Karenna Malavanti

Transcript

Derek Smith:
Hello, and welcome to Baylor Connections, a conversation series with the people shaping our future. Each week we go in depth with Baylor leaders, professors and more, discussing important topics in higher education, research, and student life.
I'm Derek Smith, and today we are talking Baylor Learning Communities with Karenna Malavanti. Dr. Malavanti serves as Senior Lecturer and Undergraduate Program Director in Psychology and Neuroscience at Baylor. She's faculty-in-residence at Earle Hall, where she leads the Science and Health Living-Learning Community.
A three-time Baylor alumna, she returned to her alma mater and has been recognized for excellence in teaching, including serving as a Baylor fellow in the 2018, 2019 academic year.
Living-Learning Communities are organized around specific academic programs or extracurricular interests. Students of all classifications live among other students with similar interests and degree plans. As a part of the emphasis on community, residents share common cohort classes and have access to other academic services and programming provided in the communities.
Earlier this academic year, Baylor was again recognized by U.S. News as a Top 10 National University for Best Learning Communities. And they sound like a lot of fun, there's a lot of activity and life taking place there, and Karenna, really appreciate you taking the time to join us and share with us today.

Karenna Malavanti:
I'm so excited to be here.

Derek Smith:
Great to have you here. And again, Earle Hall, the Science and Health Living-Learning Community. So let's start off with I hope a fun question. When you tell people that you and your family live and serve among college students at a college residence hall all the time, are there some common questions or comments you receive?

Karenna Malavanti:
I receive a lot of questions and a lot of surprised faces.

Derek Smith:
Mm-hmm.

Karenna Malavanti:
So I think that they are surprised that it's even an option that faculty would want to live among college students. And they also want to know what our home is actually like and if we live in a very small dorm room.

Derek Smith:
Yeah. So to answer that question, the answer is no, right? You do not live at a very small dorm room?

Karenna Malavanti:
I don't live in a very small dorm room. We do live in a faculty-in-residence apartment, and it facilitates community because we are permitted to welcome students into our living spaces.
So students every year come to our apartment for a reception that we hold in the fall to welcome them in. I'm in a primarily first year residence hall, so they come in, get to know me, get to know my family, and also get to know our apartment. And then I also have some programming where we bring in local physicians or scientists to come and visit with our students. Sometimes we host those in our apartment and sometimes in the Earle Hall classroom.

Derek Smith:
Well, that fits in well with the students who live in there, as I know you'll paint that picture for us here as we continue to visit. So it's a Living-Learning Community. So broadly, what is that at Baylor? And then we'll dive into what makes specifically Earle Hall and the one you're a part of so unique.

Karenna Malavanti:
Sure. So I think when people hear about residence halls, they don't know about all of the differences between the residence halls. So I think they mostly think about first-year experience and that type of residential community.
Ours is the Living and Learning Center, or LLC, in which we are purposefully creating a cohesive model to connect students, whether that's, for our case, science and health programming. And students have to be a particular major or have a particular career focus in order to live there. And they do apply to live there. And others are much more global and international focus, others are about leadership. So we have lots of different types of LLCs on campus. And those are just some of our examples.

Derek Smith:
Well, and you and I know for example there's been one where students are in the arts or video arts or who have a creative bent can live together. And the students in yours, I know obviously you talk about science and health, that paints part of the picture, but tell us about that. What is unique about the Science and Health LLC?

Karenna Malavanti:
What's unique about the Science and Health LLC is that we have a lot of different opportunities for students to engage in their career aspirations and with their major.
So what that looks like is, is that our residence hall has a partnership with our Office of Prehealth Studies. We also have a program director specifically for the Science and Health LLC that helps us with programming. And we have student leaders with the Earle Leadership Council that also help with programming as well.
So we do offer some classes that we offer in a cohort model. It's called the B2C program where students get to choose to take either biology and chemistry in a chapel. So Baylor has a special chapel for these students. And our chapel is very close to our hall, it's right outside the door. And so that's the faith and the healing professions in which they hear from medical professionals about how they have navigated faith in pretty controversial times or throughout their life as they've been working with patients.
So that's just one example. Another example of the type of programming that we have and how we support our students is mission trips. So mission trips that specifically have been open only to Earle Hall students, specialized coursework in surgical techniques and clinical skills. So these are really cool opportunities. Some of those are first-in-the-nation type of opportunities.
And then where I kind of come in as well is that I try to bring in some of my health professional friends into the hall so our students can ask great questions about what is it actually like to be somebody working in OB-GYN in Waco, Texas? What's that experience? How did you navigate going through medical school or PA school? And so our students get to ask really great questions from people that are doing the job that they hope to be doing.
And so I just am so excited to be here to brag upon all the things that Earle Hall and the Science and Health LLC are doing, because I think we do a great job, I think Baylor does a great job of making sure our students are taken care of with our programming needs, but also holistically.
So socially, academically, spiritually. There's Bible studies, there are service opportunities that are specialized for Earle Hall like our Loaves of Love program where our students make sandwiches for people who need them to eat. And so it's just a really fantastic place where our students come together and they're like-minded, and they have a lot of people here to support them.

