Feb. 3 , 2009 issue
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I
came to EMU, but one thing I discovered right away was
the friendliness of the University as a whole. When I came for my interview
and, even after I was hired, that came through in very genuine ways. The
students, faculty and staff take the time to smile and say "hello" to
you. I think the friendliness here has something to do with the size of
the campus. It's a little smaller, so you get to know the students by
name, and they get to know you. A lot of individuals who work here have
chosen to stay here a long time.
I'm in my fourth year as an assistant professor in health administration.
I teach health insurance, health regulation, health law and personnel
management. The students are the ones who make the classes interesting,
and each class is unique. I tell my students that they each have a unique
gift. In the health administration program, there are only four of us,
so we have each student in at least two courses and we get to know them
as individuals.
I also really appreciate the diversity here, particularly among the students.
I think it makes teaching more interesting in that everyone has different
perspectives, and the students get to hear those perspectives, too. We
learn from each other.
I have a master's degree in public health from the University of Michigan,
and a master's and Ph.D. in political science from Wayne State University.
I also have a degree in nursing. Before I started work on my Ph.D., I
ran a community health center in Monroe County for seven years. I was
responsible for management of the whole organization. In addition, I was
an administrator at the Macomb County Health Department and held supervisory
positions in other agencies.
In addition to teaching, I'm conducting research with a community mental
health agency, evaluating its mental health and substance abuse treatment
program for ex-offenders. Also, I received a new faculty award to assess
competency level needs of middle managers in community health centers.
That research is in progress.
As an instructor, I'm able to relate my experiences as an administrator
to the theoretical concepts we discuss in class, hopefully
giving my students a better understanding of the material
and its real-world application.— Contributed by Amy E.
Whitesall
