Andrea Diaz

Staff Writer

The College of Arts & Letters and the College of Business both have programs that send Idaho State University professors to local high schools to discuss and teach multiple topics.

The College of Arts & Letters has recently reached over 25,000 students since starting Liberal Arts High in 2016.

“Students in a U.S. History class can learn about literature in the American frontier. Students in an art class can learn about how to look at modern art. The idea is to connect students with the kind of deeper engagement and more involved learning that they’ll experience at the university level,” said Madison Shumway, Director of Marketing and Recruiting for the College of Arts & Letters.

High school teachers request an ISU professor to come to their class and Holly Kartchner organizes the visit. Then the designated professor talks about topics such as: “How to Not Waste Your Time on the Internet” or “Human Rights in Literature.”

All the possible broad subjects that can be taught from the liberal arts professors are: communication and media, fine arts and performing arts, global studies and languages, history culture and anthropology, music, literature, writing, philosophy, politics, law, and numbers, social and behavioral science.

All the broad subjects that can be taught from the business professors include: accounting, economics, finance, healthcare administration, management, entrepreneurship, and marketing.

“The LAH and Business High programs give high school students the chance to see what these professors are like, to see if they enjoy their teaching style, and to really get a feel for what college is like in the classroom- where they will spend most of their time.” said Kelsey West, Director of Marketing and Communication for the College of Business.

Both programs operate the same way no matter what professor you request, whether in the arts or business program. The only difference would be what subjects they would teach.

The professors are often excited to teach a subject that is relevant to what they have studied and teach as ISU professors. Their excitement also carries over to the subject that they teach to the students which makes for a more engaging classroom.

Some of the requirements to get involved in this program is to be a college professor at ISU in either the College of Arts & Letters or the College of Business, be willing to travel, and be willing to share your knowledge with high school students. Each professor in this program also gets compensated for their time.

The duration of how long the professor would teach depends on what the high school teacher requests. Some professors can teach a whole class period or a shorter presentation that only takes up a small portion of time.

These programs give high school students the opportunity to learn about topics that they would otherwise not and gives them a more expansive understanding of the subject.

These programs also help the high school students see what a college class may be like. Many students have said that the program is the first real contact they have had with someone that is a higher education educator.

“Hearing from a college professor gets students excited about furthering their education and lets them know what opportunities exist after graduation,” Shumway said.