Messina Faculty Participant Information

• Messina Information Sheet for Faculty
• Access the Messina Faculty Application (for new applicants) & Access a PDF copy of the application
• Access the Messina Faculty Member Intent to Return Form (for current and past Messina faculty members)

I. Requirements of faculty members who will participate in Messina

• Develop and teach one or more seminar courses each year for first-year students. The Messina seminar should be planned in coordination with a faculty partner (who will teach the same group of students during the opposite semester) and keyed to one of the four Messina themes – The Good Life, The Visionary, Stories We Tell and Self and Other.
• Take the lead on planning at least 3-4 Enrichment Sessions and attend enrichment sessions (including theme-wide events and off-campus excursions) for each class. Faculty are well-positioned to focus their sessions on course enrichment, theme enrichment and academic transition/advising.
• Possess a willingness to work as part of a cooperative working group of faculty, administrators and student leaders.
• Participate in Messina assessment initiatives.
• Fulfill the responsibilities of a core advisor which includes working with students at summer orientation and registration, participating in the Common Text Program during Fall Welcome Weekend, meeting with students individually at least twice each semester and attending the required Core Advising workshops.

II. New faculty participant expectations during the 2024-2025 academic year

• Prepare for Messina participation by attending a variety of scheduled training sessions,  
  workshops and small group meetings workshops (about one per month beginning in January 2025).  Training sessions will take place in large group, theme-based and smaller, self-directed informal working group settings.

• Develop a course title and description for inclusion on the Messina website and registration survey.

III. Expectations for all faculty participants during the 2025-20256 academic year

Note: The majority of faculty that participate in Messina will work with another faculty member, one campus administrator and two Evergreens to plan enrichment sessions and activities inside and outside of the classroom for two seminar sections of 15-17 students each year.

• Participate in a professional learning community of faculty, administrators and student peer leaders participating in Messina 
• Prior to fall semester:
  • Meet with working group members at least two times (February/March and April-June) to discuss program goals and outcomes and to plan enrichment sessions
  • Participate in aspects of summer orientation relevant to the Messina advising model
  • Attend a workshop/planning day the week before the fall semester begins to review syllabi and coordinate first week and/or orientation interactions
  • Attend fall orientation/Welcome Week events coordinated in conjunction with Messina and Office of Student Engagement (such as the Common Text Discussion). 
• During Fall and Spring Semesters:
  • Meet with working group members to discuss progress of the class and enrichment sessions(At least 3 such working group meetings during the academic year – early fall,
    pre-spring, and mid-spring check-ins are expected.)
  • Participate in ongoing planning and communication on a weekly basis.
  • Submit Early Intervention Check-In reports for any students exhibiting concerning behaviors, attendance issues, mental health concerns, etc.
• Collaborate on the Planning and Implementation of Enrichment Sessions
  • Discuss connections of courses and co-curricular activities to the overarching Messina theme.
  • Integrate enrichment sessions into course syllabi (enrichment sessions should include at least one Baltimore excursion and one theme-related event each semester).
  • Incorporate interdisciplinary perspectives into seminar courses and enrichment sessions. 
  • Attend and assist in the facilitation of 5-6 enrichment sessions per semester (totaling 8-15 hours of interaction with your students) for each seminar class. 
• Provide feedback to Messina by participating in program evaluations, surveys and other assessment efforts.