New Voices, Deep Purpose: Why These Adjuncts Chose the Classroom

What happens when two first‑time adjunct faculty bring not just expertise—but life-changing experiences—into the classroom? In this episode of The Adjunct Files, John and Maggie sit down with Rosario Welle and Kristoffer Doura to unpack their first semester teaching at FGCU—and the powerful personal journeys that led them there.

From Rosario’s path as an immigrant, entrepreneur, and first-generation college advocate to Kristoffer’s remarkable transition from the NFL to entrepreneurship and higher education after a life-altering medical crisis, this conversation is rich with purpose, resilience, and heart. Together, they reflect on what it means to teach as a calling, not just a job—and how their real-world experiences shape the way they connect with students.

Along the way, they share candid insights on navigating the first semester, building meaningful student relationships, integrating AI into teaching, and the importance of community and support for adjunct faculty. Whether you’re new to teaching or a seasoned adjunct, this episode will leave you inspired—and reminded why the work we do truly matters.

Theme music composed, performed and produced by James Husni. 

Adjunct Nation is a collaborative podcast under the auspices of The Lucas Center for Faculty Development at FGCU.  You can learn more by clicking on this link:

https://www.fgcu.edu/lucascenter/

Transcript

Welcome to the Adjunct Files.

We're a growing, diverse community who face challenging work in an ever-changing, higher

education landscape.

Your co-hosts for this podcast are with you in this.

I'm John Roth, Adjunct since 2015 and now a coordinator for Adjunct Faculty at Florida Gulf Coast University.

I'm Maggie Hohne, Adjunct since 2022 and currently work in the Office of First Year Seminars.

Together we hope to have conversations to empower, support, and elevate Adjunct faculty.

This conversation today is one to do just that.

Hello everyone.

Welcome back to the Adjunct Files.

John, how are you?

I'm doing great.

It's Friday.

It is Friday.

Yes.

And we also have some amazing guests with us too.

We do.

We have some amazing guests.

First time Adjunct faculty here for the semester and we wanted to check in and see how the semester

was.

So we'll start with Rosario Beauty Before Bronze.

I love it.

Especially.

It is great also because it is what today?

What days today?

It's her birthday.

It's her birthday.

It's her birthday.

It's also Mayday.

Mayday.

Mayday.

Birthday.

What more can we want?

It's Friday.

And it's Friday.

It's perfect.

And if you were in Latin America it would be a holiday.

Yeah.

But you're not.

But we're not.

Happy birthday.

In another life.

Rosario, what does it feel like being 29?

Actually, I'm so excited.

It's almost 30.

I always dream to be a day.

Well, thank you.

That was a very, very kind of view.

You asked a few decades there and you can get the right age.

But we're not going to talk about that here.

So let's just go back and track to the conversation.

Let's go back to the conversation.

So Rosario, just tell us a little about yourself as we are going to get into this.

Briefly, I am an eagle through and through things I joined the university in 2023.

And my aspiration was to become an adjunct in addition to my role right now.

And your role is.

I will say that communications and marketing communications coordinator in the office of

the provost and I joined this semester for first year seminar that was the highlight in the

owner of my life.

So Maggie was your boss?

She was my boss and also my mentor.

Yeah, we're going to talk about mentoring too.

Yes, we should.

So this was my first semester as an adjunct and I really worked hard for that because when

I came to the university, I had my site on teaching.

So I completed my masters actually, but I was here and that was the goal to become an adjunct

and worked very hard and it became reality.

And how was reality?

Reality was amazing.

Oh, good.

I loved it.

I have stopped in, but I lived in Texas for eight years in mainly high school and K through

12.

Loved high schoolers.

Well, high schoolers have to be there with their water or not.

So when I come to teaching college, you know that the students showing up to your class,

my students being in college, my teachers, I was very happy.

So, I was very happy to see that they were coming to the realization.

Awesome.

Awesome.

That's good.

And we have another guest.

Christopher.

Welcome, welcome.

Thank you for having me.

It's such a pleasure.

Coming out of the NFL was a great experience with the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh

Steelers.

What a line to open up with.

I was a professional.

You cannot tell that.

No, I'm going to.

I never thought I would have a moment to get to that glory because also I come from an immigrant

family, the island of Haiti.

And when you think about it, that's not really what it's talked about at home.

It's education.

