Thursday, August 16, 2007

Talladega College students reach out to the community

08-16-2007

TALLADEGA — New students will mill about Talladega College this week, finding their bearings on campus before classes start Monday.

A veteran political science professor hopes orientation isn’t the only time this year the student body is so visible.

Entering his 37th year of teaching at the college, Bernard Bray is the longest-serving professor and trails only Provost and Vice President Arthur Bacon in years of service at Talladega. He has long strived for innovative teaching.

This year he will seek cooperation between his students and community officials and leaders in Talladega. It’s part of making sure his students learn by doing.

“We could give a little presentation, lecture on it, and then on an exam they could repeat it all back to us,” he said. “That’s not the kind of education that’s satisfying to us.”

Bray said he will seek anyone in the city interested to build up a database to call on when needed. Students preparing a project may need outside expertise or help finding an internship; city leaders may need academic expertise or student volunteers.

“We’re making an effort we’ve never made before, to reach out to people around Talladega to provide whatever we can offer them,” he said. “And it lets all the folks know the kind of things we offer to students who come to Talladega.”

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