For Dr. Rachel M. Hanson, the newly appointed Faculty Director for the Temple University University College Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) program, creating positive connections with students is essential in helping them discover where their future’s lie.
“My approach in the classroom is hands-on, interpersonal — I want to get to know my students so I can help them reach their goals. A lot of that is figuring out the students’ energy and interests. The BGS program by its nature has students coming to the program from a lot of different directions with equally diverse reasons for pursing the degree,” she said. “For students coming back to school after being away for some time, there is a lot of excitement and energy. There’s a great deal of enthusiasm there.”
For a student moving from starting one Temple degree directly into the BGS program, “their primary goal may just be finishing up so they can get to what happens after they finish college,” Hanson said.
“That is completely valid; my goal is to help them as they finish this part of their story. In their senior capstone, which I’ll be teaching, I want to help ensure that their project is something they are passionate about, something that they can take with them into the world,” she said. “With the capstone, it’s the opportunity for our students to really dig in and create a project that builds upon all of their coursework. It represents who that are and where their passions lie as an individual — it brings it all together as they get ready for what comes next.”
According to Hanson, what drew her to the Faculty Director position with the Bachelor of General Studies is that “it strikes a balance between being in the classroom and also developing a program.”
“I really like the work that the BGS program does at Temple. I see the goal of the program as serving students, who for a variety of different reasons, left school and want to come back and finish their degrees, whether it's just for the accomplishment and their intellectual curiosity or to further their careers and life goals,” she said. “There are also students who are switching programs — maybe they spent a lot of time at Temple and realized their academic interests are elsewhere. They come to the Bachelor of General Studies to find a way to complete their undergraduate degree, it just might be in a different field, and I think that’s great. We’re here to help them make that happen.”
The Bachelor of General Studies is designed specifically for adult learners with prior college and at least 60 transferable credits who are ready to complete their undergraduate degree. The program focuses on creating a solid foundation for a wide variety of careers or graduate school and allows students the opportunity to customize their degree path.
“The Bachelor of General Studies is an essential program for students who are dedicated to finishing what they started. It's a program that welcomes students of diverse backgrounds — whether it is adults returning to the classroom after many years, individuals with prior learning experiences that occurred outside a classroom setting or current students transitioning from one program into this program,” said Dr. Vicki Lewis McGarvey. “With a PhD in English Literature and Creative Nonfiction, and extensive experience teaching writing-intensive courses at both two- and four-year institutions, we are very excited to have Dr. Hanson guide the BGS program and lead our students through the next part of their academic journey.”
Hanson arrives at Temple with several years of experience in front of the classroom at the University of North Carolina Asheville, most recently as an assistant professor teaching a variety of literature and writing courses. She previously taught at Colgate University where she was the Olive B. O’Connor Fellow in Nonfiction and was a graduate instructor at the University of Missouri.
An award-winning writer and author of The End of Tennessee: a memoir and two works-in-progress — Running Dead Water: Essays from the Grand Canyon and An American Echo: a novel — Hanson’s prose and poetry has appeared in dozens of journals. She is also the founder and Director of Punch Bucket Lit, a literary nonprofit organization that features a reading series, collaborates on fundraisers for community services, has held weekly poetry lessons for middle school students and a hosts a two-day literary festival, which was recently held in Ashville, North Carolina.
“One of the keys to being a faculty member at a small liberal arts college is interdisciplinary teaching — you must have an interdisciplinary approach. I would teach in my field — and I love teaching in my field — but I would also teach in women’s and gender studies or I would create a writing course for the art program,” she said. “I think my ability to navigate and teach within a liberal arts institution has given me the skills to work with students from many different disciplines and programs of study. Through the BGS program, Temple has created a great space for students to come and make the most of the credits they’ve attained, the life skills they have achieved, and move forward in a positive direction with an achievable goal.”
Ultimately, Hanson said, “what I want for our students is that they finish their degree, finish that aspiration.”
“I want them to have a sense of pride in their work and be proud of everything that they’ve accomplished. I want them to feel good about their education and recognize the value of the experience they’ve had,” she said. “I was a first-generation student; I was on my own from the age of 17 when everything in the world just seemed so huge and there was so much information to take in. I’ve loved all of the work I’ve done but there is a part of me that still remembers what it was like to be that person who didn’t quite know what the next step was or what the future held. Supporting students who are going about it maybe a little differently than the traditional route, I feel a strong connection to that and to what this program is all about.”
The Bachelor of General Studies degree combines major coursework, general education courses and electives. The curriculum is tailored to enhance students’ critical thinking skills, effective communication abilities and interdisciplinary knowledge to achieve their personal and professional goals. Students also have access to courses and resources available at any of Temple’s campuses, including Main Campus, Ambler Campus, Temple University Harrisburg, Temple University Center City and online.
Students can customize their degree by choosing a combination of minors and/or certificates across our schools and colleges, or by focusing their coursework in a broad subject grouping that builds on coursework they’ve already completed. There is also opportunity to earn academic credits for prior learning experiences, including employment, military and volunteer experiences. In addition, students can earn credit for internship and on-the-job learning experiences that provide them with an opportunity to enhance their skills, provide practical experience and establish contacts in their career field. Learn more here.