It's really focused on building yourself so you can become something tomorrow.

So I got to give a lot of credit to my mother.

She always pressed that in my mind every single day.

It's not until I got to high school that I started seeing changes.

And it led me to sport.

One year high school, one game, one play, one highlight, got me a scholarship.

Wow.

Well, how tall were you already in heist?

Great question.

He paid the mental picture for the audience.

He's kind of like a giant.

Literally.

He's a large human.

Yes.

When you're uncle, you're great uncle, seven feet tall.

I guess it passed a generation or two and I inherited the height.

So I'm six foot eight, 350 pound, 85 inch wingspan.

I was a natural offensive tackle.

You're a unit.

Yeah.

So for growing up and then after high school, getting an opportunity, I took the deal to

go to college because my head coach said, you know what?

You know, you've probably never done this before, but you'll find community.

You'll find friends.

You might get an opportunity to go to school.

For me, when I heard school, it was already a bell and it was already like my eyes and I

saw the light bulb because I always go back to my mother saying, you know what?

You need to have an education.

And then when I found out a scholarship could kind of get me through, that's what I thought

about.

I didn't think twice about the whole, you know what?

Football sports, if I can use this to get an education, that's where I'm going.

I attended college and got a master's degree, actually in business.

And that journey of football taught me discipline, principles, ethics, and I carried that through.

And believe it or not, my life changed, you know, in the NFL.

Because of the injury, yeah, we'll get to that.

These two are first time adjunct faculty here at FGCU and we want to talk a little about

your experience with that.

And you can be as blunt and honest about what.

Absolutely.

Well, you know, don't worry, like, because I was there for your orientation, but if you

could tell us that was continuous improvement.

Yeah, but also then just what it's like to be at FGCU, at least back in 2015 when I started

as an adjunct, it felt like the Braille method, I was just feeling my way through of what

to do.

And there was no one guiding me at the time.

I didn't even know where to turn.

So hopefully that has shifted a bit.

Right.

But I think it'll be good to hear both of y'all's experiences too.

I'm sure you all did not teach in the same discipline or college at all.

So I'm very interested to who would like to put your seatbelt on guys.

Oh, yeah, it will.

We're like the roller coaster lap bar.

So can I just go first?

Oh, you should really be first.

I just want to add a little bit of very briefly about your story.

It's similar to my book, different because I did also, I'm an immigrant.

Not from immigrant parents.

I came here as a young adult.

And my family in the Dominican Republic, I probably drove education.

So everybody, my family, I have doctors, engineers, everything, every, in me, I was at the detour.

So you were ingrained to go to college.

I didn't have my mother die when I was 18 and I became a social orphan because my father

was married my life.

So, but education was the ticket always I was living in the values.

My mother was also my hero.

She died young and that took me here.

So my goal when I came to FGCU, not knowing it was a state university and I'm thinking

I want to invest in non-traditional students.

So that was the best.

Well, we've got a few here.

Well, you came to the right place.

Yeah, but remember I had a background, the background of high schooler in Texas, you

know, in a public school.

So when I came to the university, I didn't think I was going to be teaching freshmen,

but it's really, so that was a little bit intimidating to be not because they were

freshmen just because when you're in public school, it's different.

But when you come to college, then you have these adults that are not really adults yet.

I have to give you when to college here, I raised them so I know.

And then you're thinking all the things that are changing and how you're going to go in

the classroom since you cannot say it, since you can say it's different when you are now

navigating this college at a state level in Florida.

So it was different for me a little scary.

So my experience when I was very positive, you talked about the guidance.

Well, I felt like the support that we got personally has been outstanding.

I did not feel like I was alone.

If I had a question, I could go back and get the answers.

So I think that the adjunct program here, my first experience has been absolutely fantastic.

And I'm not naive.

Remember, I come from public education and I did.

I'm just saying that that was support.

So my experience, first of all, nobody lied to me.

They said, you're doing a first year seminar, you're going to have a small class, right?

So it was good for me because I don't know if I could have just handled.

And my discipline is really communications and marketing.

So this was completely something away from that.

But it was my passion because I did my capstone on this topic.

In your master's program.

In my master's program, yes.

So it was AI ethics for academic success.

So my topic for my capstone was AI ethics framework for best practices in communication

because AI has disrupted everything, you know, so communication.

I just took this to academic integrity and excellence for the students.

