Farm Report

RESIDENCES The Dean Who Came to Dinner

TABLE FOR 178: As dean of Freshman/Sophomore College, Bravman lives and learns with students. Mark Estes IT WAS JUST AFTER 10 one January evening when Kenny Garrett realized he needed access to America Online. A few minutes after he dashed off a note to his dorm e-mail list, the phone rang with an offer of help. It came not from one of Garrett's classmates or even a resident adviser. The caller was John Bravman, an engineering professor, vice provost, and dean of Freshman/Sophomore College, where Garrett lives. Bravman invited the 20-year-old to his house across the street to log on. "I can guarantee you that no other dorm has interaction like that with somebody that high up on such a personal and informal level," Garrett says. That's exactly what administrators had in mind when they launched Freshman/Sophomore College as a pilot program in the fall of 1999. The idea was to integrate living and learning by bringing more faculty into regular contact with 178 students housed in two of the four houses in Sterling Quad. Proponents hoped to build on the success of programs like Sophomore College, a popular two-week period of intensive study just before the start of fall quarter. Students, particularly freshmen, responded with enthusiasm: there were about two applications for every spot. The Short Course Freshman/Sophomore College was launched in the fall of 1999. A profile: Location Sterling Quad -- Adams House and Schiff House Applications 368 students vied for 178 spots Residents 103 freshmen and 75 sophomores Student Staff Six college assistants, one peer health educator, two resident computer coordinators University Staff Four college directors, one assistant dean, one dean Faculty Dinners 11 in the fall quarter, at least 9 in the winter quarter On-site Courses Seven each during fall and winter quarter, including four Introduction to Humanities sections, one economics section and one Stanford Introductory Studies seminar Future Plans Hire an oral communications lecturer to help students hone public speaking skills; expand number of seminars offered on-site On a typical night this winter, a dozen students gathered in Schiff House Lounge to hear chemist Robert Waymouth talk about plastics and polymers. In a presentation that was alternately playful and passionate, the professor explained the polymers he studies (they "look like cooked spaghetti floating in water"). Waymouth livened his talk with a series of props, including dental floss and a polymer cloth he invented. After the session, half a dozen of the students walked across Santa Teresa Street to Bravman's house for dinner with the two professors. (Earlier in the week, 40 students turned out for a meal with English professor Tobias Wolff.) The students helped themselves to catered food in the kitchen and then sat at a table adorned with flowers, china, silverware and carafes of lemonade. The free-form conversation ranged from a discussion of the movie October Sky to the story of Waymouth's evolution from a math major into a chemistry professor. It's not unusual for faculty and students to share an occasional meal -- that happens in dorms all over campus. But at Freshman/Sophomore College, these "Dean's Dinners" occur as often as two or three times a week and include some of Stanford's most notable professors. The other unique aspect of the program is Bravman, '79, MS '81, PhD '85. In addition to heading the college, the 42-year-old serves as vice provost for undergraduate education and as a senior associate dean in the Engineering School. He is already mentioned by colleagues as someone who could eventually be a provost or president. At Thanksgiving, Bravman single-handedly prepared dinner (complete with two 24-pound turkeys and a 12-pound ham) for 40 students. He has also had the students over for hamburgers and for hot cocoa during finals. "They are kind of blown away that a senior member of the faculty is flipping burgers for them," he says. It's proof that students are hungry for some quality interaction with their professors -- and, perhaps, for a good meal, too.