Faculty Spotlight - Dr. Laura Hsu
Dr. Laura Hsu is the Assistant Professor of Human Development at Merrimack College. She went to the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she received her Ed.D. in Human Development and Psychology. Some of the courses she teaches at the college include child, adolescent, and adult development and included in her courses is her honors course Introduction to Human Development – Honors that she teaches in the Fall Semester. Although Dr. Hsu is relatively new to the Merrimack Community with becoming a faculty member in 2013, she has become a student favorite and is greatly involved in the Honors Program.
Dr. Hsu realized that she wanted to become involved in the Honors Program at Merrimack based on the interaction she had with honors students in other classes. She was also an honors student herself in college and loved it so much that she wanted to support the intellectual engagement and high achievements of honors students in the same way she was. She looks highly upon honors students for representing “the brightest minds at Merrimack” with their ability to “push Merrimack to become a higher caliber institution.”
The experience she has had thus far with her Introduction to Human Development – Honors course has been enjoyable and productive for her. Remarking on her interaction, she said, “I feel I learn just as much from my students as they from me.” It is the enriching experiences gained that are what encourage her to be involved in the program.
Dr. Hsu has taken part in the Honors Program Committee (HPC). At their meetings, all members contribute ideas in the effort to achieve goals of the program and reflect its mission. To help Molly Malinowski – officer of the Academics Committee of the Honors Student Council – and her wish to have more events that allow students and faculty to interact, Dr. Hsu suggested the idea that faculty “crash” an evening study session of their class and bring them treats such as pizza to make the studying more enjoyable and be able to interact with the students. This idea came to mind when Honors RA Joe Fisher emailed her a picture of her honors students studying in the honors lounge and she wished she could be there.
She has also volunteered to become a Faculty Honors Advisor (FHA) in the School of Education. This is something new that the Honors Program Coordinators are hoping to start. The FHA of each school will be a faculty member who is involved in the program and is familiar with the requirements so they can effectively provide guidance and support to the students.
The Merrimack Honors Program enjoys having faculty like Laura Hsu who enrich the program with compelling ideas and experiences. The program is grateful for Laura’s contributions and involvements that allow the Honors Program to grow and continue to improve and influence the Merrimack College community.