So, yeah, so I'm going to let now my

add in a book.

You're the birthday.

You're the birthday.

I feel like you need a sash.

Like a birthday.

Because I think, and then we can talk about environment.

Oh, we can talk about that.

But Chris, tell us a little more.

Yeah.

This might be a good time for the NFL story and the transition to how you even ended up here.

You know, getting an opportunity to pursue pro sports, that is always an anomaly in itself.

There's only 1% of student athletes from NCAA that even make it out of the 400,000 college

football players, only 53 make a roster on all 32 teams.

So when you're six foot eight, you know, John, I mean,

50 pounds.

You could do basketball or football.

You could do it.

You know, football was a calling for me because I just transitioned into more of a football

player.

And, and I knew after attending University of Charleston in West Virginia that my mind

was always set on becoming an entrepreneur.

And I'm going somewhere with this.

Yeah.

And I knew for a fact, one day I wanted to write my check.

I wanted to be the boss.

I wanted to have my own company.

So that was the hustle is get through it, graduate.

And if football opens up great, I did just that.

And being the first, you know, child that, you know, out of my family of five, I have

two older sisters.

And I was the youngest, but I was the one I got the Masters first.

And I'm really proud of myself because I know I put in the time and commitment.

After getting my Masters degree, I knew that I had NFL teams knocking on the door in college

because I started evolving and I started getting better.

I was a late blower.

I didn't do it all my life.

It was, you know, that one opportunity in high school and it got me into college.

And then Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh, the Eagles, they started knocking on the door.

And I knew, wow, if I pursue this, what should I actually look at because I didn't get drafted.

It wasn't a guy.

I didn't get drafted.

I was one of those guys.

So let's back up.

So you graduate from undergrad and then you playing football your whole time and then you

go to your Masters program.

Well, there were playing football during your Masters.

I was playing football my last year in undergrad at Charleston and I had, you know, basically

did the five year run.

So I had a red shirt year and, you know, learned and built and then the rest of the four years

got me to a five year obviously college experience, but in that college experience, Charleston

offered a year program to do a Masters.

So so I said, yeah, I'm taking full advantage of this education and I'm going to get it

done.

I got it done.

So kudos.

And then I knew that because my university at the time, we were very private university.

Yeah, it's not considered a football.

It's not at all.

It's actually a basketball school.

Correct.

It was Morris Harvey before and then it changed to Charleston after.

So a small, Canada city in West Virginia, you know, football is not the big highlight

there, but because of being a six, eight offensive lineman, having a prototypical

size to play football at the NFL level, I got scouted.

That's awesome.

And that's what led me back after graduating to Miami and I walked onto the Miami Dolphins.

Definitely.

So it was a great.

Walked on with the Masters.

Yeah.

And Masters Intel.

You had to.

You had to.

That's amazing.

My situation.

I had a good run with Miami and also Pittsburgh.

Everything changed for me in Pittsburgh.

And I say that there was a bigger purpose for me.

I didn't know what that meant yet, but I knew there was a bigger purpose for me because

I dehydrated in Pittsburgh during my camp and I collapsed.

Didn't know what was happening.

All I remember is being picked up, placing an ambulance rushed over to the UPMC.

One of the major hospitals in Pittsburgh.

When I got there, I had 16 physicians surrounding me because obviously, you know, athlete in

the hospital, they're already nervous.

Like what's going on?

They diagnosed me and said they're literally, I had a blood clot.

And in your, in my leg.

Yeah.

And I immediately thought Rob Doe.

Once you're saying, well, we're going there because literally dehydration is how it started.

But then because of that impact, when I got to the hospital, they said that it was a

blood clot and they said there's two options.

We're going to cut your leg off and amputate it because there's not enough flow of blood

going from the leg to your heart.

So then they said, well, the other option is if we don't amputate, we can operate and

I'll be honest with you.

I prayed.

I'm a man of God and I believe that, you know, God had a purpose for me.

And I said, I'm 22 years old.

I'm not ready to cut my leg off.

And I knew at that very moment what they did because I was by myself, obviously your team

shows up, your coaches show up, but then they're gone because they got to go run the business.

So you're there alone and they call my mother.

Mr. Are we able to have approval because here's the situation.

The time is running out.

I'm going to say nobody's cutting my son's leg off today.

Do the operation.

We went in and in that moment as they start performing this operation, I have my last

moment to just ask God, just get me through this.