Derek Smith:
And about how many students are part of the LLC?

Karenna Malavanti:
Yeah, so 350 students.

Derek Smith:
Wow.

Karenna Malavanti:
The majority of which are first-year students.

Derek Smith:
That's great. And I should probably clarify, I mean, maybe this, it's obvious, with LLC we're talking Living-Learning Communities in shorthand, not limited liability companies as I think probably more people think of it as we visit with Karenna Malavanti.
And so obviously the title faculty-in-residence says a little something about this role, but as you describe what you do, that could be a full-time job, but you're also time a full-time faculty member in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, which I know has to be especially meaningful for students to have someone in that role to interact with and to learn from, but I got to imagine that keeps you pretty busy.

Karenna Malavanti:
Yes, it does keep me busy. I love teaching and I really see this as a partnership with my teaching. I love mentoring students. I love helping students identify their strengths and ways to work through upcoming challenges. And I find that I can also use those same kinds of skills as my faculty-in-residence position.

Derek Smith:
Now, Karenna, this is you, it's also your family. What is family life like surrounded by 350 students?

Karenna Malavanti:
It's great. I was on board immediately to do something like this. In fact, even before I was eligible to apply, I was emailing the director asking, "Can I apply?" And they said it's a little too early.
But once I was promoted, my eyes were out for an opportunity. And once this opportunity came up, I was just really excited because it was the perfect fit. I'm in a science department, I work in the Baylor Sciences Building, and this is our Science and Health Living and Learning Community. So I was really excited to apply. My family did not take that much convincing.

Derek Smith:
That's good. Yeah.

Karenna Malavanti:
My husband had to kind of just deal with internally giving up the garage, but was okay with giving up yard work.

Derek Smith:
That's fair. Yeah, that's good.

Karenna Malavanti:
And it is amazing. It has been such a great opportunity for us and for our students to live in authentic Christian community with each other. After church we bring donuts, they get to hear about when I lead Sunday school, and I get to hear about all the faiths that they are working with, because we have a diverse student population. I love supporting their academic questions but also their questions about, "What's it like to be an adult after college? What am I doing next?"
Luckily my daughter, she was pretty young when we were anticipating wanting to move in, so I didn't have to ask her, but she is now four years old and she mentioned this to us just recently, "Did you know that we have the biggest family in the world because we have the students?" And I just think that that is such a great takeaway that even my four-year-old just understands what a unique and fun opportunity we have to be able to live alongside these students and be in community with these students.

Derek Smith:
I guess I can imagine your daughter is probably a bit of a rock star in Earle Hall, is that correct?

Karenna Malavanti:
Oh, yes.

Derek Smith:
Yeah?

Karenna Malavanti:
Yes.

Derek Smith:
That's good. The students all feel like she's probably their little sister or yeah?

Karenna Malavanti:
Many of them do, and they just tell her that they're her big sister or big brother, and really it's everyone. It's not just the girls. It's everyone there really pays really close attention to her and they want to interact with her. It helps when they're missing home and missing their siblings or missing their nieces and nephew. And I think it just humanizes us professors a little bit more as well as they get to see us live life there.

Derek Smith:
Karenna, going back a question or two when you were describing some of the things that you do, whether it's programming, whether it's visiting after church, dinners, all these things, if you were writing a job description of the faculty-in-residence position, how much of that is formal, how much of that is informal? Because I imagine there's life moments that you just kind of have to be ready when they pop up.

Karenna Malavanti:
Yeah. So I would say that some of it is pre-planned. The programming that we do in Earle Hall is intentional, and if you were to look at a weekly schedule, you would see that the resident chaplain has a program, that our program director also has a program, our faculty-in-residence has a program.
So mine is Mindful Mondays where I sit on a Monday night every week with our students and get to think about what life is actually like right now in this moment, how stressful they are, are there techniques to relieve their stress? Are there ways to think a little bit more about their career in future, but also their college career?
And I just think to myself though that so much of what else is coming in is informal. It's the moments where I'm walking through the hall just saying hi with my daughter, and it's hearing that they get to go home this weekend or how excited they were that their grandma get out of the hospital. Or lately some of our leaders have been interviewing for medical school, so hearing their joyful news of acceptances into medical school or graduate programs, it is truly the in-between the formal moments that make this so enjoyable as well.

