Beyond the classroom: Faculty residents help students find community at Tulane

The aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is hard to miss on Monday afternoons at Fogelman Residence Hall, thanks to Jonathan Fadok, an associate professor of psychology in the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering.

The sweet treats are Fadok’s way of drawing students in — to ask questions, share concerns, talk about classes or simply get to know a professor outside the classroom or lab.  

“Once one student realizes the cookies are ready, they start texting,” Fadok said with a laugh. “Suddenly everyone shows up.”  

Fadok is one of four Tulane faculty members who live in residence halls as part of the university’s Faculty in Residence program. Through regular office hours, community events and everyday interactions, these faculty build relationships with students outside the classroom while fostering a sense of belonging within the residence halls.  

“It gives us a little sense of home,” said Allie Tawil, a sophomore from McAllen, Texas, as she bit into a hefty cookie packed with three types of chips.  

Added Gabriella Vasquez, a sophomore from Houston: “I like that a faculty member is part of our community and someone we can interact with.”  

In addition to Fadok, this year’s Faculty in Residence program includes Matt Barrios, from the School of Science and Engineering, who lives in Weatherhead Residence Hall; Clare Daniel from the Newcomb Institute, who lives in Wall Residential College; and Hannah Berryhill from the School of Architecture and Built Environment, who lives in Greenbaum Hall.  

As thousands of students settle in for the 2026-27 academic year, the program can ease the transition to college life, helping transform professors from unfamiliar faces at the front of lecture halls into approachable mentors and neighbors.  

“The Faculty in Residence program reflects a core belief that education is not just about what happens in the classroom,” said Tim Lempfert, executive director of Housing and Residence Life.  

Every week at Fogelman, Cookie Monday is followed by office hours, giving students a chance to talk about coursework, campus life, career goals or whatever else is on their minds.  

Monthly events keep students coming together throughout the year. Fadok has hosted pumpkin-painting nights, succulent planting workshops and king cake tastings. A crawfish boil is already planned for the spring.  

The relationships often extend well beyond organized programs. Fadok lives in Fogelman Hall with his two sons, who frequently play football or baseball on campus lawns with Tulane students.  

“I think it’s important for students to have that sense of being connected with faculty and seeing that faculty are people, too,” Fadok said. “It’s a really nice way to build that bridge between faculty and students.”  

Barrios, senior professor of practice in the Physics and Engineering Physics Department in the School of Science and Engineering, hosts weekly coffee hours and monthly events ranging from sno-ball socials and Pi Day resume workshops to stress-relief events during finals and a crawfish boil before Crawfest.

“My favorite is the pre-Crawfest crawfish boil, where I try to teach as many residents as possible the right way to peel crawfish,” he said.

While the activities are designed to be fun, Barrios says they also create opportunities for authentic connections.

“The FIR program helps to soften the student-faculty barrier and normalizes interactions outside the classroom in a low-stakes environment,” he said. “Residents see us with our families daily, which fosters the sense of a Tulane community.”

For Daniel, senior professor of practice and director of research at the Newcomb Institute, living in Wall Residential College has provided a way to reconnect with students after her faculty position shifted from student-facing work to research. She has helped organize educational events on healthy relationships, responsible alcohol use and sexual health.

“We find pairing educational games and activities with some kind of enticing food or beverage is a great way to reach students where they live,” Daniel said.  

Those interactions can also help students learn how to ask professors for help and take advantage of opportunities outside the classroom.  

“Students come to college with widely varying levels of comfort and familiarity with the hidden curriculum of college, such as how to interact with faculty and why it’s so important to do so,” Daniel said. “The Faculty in Residence program gives students one more opportunity to learn and practice this skill set, become more comfortable with it and learn to view faculty as regular humans who aren’t so intimidating.”

Lempfert said those everyday interactions — whether planned or spontaneous — are what make the program unique.

“Our Faculty in Residence and their families enrich the student experience in countless ways, from organized programs and conversations to the spontaneous interactions that happen over dinner or in a hallway,” he said. “Those moments help our students feel connected, challenged and supported, and they reinforce the importance of living and learning being intertwined.”