Let me get over this hurt.

Let me just see my family.

Yeah, because I'm in despair.

I really have children.

I have prayed a prayer that tell you when.

Go ahead.

In that very moment as they're performing this fast, she on me and obviously it was intense.

My body couldn't handle it.

And my body just shut down.

And in that moment, my heart flatlined.

And I transitioned.

I transitioned and I can say that it is real.

If you had somebody that has been able to experience that transition and go through that, it is

exactly what they say.

You literally are at your conscience and your soul.

And those are the only things that you are hanging on to.

And in that very moment, I had a moment with God and God said, listen, I'm not going to

bring you back if you think you're going to go to the Hall of Fame and wear a yellow jacket.

What we're going to do here, as I'm going to tell you exactly, that this was a purpose

for you to understand.

I'm using you as a vessel to inspire with your story, to bring kids close to God, but

at the same time inspire them and inspire adults.

And I said, listen, if that's what the mandate is, that's what it's going to be.

In order to come back, I'm giving it up.

So in that very moment, I was resuscitated back.

And with the defibrillators, I'm awakened.

And then I'm now in distress.

I'm under a lot of obviously medication.

I'm going through pain.

And I just broke down because I was alive again.

And the first group of people that I saw was obviously my family.

They literally got on the next flight out of Miami and they were there the next morning

and I just broke down.

I couldn't hold to bear.

And I said, you know what I'm doing?

I'm hanging up the cleats.

That was the moment when I knew that my purpose was a lot bigger than NFL.

And that was when I knew that I had to do something different.

And the only thing I could do was fall back on education.

I'm going somewhere with this, John.

Yeah, I know you are.

So going through that whole phase of my life, it really strengthened me and it rebuilt me.

And then I knew that being an entrepreneur, I had to get experience.

I did the whole corporate run thing for about a good 15 years.

Became an entrepreneur.

Got into the investment world, run seven companies, not have a nonprofit.

But something was missing.

It was not satisfying my being and my soul.

So I said, you know what?

I want to mentor youth.

I want to give back.

That's when I had an inkling to say, you know, I want to get into higher education.

I took a shot and did asynchronous at a college in Miami called Dora College.

And then that's with my family and now we have two girls and my spouse and we decided,

you know what?

12 years old, 16 years old, they're young, they're young ladies.

We don't want to be in this fast paced lifestyle.

It's transition and try something on the southwest side of Florida.

And we took a shot.

And then through mutual relationships, my church, I ended up meeting the gentleman that actually

used to attend the school.

He was teaching in entrepreneurship.

His name is Troy Bolivar.

He runs Southwest Florida in case the vice president now.

I told him one, that's a Troy.

You know what?

I'm pursuing my doctorate's in entrepreneurship.

I have some experience.

I would love to learn about FGCU.

And he made the call and literally introduced me to the dean.

I had an interview.

I had a great conversation.

And that's when I said, you know what?

I want to be an eagle.

That's amazing.

Oh, my goodness.

So Maggie, you're hearing these stories, Rosario's and Christopher's.

And what I've noticed about adjunct faculty is their passion.

The deep sense of purpose and meaning seems accidental, but it's never accidental.

It's much more providential, if you want to say it, or serendipitous, whatever word you

want to use.

Do you hear some commonalities as well as just some profound like life lessons?

Because both of the adjuncts here that we've got with us are going to pour into their students

a lot more than a little knowledge about a subject matter.

Absolutely.

I hear a lot of soul in both of you.

Nobody mentioned doing it for the money.

Not that anybody would go into higher ed for the money.

If you do, let me know what job you have because I got to get there.

It's that it's your soul screaming at you.

You need something else and it's not more money.

It's not more of those tangible things, right?

It's that connection, giving back, filling your cup, being in the classroom, being in

the community, making those connections.

And too, it sounds like we've all higher education from our own perspectives has changed the

trajectory of our lives, right?

And I think too, it's wanting to instill that and give it back and pay it forward to students

because you can take sport away.

You can get injured, but nobody could ever take your educational way.

That's something that my parents, similar to y'all, is like nobody can ever take that

away from you.

And Rosar, you had kind of had a little amen moment with...

I'm gonna make a brief because I'm older than you are, Christopher.

And I don't want to hear forever.

But I just want to say this.

