When Zheng Wang began teaching at the University of Miami, he quickly realized how much he enjoyed teaching and working with students, even though he happily splits his time creating and analyzing 3D genome models for medical research.
So when Wang learned about the residential faculty program, where faculty members spend time with students living on campus, he quickly applied.
“Most students like to be in my class, so the extension to the residential colleges was a natural one,” he said.
In 2024 he started visiting a residential college once a week as a faculty fellow, a member of the University’s residential faculty team. While faculty fellows do not live on campus, they still make a point to visit weekly with students living on campus.
This year, Wang, his 8-year-old triplets and his wife, Michelle, moved into Vista Residential College. Wang is one of six residential faculty members living on campus with first-year students, while another six serve as faculty fellows and live off campus. In the five buildings of Centennial Village and Eaton Residential College, every faculty fellow is paired with a residential faculty member who has more experience on the team. Wang said he and his family are thrilled to be living at the University this year.
“Living here, I can see the students everyday now, and my kids love it too,” said Wang, an associate professor of computer science in the College of Arts and Sciences with secondary appointments in biology and at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. “I feel fortunate to have this opportunity and hope to be a mentor to students on their college journey, to help them decide what courses to take and to learn what research they can do.”
The residential faculty team is chaired by Joy Beverly, senior lecturer of mathematics, who is living in Grove Residential College this year. Beverly said residential faculty hope to make the University less intimidating for new students so they feel more comfortable talking with faculty members as they start their college journey.
“We hope to make the University take on a more human tone, so that students realize that professors are people, and we have children, dogs and love to play basketball,” said Beverly. “We want to have conversations with students about their experience at the University, their classes and support them academically.”
Residential faculty members and fellows, from left top row: Shane McFarlane, Zheng Wang, Ramanjaneyulu Doosari, Joy Beverly, Nicholas Carcioppolo, Karoline Mortensen, Gina Presson, Lorella DiGregorio, Katlyn Meier, Maria-Cristina Espinoza-Alguera, Kimberly McGrath Moreira and Simon Howard.
While Wang is the only new faculty member moving in this year, there will be several other new faces visiting Centennial Village and Eaton Residential College as faculty fellows. Ramanjaneyulu Doosari, an assistant professor of theatre arts, is a new faculty fellow in Coral Residential College; Gina Presson, a senior lecturer of broadcast journalism, is a faculty fellow in Vista Residential College with Wang; and Katlyn Meier, an assistant professor of chemistry, is a faculty fellow in Ibis Residential College, joining Kimberly McGrath Moreira, a senior lecturer of writing studies.
Beverly said when she and the Housing and Residential Life team consider adding a faculty member to their team, they look for instructors who are generous with their time and willing to mentor students. They also try to pair faculty members with different subject area strengths.
That’s why Presson, who has three decades of experience reporting, producing and anchoring broadcast news and creating documentaries, was paired with Wang, whose expertise lies in computer science. Presson joined the faculty of the School of Communication in fall 2019, where she teaches broadcast journalism and documentary storytelling. She is also faculty advisor to three UMTV shows: “NewsBreak,” “CanesCast” and “PrimeTime,” a show she co-created as a shorter version of the CBS program “60 Minutes.”
As a faculty fellow, she will be attending some of Wang’s weekly virtual reality programs, where he likes to teach students about the technology by showing them some of the latest games. Presson will also be hosting her own weekly event discussing news and other topics over popcorn, and a midterm election panel with network and local television political reporters and political analysts prior to the November elections.
“Between the two of us, we bring all kinds of information to the student residents, which will help them to navigate the academic atmosphere here and to stay informed,” Presson said.
Meanwhile, Meier and Doosari are planning their own programs that explore their areas of expertise. Meier came to the University in 2019 and soon began recruiting undergraduates to work in her lab, where she studies how metals can impact disease. She enjoyed the students’ contributions and enthusiasm so much that she was drawn to the residential faculty team.
“Since chemistry is part of the journey for so many students, I wanted to interact with them more and to help them navigate chemistry courses beyond the lectures,” she said. “As an undergraduate, I didn’t have the same system of support that the residential community offers here at the U, so I wanted to be part of that support system to help first-year students navigate all the challenges, to point them to resources on campus, and to engage with them outside of the classroom.”
Meier also hopes to inspire some of her residential students to get involved in research labs within the University. She plans to host a program to highlight undergraduate research opportunities later this semester.
Doosari, who earned his graduate degree in actor training and coaching at the University of London and has starred in more than 50 theatrical productions, hopes to add a touch of lightness to Coral Residential College. He hopes to start a storytelling program, where students can engage in some improvisational acting with him.
“Even if they are not theater majors, I would love more students to join at least one theater class,” he said. “If you get a chance to play a different role, you get to know the life of a different person, and I would highly encourage students to do it once in four years.”
Both Doosari and Presson said they found the opportunity to learn more about student life at the University fascinating.
“Here at the University, I have been helping students in the School of Communication find their voices and tell their stories,” Presson said. “This faculty fellow position allows me to help students with all interests find their place in our community. I’m looking forward to getting to know them.”