Derek Smith:
Well, you're a three-time Baylor grad, wasn't that long ago you were in their shoes. How beneficial is that for you to be doing this here at your alma mater?

Karenna Malavanti:
It is really impactful for me. This wasn't a widespread thing when I was in college. I graduated in 2010, so it's been a little bit. And this hall in particular is built over one of the residences that I lived in when I was a student, and that's so funny.

Derek Smith:
Oh, wow.

Karenna Malavanti:
But so I just think that I would have benefited a lot from something like this. I think that some students come into college a little bit nervous or sometimes scared of approaching their professors, especially their science professors, especially in large classes like our Intro Biology, Intro Chemistry, Intro Psychology, Intro Neuroscience classes are, and we get to humanize that a little bit. They get to see us in the hall, they get to hear our celebrations, and we get to hear theirs and vice versa. So it's just been really neat and it lets them know that we are human and we're approachable. We're relatable.

Derek Smith:
That's great. Yeah, you're helping them learn how to interact even as well with people beyond their peers and get to build those relationships as we visit here on Baylor Connections with Karenna Malavanti, Senior Lecturer and Undergraduate Program Director in Psychology and Neuroscience, and faculty-in-residence at Earle Hall where she leads Baylor's Science and Health Living-Learning Community.
So I think you've really painted a picture for us of some of the things that you do. What are some things you would really say, "This is what I've learned about serving students"? Whether that be in the classroom, in your role as a faculty member in psychology and neuroscience or in this role as faculty-in-residence?

Karenna Malavanti:
So I would say that it really takes a lot of intention, really thinking through our impact on students and realizing that they are very much in this in-between.
College is such a special time, but it also can be a really tough transition to leave home and to become very vulnerable in classrooms and to receive information like a grade that they may not anticipate receiving. And so we are so intentional in the hall, and I feel like Baylor professors are so intentional about our learning experiences that we want to do a great job.
So we're intentional about our programming at Earle Hall. I feel like my colleagues and I in the classroom are also intentional about our learning experiences. And Baylor does a great job of supporting our faculty in our teaching, which is fantastic, because it tells us that we really care about students and not just that they're a student in the classroom, but the faculty-in-residence part also tells us that we care about them in so many more ways.
And many of our faculty members care so deeply, and they're not in these roles, right? And so it's not a necessity to care, to only be a faculty-in-residence. But we have a lot of different faculty who are extremely passionate about making sure we're using evidence-based practices and meeting students where they are and making sure they have the information that they need in order to be successful with their life.

Derek Smith:
How often do you get to visit with your other faculty-in-residence and talk shop and just compare notes a little bit?

Karenna Malavanti:
Yeah, we meet every month. We have a faculty-in-residence council, and it is wonderful.

Derek Smith:
I would imagine living with college students, there's things that about bring tears to your eyes and things that make you all roll your eyes and everything in between. Is that fair to say?

Karenna Malavanti:
That's true, but right now I'm basking in all of the fantastic news of our current residents and some of our past residents that are sharing in these joyful acceptances to graduate school and medical school.

Derek Smith:
That's pretty cool. Visiting with Karenna Malavanti here on Baylor Connections. And Karenna, you look at Baylor's LLC community culture, and it's been recognized in a lot of different ways, including we're recognized as a Top 10 University for Living-Learning Communities or for Learning Communities by U.S. News & World Report, so kind of the gold standard there.
Really, as you describe it, I think we can understand that you know it's really good. And though you paint a picture, I want to ask you specifically, why is Baylor so effective at this and why has this become something I think we've seen grow as an area of focus and investment by the university?

Karenna Malavanti:
Oh my gosh. I love this question because I really think it's at the core what Baylor values.
So Baylor has invested significantly in the faculty-in-residence programming and in our Living and Learning communities and our first-year communities as well because we know that our students, they come first. It is so important for us to care for them, for their spiritual well-being, for cultural experiences, for of course their academic experiences and more. They are so much more than just a student in a classroom.
And we do see that at other universities where we teach students and we research with students and we mentor students and we advise students, but I feel like this is a special place where we have Campus Living and Learning, and we have other offices throughout Success Center, Accommodations Office, and more, Spiritual Life, that are all truly invested in making sure that our students are taken care of.
So I actually love talking with parents about why Baylor is a special place, and I really think it's because we take care of our people holistically.
I mentioned being really intentional before, and that's the other thing that I think Baylor does really well, is that we have through the Campus Living and Learning program professional staff for each hall, and that includes the residence hall director, program directors, residents, a faculty-in-residence, resident chaplain. And all of us work together in order for us to create programming for each hall. Every hall looks different, and it's all great for our students.