I love how you are so eloquent in telling your story.

I never know how to tell my story because my story is like a fragment of patches in Spanish

will say like, it's like a tapestry, but you have different...

It's a quilt.

Yeah.

And anything is just like...

Briefly, I came to United States 23 with my husband who he married 34 years.

And as the typical Latina mom, yeah, we've been married 34 years.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

He's awesome too.

I'm just gonna like, it doesn't.

It doesn't add up.

I mean, I'm turning 29.

I know.

I'm not turning 34 years.

I'm like, you know, always so advanced.

So, but to you is that I have close encounters with death.

But also again, I did not have the guidance of somebody that compasses in San mi had to

be from that.

And also, they values my mother instilled in me because she was a single parent.

And what I'm saying is that when I came to the United States, I was the typical Latina

mom in my time.

I remember the 10-years.

I came in, you know, that married and we have family.

And it was just raising the kids.

But I also have education at the forefront.

So I went all the steps.

I was a traditional associate's degree, went to a social degree with my little kids running

around.

So I became an older student.

I wanted to confess, I was always a very smart student.

I went to Catholic school in the Dominican Republic.

However, when I was in high school, you know, dating, they didn't think I'm a little bit

of track.

So, but I was always a very good student, you know, by the time that was not very important.

But when I went, you know, excellence was very important to me, my standards.

So associate's degree, my bachelor's took me forever because my kids were first in my

husband and I.

But I did stay home and I built my business in translation.

So I have a career also in translation, my own business as an entrepreneur.

And I work for over teams, global teams and say something workshop.

So I was, I have my own translation business, but still keep a little bit on the side.

My point is that I was a linguist and I was also part in my family and my kids first.

So I was a volunteer of the year, the first year and that fairly new from the Dominican

Republic with a big accent, but I went to give back.

So I was involved with the parent teaching education.

So I did all the steps that calling inside me was because I was a non-traditional student.

I have seen my mother die, being coma for 28 days when I was 18.

I have my own experiences with surgeries.

I actually was septic when I was, it was a lot of, I was in the hospital for a month.

And I was also praying to the Lord to let me see my family because I almost die, literally

almost die.

Yeah.

So I don't talk about the things because you know, you could not tell, but I'm a miracle

walking two or three times.

Yeah.

I think both of you are right.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

So being septic, so what do you wait?

What online education was the forefront of everything when I came here.

It was with a purpose of teaching because even as a student that looked at, have it

all together, we don't know the story behind that student.

And that to me, that is really the natural is what I want to drive in the classroom.

The two of you, you've just talked about it.

There's a calling.

It's a vocation.

It's not an occupation.

And I know, Christopher, you've got your nonprofits that you're really pouring into.

Both of you see even the classroom as a calling, which are the best teachers, I think,

Maggie, when they see it much more than a job.

Absolutely.

I mean, you're just your authentic self and you can tell those instructors who genuinely

want to be there, they want to give back and want to learn about their students and their

stories and help them get to the next level and be an advocate and a sponsor for them

in spaces.

I can see a lot of that in the two of you, which is I think why students love that.

They like it when you're authentic.

They love to hear your stories.

You guys have lived in the real world.

It helped me on board here at FGCU as an adjunct.

Honestly, I don't know how it was before me, but I know my experience was top notch, just

as an adjunct, having clarity, being able to get invited to do an orientation.

For me, that was big.

It was big for me to know what I was doing because FGCU was the first university that

I've actually taught students in person.

So that experience alone was new.

It was a little nerve-wracking.

I didn't know what to expect.

I never had to walk on campus, so it was a lot going on.

You got 30 pairs of eyes.

Just a deer in the headlight, but as soon as I showed up, it was great information.

Everything was organized.

I really appreciated the fact that there was a mentorship aspect of being able to have

somebody that you can ask questions.

I even thought the communication was clear and were to find resources.

I really didn't feel as if I was walking alone.

I feel like that's important for a lot of adjuncts that do join FGCU and the community,

because you know you're in a culture that pours back in to professors and adjunct professors

who are really building out.

As we're here, I've heard other colleagues, friends, and other experiences that it wasn't

the same way.

I think that shows that our class, our team really cares about the success of adjuncts,

because you don't get the same love, you don't get the same attention, you don't get the

same people that really want to make sure that you know what you're doing the right way

the first time.

