as they let me."