Derek Smith:
Well, and that's a neat thing. As you were talking a little bit beforehand, every faculty member has a different personality, different strengths and weaknesses, but it just seems like if you're invested in this, you can just kind of be yourself, whoever you are, as a faculty-in-residence.

Karenna Malavanti:
Absolutely.

Derek Smith:
Mm-hmm. And it sounds like too, as you describe all the work you get to do with your other faculty in Baylor's investment, there's an iron sharpens iron element in the work you all do, but I got to think that when you think about 350 students who are called in different ways into the health professions to certainly a challenging academic path that they handle so well, when you build that culture where you see people working towards, I got to think there is that iron sharpens iron kind of sensibility to freshmen all the way on up, whoever's a part of that.

Karenna Malavanti:
Absolutely. And in fact, I think that our students are naturally going to be paying really close attention to their studies, so actually a lot of our programming is non-academic, it's more social, it's more relational, and it's trying to help our students also realize that taking care of their bodies and their minds and their soul is really also and a very important part of becoming who they were meant to be, including if that were to be a doctor, et cetera.

Derek Smith:
And when there's those really challenging midterms or tests or seasons that every student in those disciplines share in his or her life, they know there's others going through it at the same time.

Karenna Malavanti:
Absolutely.

Derek Smith:
Yeah.

Karenna Malavanti:
Yeah, that's great too, is that they tend to be in many of the same classes even after the first semester, even after B2C, and they're in a lot of the same organizations, a lot of our health organizations. So they get to support each other and they kind of know when test week is happening and they share notes in a very good way just to boost the learning, and they share experiences that I think is also really important.

Derek Smith:
Talking with Karenna Malavanti here on Baylor Connections. And Karenna, as we head into the final few minutes of the program, one question I have for you is you've really been bragging on your students, but I want to ask you specifically if you're bragging on your Earle Hall students too, maybe your other faculty-in-residence colleagues on campus, what would you be telling them?

Karenna Malavanti:
Oh my gosh. I just think the world of my faculty-in-residence colleagues. There are other halls that are even larger than Earle Hall. You think 350, can we do even more? Yeah. We've got a hall that has 600.

Derek Smith:
Wow.

Karenna Malavanti:
That's Collins.

Derek Smith:
Mm-hmm.

Karenna Malavanti:
Or we even have a residential housing that is more of apartment-like and it's a little bit harder to meet each student because there's not just one kind of common lobby. And so I think that each faculty-in-residence has their own personality and their own way of approaching these challenges, and we all do it effectively. I get ideas from my colleagues all the time. I hope that I also give them ideas too. And I just think that these are people that are really invested in our students and I think is a very representative picture of who our Baylor faculty and staff are.

Derek Smith:
And again, all of y'all teaching at the same time and keeping busy, and I would imagine that those two roles hopefully make you better at the other one.

Karenna Malavanti:
I think so.

Derek Smith:
Yeah. That's great. Well, Karenna, I really appreciate your time joining us here on the program, sharing about your students and painting the picture. I think you've really painted the picture for us of why Baylor is so good in this area.
And I know it's about more than accolades, but I imagine it sounds like with the work you and your colleagues are doing and your students will probably keep seeing Baylor on this list because it sounds like it's only going to keep getting better the more everyone does this.

Karenna Malavanti:
I agree. And I can't brag enough about our Campus Living and Learning Office. They do a fantastic job, and I think that they are always putting students first, and that's what matters.

Derek Smith:
And now you and I are recording this before it actually airs, but when you're done here, what's one thing on your list with students that you're excited about this week before the week's done?

Karenna Malavanti:
I'm so excited to have my faculty-in-residence dinner with students. We're going to be eating pizza, which is a fan-favorite, and my whole family will be there, as well as some scientist friends. And so our students will get a chance to mingle not only with the faculty-in-residence family, but also with some of our science faculty.

Derek Smith:
Well, that's great. That's going to be a lot of fun for everyone. Well, Karenna, thanks so much for taking the time to share with us today.

Karenna Malavanti:
Thanks for having me.

Derek Smith:
Karenna Malavanti, Senior Lecturer and Undergraduate Program Director in Psychology and Neuroscience, and faculty residence, faculty-in-residence, excuse me, at Earle Hall, leading the Science and Health Living-Learning Community. She's been our guest today.
I'm Derek Smith. Thanks for joining us here on Baylor Connections. A reminder you can hear this and other programs online at baylor.edu/connections, and you can subscribe on iTunes. Thanks for joining us here on Baylor Connections.