I think that resonates well, because even the experience in the classroom was second

to none amazing.

Could you also, just before we go to you Rosario, which class did you teach this spring?

The entrepreneurship division is amazing.

Both of the deans, Dean Lorty and Dean McDowell, they are big thinkers.

I think that resonated well with how I think, because we're not afraid of the thing I saw

in the box.

For me, being able to bring value to students through entrepreneurship lens, it really resonated.

That's why I think I'm so passionate, because the experiences that I can bring as an operator,

as well as a student myself, but at the same time now pouring back in through the lens

of entrepreneurship, mindset was the course that opportunity.

I'm not sure.

I'm sorry.

So, it was interesting, because I had never taught that course, but I lived it.

You're teaching it.

You're like, oh my gosh, I remember crying right here at this stage.

So, I'm excited, because I'm actually going to be teaching mindset again in the fall.

That's amazing.

So, I'm coming back, y'all.

Y'all can't get rid of me.

This is what I'm making.

Excellent.

Because, Christopher, you were teaching for me, it was first year seminar.

So, my experience is a little different.

And I hear from all the colleagues, how it's sometimes it's hard to get students, because

it's a class that is not really a core class for them, right?

It's an electric unit, one credit.

So, that means they meet once a week for 15 minutes.

And you had to make that one credit.

Also, I feel like my class was very rigorous.

If you look at my modules, and I had to create the modules.

So, for me, the most important thing about the support that I have from my first year

seminar leaders in that job is that they believed in me.

They didn't know what I was going to bring, because this was my package.

And I did have a weakness at the end of the class that my students showed up.

So, every time I hear, it's hard to motivate them, sometimes they're all different, and

they all were engaged.

And this is a topic that is relevant, it's artificial intelligence.

And I learned so much from the students.

I'm passionate about it, but I feel like they also know I feel I saw it.

They worked out with a lot.

My objectives were met.

And I was also coming back in the fall with my discipline, it would be effective speaking,

which that, you know, but...

Her bread and butter.

Yeah, so I'm excited about that.

But at the same time, I felt like this was very challenging, because again, when you

hear that they had to engage, then they had to come to class.

And when I see my students, during the final week, one of them having 3X something next

day, you heard that showing up to class, falling asleep.

And I wanted to really cry, but I couldn't, because I feel like I felt honored.

And when I walk into the classroom, I want to say this.

To me, that is a big responsibility.

When I see that I have these humans that when I come in there, I have to really, no matter

what I'm dealing with that day, it's just a matter I get up thinking they, I have to

show up to this classroom, no matter what.

And I have to be what they need also, because I don't know the struggles.

And to me, as far as I'm saying, the first year seminar, I know how no idea how that

continues to evolve, but I think it's such a good class for students also to be able

to find a, so since they're in the rest of the day, but also to find a place where they

don't have to have the pressure of the core classes, 100%.

So I feel like for me, it was a divine appointment with those students.

That's how I feel.

I don't know Maggie.

I think you saw it that day.

I did, yes.

So I did go to, I invited them.

Yes, her final presentations on Wednesday night of this week, and they were fantastic.

The students you could tell were, because all the quote unquote adults in societies like,

Hey, all right, it's going to take your job and we should all just give up now because

it's all over and it's going to be Wally in five years.

And it's like, Oh, okay.

Um, but you could really see the confidence because they actually understood what AI was.

I think that too is just like the fear of the unknown and you're like, Oh, I'm not a

chat.

You be able to, they're like, I love that for you guys.

Like that's great.

So I think I saw a lot of confidence and just their foundational knowledge of AI, but also

too a lot of what a Rosario emphasized to them was that human connection and using

their authentic voice.

And I think that that was a, I think that was one of your objectives, but they really

did talk about it.

They could see the pitfalls.

This is where the data goes.

This is where some of the information personally you might dump in that you might not want

to.

So I thought it was fantastic.

And the students, they gained life skills because AI will be everywhere.

But also too, Justin, they went out and they found the information and knowledge.

And I think that too, that research aspect also gave them confidence in also academic

integrity because we drove that so they know exactly what is just expected of them.

And they have said that at the beginning, they were just using AI brainless.

And they didn't think about it very much.

And they knew it was some kind of cheating.

And then they realized that no, I don't want to look for that.

Macareer over.

I'm telling you, thank you guys for believing in giving the Adjons the opportunity to bring

something different to the students.

