Ten years ago, the UA began a program to bring undergraduate students closer to the professors they saw behind the podium.

The Faculty Fellows program now places 20 professors from around the University of Arizona in residence halls, fraternities, sororities and cultural centers. The faculty members serve in advising capacities, but the program also brings them closer to students, said Carol D. Thompson, associate dean of students.

"There was a recognition 10 years ago that it would be really helpful to incoming students to create opportunities for first-year students to know faculty members," said George Davis, faculty chairman of the fellows and a professor of geosciences.

The transition between high school and college is smoothed by personal faculty interaction, Davis said.

There is a proven, statistical relationship between interaction with faculty and graduating from college, Thompson said.

"In a large university setting, you want to break down the environment as much as possible," Thompson said.

Davis said the faculty fellows provide a range of opportunities, from academic advising to personal advice.

The fellows maintain ground-level offices in several residence halls, including Coronado Hall, Davis said.

Coronado was a particularly interesting experience for Davis, because over 800 people live in the hall, he said. Davis found that by just making himself seen in the lobby in the afternoon, he was able to made good connections with students.

There are not faculty fellows in every residence hall, though, Thompson said. She said the fellows are accessible in each of the dorm clusters, like the La Paz and Apache-Santa Cruz area.

Besides advice, Davis said the fellows have consistently arranged activities that allow students to learn in distinct ways.

"We had some outings that meshed well with what I do and some of the interests of students," Davis said.

Activities in the past have included hiking with a geologist and stargazing with an astronomer, Thompson said.

Davis has been an undergraduate and graduate professor for 20 years, he said.

"Rarely had I had contact with first-year students," Davis said. "I could count on one hand the number of times I went to the residence hall. I could count on no hands the number of times I went to the residence halls and helped students move in and met their parents."

The program is as helpful to faculty as it is to students, Davis said

"It's broadening. It makes you more aware of the challenges first-year students face," Davis said.

It allows faculty a chance to interact outside of their own departments with other professors, Davis said.

"It helps me as a university community member," Davis said.

"We're looking for faculty who have the interests of students at heart, and that are excellent at what they do," Thompson said.

The program seeks professors who are "strongly student-oriented," and have a "broad view of the university and its purpose," Davis said.

"The most important goal is to connect faculty and students," Thompson said.