Full-time professionals, adjunct professors bring real-world insight to teaching students.
By Heather Templeton '10
Teachers. Mentors. Friends. At Virginia Wesleyan they're one and the same.
Virginia Wesleyan's faculty members don't just teach great thinkers. They are great thinkers. In addition to the 85 full-time faculty members, the College also boasts adjunct faculty members who are stellar full-time professionals. These adjunct faculty members share their expertise with Virginia Wesleyan students and bring real-world insight to teaching.
Mr. Anthony "Tony" DiFilippo | Ms. Kirsty Green | Mr. Robert Magee | Dr. Linda Scott
MR. ANTHONY "TONY" DIFILIPPO
Adjunct Instructor of Recreation and Leisure
President and CEO, Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau (NCVB)
Students taking Mr. Anthony "Tony" DiFilippo's travel tourism class describe him as "incredibly enthusiastic."
"Mr. DiFilippo was a blast to have as a professor and was able to cover what was happening in travel and tourism locally and nationally from firsthand experience," said Alex Hatcher '09 from Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
DiFilippo said he enjoys learning from his students, just as much as they enjoy learning from him.
"I enjoy learning from the students, seeing what motivates their generation and hearing their thoughts on subjects we discuss," he said. "Being an adjunct professor also allows me to communicate the many career opportunities in the hospitality field and offer insights into the industry learned from many years of experience in the field."
DiFilippo's students have been given several opportunities outside the classroom to gain experience in the tourism field. Students visited the new Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in Norfolk, Va., and attended the Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau Annual Meeting. One student also conducted her internship with the NCVB and another spent several weeks assisting the corporation with a major convention they hosted.
DiFilippo described his classes as participatory and said he enjoys using case studies, either personal experiences or articles from industry publications, to explore emerging trends and encourage creative thinking about the future of the industry. Last fall, he gave his students the project of anticipating travel fifty years from now and predicting what the hotel room of the future would look like and how methods of travel might change. This year, students are working on exploring the role of the social media/social network in destination marketing.
"One of the advantages of Virginia Wesleyan is that we have world-class local professionals that assist the College," said Batten Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies Dr. Doug Kennedy. "The degree to which Tony has embraced the professional development of our students is impressive. Our students came back [from events] excited and energized and several are interested in pursuing a career in travel and tourism."
DiFilippo received his Masters in Sports Management from Old Dominion University and his B.S. in Secondary Education from California University of Pennsylvania. He is currently pursuing a certificate in Strategic Hotel Management via eCornell University.
MS. KIRSTY GREEN
Applied Music Specialist – Violin
Virginia Symphony
"There's a saying," said Ms. Kirsty Green, "'if you can't do, then teach.'" "But I believe that if you can do, then it is your obligation to teach."
Green, who has been playing the violin for 32 years and has held the positions of core and principal second violin for the Virginia Symphony since 1996, has taught introductory and advanced violin lessons to Virginia Wesleyan students for the past 10 years.
She has also appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland and the United States, and serves as a faculty member for the Eastern Music Festival.
Green's students range in different levels with their skills as violinists and all have different goals. Some continue on to teach others, while other students may become performers, she said.
"There is no instant gratification in playing [the violin]," said Green. "A student's performance can be different every day because it is constantly challenging and they're constantly growing and perfecting."
Because Green is a performer herself, she is able to relate to issues that students have with certain pieces of music. She then analyzes the music in her own mind to find a way to help her students build upon their own skills.
Instructing violin has always been Green's passion. She said it runs in her blood with both of her parents being involved in education. She just fell into playing in orchestras "haphazardly."
Green was inspired by her first violin instructor, Judith Berenson, to become a teacher herself.
"I wanted to be just like her," she said. "Teaching violin is my love."
Green was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and she graduated with honors from the Conservatoire Populaire. She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the North Carolina School of the Arts. She is a licentiate of the British Royal Schools of Music, and has been the recipient of numerous awards including Giannini, Osborne, Reynolds, Fletcher, and Reader's Digest Scholarships.
MR. ROBERT MAGEE
Adjunct Instructor of Environmental Science
United States Department of Defense
Mr. Robert Magee came to Virginia Wesleyan looking for a way to stay active while giving back to the community through mentoring students.
He is employed by the Department of Defense and assists in environmental activities, cleaning up "insults" and past occurrences, and has a career specialization in sedimentary rocks. Magee uses his 12 years of experience in the oil business to teach students about rocks, and how these mineral and chemical compositions can unlock information about the location of oil. He also teaches students the procedures, techniques and instrumentation to locate traps of oil.
"I don't want students to think they just took a class and can leave and forget what they've learned," said Magee. "I want them to recognize, see and know what they've learned when they're out in the real world."
Using firsthand observations and case studies about ground water, Magee teaches and shows students how geology is used everyday.
"I try to explain concepts to students in a simpler way for them to understand by demystifying the vocabulary," he said.
Magee said he enjoys being an adjunct professor and using his experience in his career field to educate students. He said that Virginia Wesleyan students are dedicated to what they're learning, which reaffirms why he decided to become a teacher.
"I believe I'm providing a service because the students are paying for an education," he said. "The service forces me to keep my quality up."
This is Magee's second year as an adjunct professor of geology at Virginia Wesleyan. He received his Masters from the University of Texas, Arlington and his B.S. from Waynesburg College.
LINDA SCOTT, PH.D.
Adjunct Instructor of Education
Planning Principal, Oscar Smith Middle School, Chesapeake, Va.
Having served as a principal in school districts for the past 26 years, Dr. Linda Scott teaches because "I never wanted to the leave the classroom," she said, adding, "I guess I just never got teaching out of my system."
Scott, who has served as an adjunct professor for Virginia Wesleyan for the past six years, is teaching Middle School Teaching Methods and Continued Teaching Methods this semester for the College.
"I enjoy teaching," she said. "I can learn from the students about their needs and concerns and share real-life teacher experiences with them."
For her classes, Scott invites guest teachers into her classroom to answer questions Virginia Wesleyan students have about working in school systems and what the students are like. She explained this opportunity gives students insight into what teaching is like, and allows them to ask a wide range of questions.
Having experience as both a teacher and administrator, Scott is able to access a broader range of resources and a sharing of strategies for her students. She recently arranged to have an interactive white board, SMART Board, brought into the Virginia Wesleyan classroom. She also shares actual work from middle school students, allowing future teachers the chance to analyze and discuss the work students are producing.
"Virginia Wesleyan is a great place with a lot of respect given to adjuncts," said Scott. "I can share with others and have a back and forth exchange of strategies. The relationships we’re forming can't just happen anywhere. That is really special for the College."
Scott received her Doctorate of Education, Educational Administration and Policy Studies from The George Washington University, her M.S. in Educational Administration and Supervision from Old Dominion University, and her B.S. in Elementary Education and Mental Retardation from Old Dominion University.
11.19.08