New beginnings can be exciting but also overwhelming. This past summer, several of our School of Public Health-Bloomington faculty members helped develop course topics and curriculum in preparation for Indiana University Bloomington introducing its First-Year Seminar (FYS) undergraduate compulsory eight-week course module for the 2025-26 academic year.
Leading several of the discussions was Jared Allsop, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health & Wellness Design (HWD). As an SPH-B doctoral graduate, two-time winner of the Trustees Teaching Award and member of the Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching (FACET), Allsop was pleased to support first-year students coming to IUB campus.
"I love teaching, but most of what I do in recreational therapy is on the graduate or senior level," says Allsop. "The combination of being able to teach outside my usual discipline but also share the benefits of what higher education and college can do for students while interacting with them directly was really enticing."
This is a required course for all 9,500 first-year undergraduates, including incoming transfer students. To meet the needs of all these students while providing small class sizes, faculty from across campus have volunteered to pitch in. According to Allsop, the course is centered around four learning objectives: 1. Expand on the skills needed to critically and rationally construct and assess opinions, ideas, and arguments from written and other media sources, 2. Recognize the purpose of reflection and apply critical thinking strategies as life-long learners, 3. Understand concepts related to building community, including what it means to be part of a community, and 4. Identify and use relevant IU resources that address personal, academic, and career challenges.
"A university experience doesn’t just happen accidentally—it is intentional. You’ve got to have a plan and direction for your time and career here," says Allsop. "I’m hoping to create a relationship with these students to help them be successful for their entire time at IU and beyond."
Miriam Jocelyn Rodriguez, Ph.D., associate professor in HWD says that so far in the semester she has covered topics related to community-building, reflections on the college experience, career choices, tools and techniques to succeed in college, and achieve specific individual career goals.
"I jumped at the opportunity to be involved because I truly enjoy teaching and mentoring young students," says Rodriguez. "I have a couple of undergraduate mentees in my research lab. Passing down my knowledge and wisdom to the next generation of professionals has always been a passion of mine."
Rodriguez has learned much from the insightful discussions with her students as they tackle critical topics such as the rising role of AI in today’s educational setting, weighing its benefits and challenges. Rodriguez credits her experience serving as a mentor judge and one-on-one mentor at the yearly SACNAS conference, tailored to providing guidance, tools, and resources for undergraduate, graduate, and early-stage professionals pursuing STEM careers.
Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez was the first in her family to attend college in the United States and remembers vividly the sense of overwhelm and lack of guidance to help her work towards her career aspirations.
"As a result, it took me a little longer than my peers to choose and pursue my career path," says Rodriguez, who now specializes in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia research as well as caregiver support, particularly in Hispanic communities. "I would have appreciated an advisor or mentor during those early years of higher education, so I strive to be that person for others who may otherwise not have someone. The FYS course is a wonderful opportunity for me to serve in that capacity."
As a mainstay faculty member, Allsop echoes his colleague’s sentiments.
"I hope at the end of the class if my students have questions or concerns that they would see me as someone they could turn to for help and support," says Allsop. "Our job is to build the tools they need to be successful from the first week they are here."
For more inspiring stories about SPH-B students, faculty, and staff making a difference, visit go.iu.edu/48bx.