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 Ingredient #1:
"Chemistry" and Credibility
Building cross-disciplinary programs and taking the
curriculum in new directions requires innovation and
collaboration among faculty who are not necessarily
accustomed to working together. For this to happen,
people from disparate ends of the campus, and yet of
similar convictions, need to meet each other, agree
on a common goal, and commit to a great deal of time
and work.
Sometimes collaboration comes about through conscious
effort and a pre-determined decision, and, at other
times, it happens by chance, by circumstance, or by
surprise. However it happens, it is important to
recognize the fact and to take advantage of
opportunities as they present themselves.
At URI, the IEP was launched twelve years ago when
the new dean of engineering, who happened to be
German-born, moved into the house next door to the
head of the German faculty. In their first backyard
conversation, they discussed engineering and foreign
language education, and agreed emphatically that the
new global age called for some kind of creative
collaboration between these two areas. Out of this a
committee was born, a core group of interdisciplinary
faculty became convinced of the value of the idea, a
grant was written, and the concept of URI's IEP was
launched.
Nothing is, of course, that simple. And yet, when two
credible and hard-working people agree on an idea
with a certain level of excitement, that is a
critical ingredient for success. Little will happen
on a long-term basis with ideas supported by just one
or two persons or by one side of two-sided
partnerships, or by persons unable to involve the
interests of influential persons in the campus
community. There must be a spark, a meeting of the
minds, an enthusiasm, an ability to work together,
and the potential for influencing opinion.
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