Why Eastern?

“Working at Eastern, with its smaller class sizes, is a great fit. Getting to know my students and watching them grow, both academically and personally, over their time at Eastern and beyond is very rewarding.”

“I train lots of students in our Mental Health Counseling concentration who plan to become therapists. I tell them that to be a good therapist, they would be well-served to experience as much art as possible. There’s so much to learn about being human; art is a window into to the full experience like no other.”

“Your dedication, continuous improvement and ability to adapt will be your keys to success in the dynamic field of graphic design and art.”

“Due to the social nature of learning, I believe that teaching must first and foremost focus on developing and nurturing relationships with and among students. Nurturing relationships is a combination of demonstrating care and respect for your students with explicit teaching of interactional norms and communicating high expectations.”

“My favorite part of teaching is connecting with students, so my classes are very interactive.”

“I am a first-generation immigrant and grew up in the Bronx, New York City, where I was exposed to different cultures and backgrounds that taught me the value of diversity and encouraged my curiosity of the world around me.”

“Work hard, read extensively, and never settle for good enough.”

“A social work education opens up incredibly diverse opportunities! It's a wild ride.”

“Teaching in person when most courses were online during the pandemic [was a memorable moment]. The class chemistry was just special.”

“Everyone contributes to create a positive and productive learning environment. I learn from students as much as they learn from me.”

“I would encourage students to find a balance in life between work, fun and family. Hopefully these are not mutually exclusive activities! I also encourage them to never stop learning about the world around them, keep asking questions and continually challenge themselves.”

“The most rewarding experiences at Eastern are cultivating meaningful relationships with students. Whether it’s supervising an independent study or honors thesis, or having the opportunity to mentor undergraduate students towards independent thinking and scholarship is something that makes Eastern unique.”

“I urge students to approach history by being as open as possible to learning about time periods and places they haven’t had a lot of prior exposure to.”

Tao Chen’s artwork has been exhibited in juried art shows nationally and internationally. His passion for art started when his father showed Tao early on the joy of drawing and opened up a world of artistic inspiration.

“I truly enjoy engaging with students inside and outside of the classroom. Whenever possible, I bring students into the wider world around them...”

“One thing that employers like most about Eastern graduates is that they are not afraid to work hard.”

“Committing to excelling in any discipline, music in this case, will transfer to all aspects of life. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and you will reach heights beyond you think you are capable of.”

“After college, everyone takes a different life path, and that path may not be what we always expect. Don’t be afraid of change and be willing to take chances!”

“Never stop learning nor be curious about the world. Value knowledge and cultures of all types and be true to yourself. Pursue careers and activities that have meaning to your life, you will not regret walking this path.”

“Do something you like doing. More than likely, you will be doing it for a long time so you have to enjoy it!”

“I believe that learning should be exciting and open to everyone. I am successful when students feel the same sense of excitement about the material that I do, and when they are able to draw connections from what we are learning to the world around them.”

“My goal is to give students the opportunity to get to know each other, so that they feel comfortable to take risks together and learn.”

“I tell my students to stay flexible because the education they are getting at Eastern prepares them to be teachers for sure, but it also gives them the skills to do a number of other things that they may not realize they have the capacity or interest to accomplish.”

“Students interested in Anthropology should hone the skills they gain at Eastern — critical thinking, problem-solving, and clear and effective written and oral communication; these will be assets to any job or future career path.”

“Don’t feel stuck on one path. It’s ok to try one career and then pivot to something else. Be open to learning new things and find something you enjoy doing.”

“Computers enable students to readily visualize and analyze the complex behavior of such systems, and thus present a unique and valuable tool with which they can further strengthen their intuition and solve otherwise intractable problems.”

“Get a liberal arts education; designers need to know about philosophy, history, literature, art, science, math, psychology and sociology, just to name a few. The larger your breadth of knowledge, the better equipped you are to analyze a script for design.”

“One of the most important aspects of teaching I have learned over the years is that each student is unique and that’s rewarding to me as a teacher.”

“To quote my favorite Education professor, ‘Your students won’t remember everything you teach them, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel.’”

“The most rewarding thing about teaching mathematics at Eastern is knowing that I have the support of my colleagues and my academic department to prepare graduating students who advance in life because of mathematics.”

“I love showing students music that they most likely have not encountered — whether it’s jazz or classical. Quite often, there is a wonderful positive reaction that makes it all so worthwhile!”

“I really find working with students to be very rewarding. I enjoy watching them develop as young adults as they expand their skills and knowledge, which leads to them growing in confidence.”

“Get involved with fieldwork as much as possible. Be versatile. I am able to do what I do because while I am trained as a geologist I have collaborated with coastal planners and managers, biologists, soil scientists and coastal engineers.”

“History offers diverse career opportunities — there is no one career track. Skills that students learn studying history that are transferable to life after Eastern include critical thinking, analytical writing, exploring evidence and being able to make a persuasive argument.”

“I believe that when students feel both intellectually challenged and supported, they are better prepared to fully engage in the learning process.”

“Life is a marathon so don’t rush it. The work that you’ve done and connections you’ve built at Eastern will last a lifetime so don’t forget that as you begin tackling the next chapters of your life. Enjoy the adventure!”

“If you want to be a writer, you have got to love the process. Writing fiction is a slow, meticulous, painstaking process, filled with infinite mistakes and false starts. Great writing never, ever, ever falls easily out of the writer fully formed, the way legend would have us believe.”

“Life is not a linear process. Don’t always be in a hurry to get to the next milestone, because you never know what types of opportunities you will miss in the present.”

“Educators are lifelong learners. Every day brings new lessons. We learn more from our students than we teach them.”

“Students see me and see that I have accomplished something; this simple acknowledgment makes my interactions with students very valuable: if I could, they can also make it.”

Professor Fatma Pakdil developed the healthcare management concentration for business administration majors and created the healthcare management minor.

“I had the rare fortune to spend my whole education in small, liberal arts institutions. I love the personal, hands-on learning that places like Eastern foster. I sought it out as a student, and I’m thrilled to be part of Eastern’s public liberal arts mission today.”

Professor Dancik has dedicated much of his work to teaching and developing courses in computer science, data science and bioinformatics, an interdisciplinary field that uses computational and mathematical tools to organize and analyze biological data.

Dr. James Diller is an expert in the field of behavior analysis. He is credited with developing the concentration in behavior analysis at Eastern, which allows students to sit for national certification.

“Being a percussionist means having proficiency in more than a singular musical instrument and teaching at a liberal arts institution is rather similar.”

“I went to a public liberal arts college for my undergraduate degree (The College of New Jersey). My dream was to teach psychology at a similar institution, and Eastern was a perfect fit.”

“I am deeply curious about how nature works, and I believe that everyone has this innate curiosity. Some of the most rewarding moments have been to witness students begin to ask more and deeper questions or try new experiments in the lab, for the sheer joy of discovering something new and being able to see the natural world from a new angle.”