That's what I'm asking.

One of the phrases a while back, I heard Adjunct faculty working conditions are student learning

conditions.

And that's why we try to support you all, us all because we're all in that position.

But how that we look for that and support and all.

So I guess anything else that you want to add on your experience on the support from

your program or a department or from the university, what could be improved?

Yeah, I think.

Or if you have suggestions on something totally new.

Absolutely.

I like the way that FGCU has adopted AI.

A lot of universities still are kind of behind the ball.

And it's interesting that we're advancing with what's happening right now.

And it's relevant.

I think we're still a little behind.

Maybe an entrepreneurship, you guys are running.

Okay, we're running.

I was going to say that.

I think we're catch trying to run out.

Yeah, it's full of something.

No, the train left the station.

I don't know.

It's your first semester.

No, it's okay.

I said the same.

I had known that they are three advanced.

With my students, I learned because that's the difference.

So many different majors, the one in entrepreneurship, they already were using it, but they won't.

Because they had to do a story about that.

They had to go and get their statements from students and some professors would not let

them use them.

Others would.

So we still have a little bit of a shock to do.

Okay.

So if you work in a school of entrepreneurship, you are an AI friendly building.

Yes.

We are maximizing resources.

But another thing too that I also believe that is helpful, even for adjuncts, they offer

a GCE wide program in AI.

How to understand AI.

Yes.

With John Jurdick.

Correct.

Correct.

So coming up again this summer in May.

Yes.

And I took the whole class of last summer.

I took the whole academy.

So I encourage you to do the same thing again.

Yeah, that was a good resource that I was able to also learn about.

So AI is one thing.

Anything else that you.

I do want to.

This is my experience because again, I was not plugged into a school.

One of the things I think I brought that up is that I would love to see how adjuncts

don't have to go and print their items from home because I have a staff also here.

I am very mindful of ethics and the resources.

But I would love to have the college where you're teaching to support you so you can

make copies.

So you can.

Yeah.

Well, that's the idea.

Right.

Because we all working for the student success.

Right.

And I think obviously we are sustainable.

This is the idea of through campus learning.

But there were things like the roberge that went into students to be able to grade their

own peers.

I would love to see the philosophy that adjuncts and full-time faculty, we are all teaching

the same students.

Right.

And that to me is important.

I mean, we know when I walk into the class with the student, I'm asking, what are you

potentials?

Are you full-time?

They have no idea.

Yes, or you are.

They don't know that you see you as a delta retinocastrum.

And you should be able to feel that when you need some resources, you don't have to

justify why.

It is for the students that you're teaching.

I think it will be beautiful to see that really support in action.

So there is, I would say there's a bit of a bell curve across the university in terms

of which departments are much more vocal or open or supportive of and give resources.

Think one of the things I learned over the years since 2015 is if I don't ask, nobody

expects me.

Right.

Well, in this feedback Rosario, she's brought it up to us before.

Like this past year, we weren't able to do that because we didn't have a need, like

a budget.

We didn't have just like cash we could just charge from.

So now, like we have a fund now set up and now moving forward.

So yeah, but this is all great.

Like I go to mine and I just say, Hey, I need some post it paper, you know, and or I need

markers or I need this or that.

And as long they have stuff in stock.

Okay.

And they'll just give it to you.

Or if you need like honors, Colin, tell us, we'll order it for you and get it to you.

So it will happen in most departments.

You're going to a big department in fall.

But I would love to see that like, what would you, I know it's budget.

I work in school district.

I know what is very important, but I'm saying it should be less complicated.

Well, yeah, for the welcome to welcome to bureaucracy.

Well, one thing to I want to add is what else in regards to Jess, I think I saw, I saw

you the first day in orientation.

Yeah, I didn't see you until now.

So I think that's another thing that I would agree here.

I would love to see more of a community.

Yeah.

And of course, us getting together at least once a year.

Every tree just for lunch or call it.

Christopher and you I challenge you to teach me all the rules of football.

My family would not American football.

Please.

I have to throw them off.

But I'm going to do class, you know, football.

That's right.

I'll hear you up for storage just spring next year.

But I think yeah, midterm mixer would be good.

Really wanted to see more community opportunities, not just among the adjuncts though, but also

with the rest of the university, it would be nice.

