By Christina Cooke ‘10
Twenty-six years ago, Dr. Alan Jaslow, a professor in the Department of Biology, began rifling through available teaching positions with one goal in mind: to find a school where he would not only be expected to teach but be rewarded for focusing his energy on teaching and on the careers of his students, where he would have the flexibility to pursue independent research but be held to the expectation that what he does for his students, both inside and outside the classroom, would be more important. Rhodes has proven to be a comfortable home for Dr. Jaslow as he strives to unlock the potential of each of his students, helping them transition from eager undergraduates to thriving professionals.
In his first few years at Rhodes, Jaslow split his time between teaching and researching the evolution of animal structure and communication, specifically amphibian hearing through the examination of the bones in a frog’s middle ear. Stemming from that research, he took interest in animal communication through sound. Most of this work dealt with frog vocalizations, but his focus spread to birds after a successful project conducted with his “Animal Communication” classes. “We got the chance to use the flamingos at the nearby Memphis Zoo as the subjects of one of our studies, so it was really exciting to take our research out of the classroom and continue it at the zoo,” he notes.
Needless to say, Jaslow has always had a keen interest in animals. “Given my academic background in zoology, I’ve been advising students interested in veterinary medicine since I arrived at Rhodes,” he says. But as the years wore on, he began to advise students for other health professions as well. Pre-health advising had always been offered by several faculty members, each advising on specific careers. But as more and more students began to investigate a possible career in the health professions, this need grew to a point where the professors could no longer balance advising with their other responsibilities. As a result, Rhodes instigated a new initiative that consolidated the pre-health advising roles from all the academic departments, including biology, into a single resource for student access. From these efforts, the Health Professions Advising program was born with Jaslow serving as director.
Launched in February ’06, HPA offers a variety of resources, such as networking events with alumni practitioners, panels on the various jobs within the health professions, and even a detailed outline of the steps necessary to enter a certain field, covering everything from what classes are required to how to maneuver the minefield of applying to medical and other health profession schools. With the help of a committee of HPA professors, Jaslow meets with all students interested in the health professions, advising them from their first days on campus right up to and, in some cases, after graduation. “Our goal is to offer a holistic understanding of what it takes to be competitive for a career in the health professions,” says Jaslow. “So far, the students have responded positively.” At any given time, about 30% of the Rhodes student population is taking advantage of what HPA has to offer.
So given all that Jaslow has accomplished with HPA, does that mean he will one day leave the classroom and immerse himself solely in administrative roles? “Absolutely not,” he says. Being in the classroom allows him to witness firsthand the strengths and weaknesses of his students, which helps him better advise them on their career paths. In Jaslow’s view, maintaining this balance between academic and administrative pursuits reaps the most benefits for both himself and his students. On one hand, the students develop a personal relationship with their professor, while he has the opportunity to pursue multiple interests and keep his academic passions alive.
“Probably the greatest part of teaching at a liberal arts college is that I’m free to re-invent myself,” says Jaslow. “No two semesters of any course I teach are exactly the same, and no two students I mentor are the same either. Together, these two outlets keep my intellectual spirit alive and fresh.”