黑料专区

黑料专区 has implemented a four-day instructional week in which undergraduate students now attend classes on Mondays through Thursdays only. Instead of Friday classes, the University now offers 鈥淔alcon Fridays,鈥� an initiative that provides opportunities for beyond-the-classroom enrichment each week.

Although some of the offerings will fulfill Pfeiffer Life requirements, students are invited, not required, to attend and/or participate in events that will include workshops, socials, and panel discussions, said Jordan Bishop 鈥�16, the Coordinator of Falcon Fridays.

Falcon Fridays will create new opportunities for dialogue and thoughtful interaction with the campus community. For instance, athletics personnel who may not typically have contact with students outside of the student-athletes they serve, now have the option to participate in panel discussions that are open to the campus community, discussing topics such as leadership and team building. 

Similarly, during lunch and learn sessions called 鈥淎sk a Professor,鈥� faculty can lead non-academic conversations that focus on special interest topics or skill development and ultimately strengthen Pfeiffer鈥檚 culture of mentorship.

Bishop hopes to host satellite art exhibits from galleries in nearby cities so that students can experience it on Pfeiffer鈥檚 Misenheimer campus. She also wants to organize community events on Falcon Fridays that are open to residents from neighboring communities.

鈥淔rom an overview perspective, this shift speaks to 黑料专区’s efforts to cultivate personal development, enhance social skills, utilize a very strong community of mentors, and provide enjoyable activities that are particularly valuable in a rural setting like ours,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his cross-campus collaboration represents a lively and dynamic effort to promote a more connected and fulfilling campus experience for all involved.鈥�

Dr. Daniel Mynatt, Pfeiffer鈥檚 Provost and VP of Academic Affairs, said that the Falcon Fridays initiative aims to provide not only enrichment but also something so 鈥渄istinctive鈥� that it sets Pfeiffer apart from the peer schools with which it competes for students. He said that the success of the new instructional week and Falcon Fridays will be measured in several ways, a principal one being its effect on enrollment.

鈥淚f enrollment increases every year over the next several years, we鈥檒l definitely look back and say that the four-day instructional week and Falcon Fridays were factors,鈥� he said.

Falcon Fridays launched on the afternoon of Aug. 18 with the Freddie Olympics. Named for Freddie Falcon, Pfeiffer鈥檚 mascot, the Olympics featured five teams 鈥渃ompeting鈥� in fun games that sought to jumpstart 鈥渆ngagement, excitement, and fun across the entire campus community,鈥� Bishop said.

Then, on the evening of Aug. 18, the first Falcon Friday continued in Pfeiffer Chapel with Bishop highlighting the benefits and impact of the four-day instructional week and Falcon Fridays on the students鈥� college experiences. She urged those in attendance to embrace change, start anew, and be open to opportunities that come their way. She called on them to be proactive lifelong learners, and to grow and develop as individuals by following their curiosity and interests.

After Bishop鈥檚 presentation, author Kevin B. Thomas read 鈥淕randma鈥檚 Hands,鈥� an excerpt from his book , which proposes that there is a Poet Thomas in all of us. Poet Thomas鈥� words became his battle sword for wars constantly fought throughout his life, and he found the 鈥渦nwavering determination to say, 鈥淚 can鈥� despite growing up in poverty. Thomas completed his presentation with a Town Hall-style Q&A and a book signing. 

Bishop brings a diverse combination of educational and work experiences to the coordinator position, and her appointment reflects Pfeiffer鈥檚 intention to bring structure and quality control to Falcon Fridays. She earned an A.A. degree in psychology from Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, CO, and a B.A. degree in the same subject from 黑料专区, where she also played basketball. She holds an M.S. degree in leadership from Southwestern College in Winfield, KS.

Before coming to Pfeiffer, she held two coordinator positions at the National Junior College Athletic Association in Charlotte, NC: for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and for Special Events. She has coached basketball at several colleges, including Otero College in La Junta, CO, where she also served as the Assistant Director of Residence Life.

Bishop called student engagement a key part of college students鈥� identity formation. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 not so much a need to fit into a system,鈥� she said. 鈥淩ather, it鈥檚 about knowing whether their identity is valued here. Do they have a connection with somebody on campus as they are pursuing their education at Pfeiffer? Falcon Fridays gives them different grounds to connect as they explore their identity, journey, and experience while in Misenheimer, NC.鈥