There are some departments that invite adjunct faculty into some of those events that they

do, but others that assume, I think, well, they're busy.

Right.

They're not here.

I don't want to stress them out with like 50 meetings that are coming up.

I've told departments many times when I met with the chairs, just invite them.

Don't expect.

Let me tell you no.

Yeah.

Give me the chance to reject you.

Yeah.

I mean, you can't expect us always to show up to department meetings or anything, but

why don't you invite us to at least part of it.

But we'll take that in midterm mixer, but also a few more.

I do know we are going to have another reception in the fall.

We're working on it at the Provost office is going to sponsor it.

Will it be?

Do you think at the beginning kind of like a fall kickoff?

It's going to be in September.

Oh, okay.

It's going to be in September, not August from what I can tell.

That has become an annual event now, but I'm hoping that we can have a few more and that

is good feedback.

Now, consider the fact that 400 and some adjunct faculty are all nomads in a sense.

We are all like, absolutely.

None of us are just permanently here.

So it's hard to figure out the menagerie of and what's going to bring people together

and what time and how can we do it.

Do we have a LinkedIn page?

Do I have any chance?

We do.

Do you see?

I haven't.

I haven't.

Have you been reading the newsletter?

It's probably I haven't read every single newsletter, but I haven't.

And it's because I'm in staff and that's what I'm going to say.

That's another challenge.

It's in every newsletter for the last four months.

I'll send it to you.

But to remember also add that the support from staff in adjuncts because some of those

are staff very busy and that also is a challenge.

I know there's about 90 staff members that are also our adjunct instructors here.

Rosaria's got 20 plates spinning up.

And I'm doing well with all of them.

Yeah.

She's crushing it.

Her children.

Another adjunct benefit that I saw was the adjunct academy.

Yeah.

I think I would like to learn more about enrolling in this.

I highly recommend you do it.

Yeah.

And make it in right?

We have supposed to apply.

Yes, you can apply.

If we get a lot of experienced adjuncts who apply, we pick from that rule.

But if there are adjuncts that we know that will be teaching here in the future, they get

a department or unit letter of support, we will consider them in the cohort.

So please consider doing that.

I'm going to throw the application in.

Yes, I don't have an apartment.

So maybe you can help me with my mentor?

Yeah.

And we'll see what she so she's teaching for communication in fall.

Would that need to come from their department?

Since your course is tied.

I don't know.

I guess it would probably be vast.

Who's in communication of philosophy is Dr. Ajo and Carolyn Maggie.

Whoever's going to continue to hire you is really where we're.

We want to make sure that we're not just investing in somebody who's going to just not be around

much.

That's all.

And Rosaria, you're going to be around.

I hope so.

I already made a goal.

Remember when I joined the Giselle Gannarita from here.

I have a long way to go.

Oh, yeah.

Especially from age 29, unless you hire early.

That's the goal.

This did not go the way I was thinking it was going to go.

That's why I just shut my lap off.

I know.

Mentoring.

Mentoring, right?

Maggie and I.

We could have another one on that.

Maybe we should just have them back.

I agree.

Yeah.

Maggie and I, we were talking about the two, Christopher and Rosaria said, man, just

this is going to be something else.

I think it's going to be like the 4th of July.

Yes.

It'll be magic.

Mission accomplished.

Yes.

So, yeah, we'd love to talk about mentoring in the future because we're, I think we're

going to.

Yeah, have to go back to the next podcast.

Yeah.

Part two.

Part two, too.

You two, we've heard your passion.

We got the reason why you're here.

We can see something well beyond just a little extra.

Money.

Yeah.

I'm so bored with all my three times.

I just love these stories because, and I love this campus and I love the opportunities.

It's amazing what we get to do here, right?

100%.

I'm excited about the next term that I'm going to be teaching and just building more

relationships.

Yeah.

I think that's really what it's about.

It's not, you know, what you're doing every day is how you're leaving a legacy, you know,

for tomorrow.

Let's have the two of you on an adjunct community committee.

I know.

And figure out what to do with that.

Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

I agree.

I don't know.

Yeah.

Awesome.

It'll be great.

But yes, we'll definitely have you back.

We will have you back.

Let's talk about mentoring and all of us.

Let's talk also about community and ways to do that.

Yeah, absolutely.

We'll talk about community.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, I'll talk about community.

Yeah.

Wow.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

The music posed, performed and produced by James Husney.

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