iSchool Professor Focuses on Community for the FSU Faculty Luncheon Series

Posted by Janelle Altamirano on

There is an undefined beauty within research. Devoting your time toward bringing a research project to fruition can be rewarding but isolating. Rarely do members of academia have the opportunity to share their work outside of their own academic disciplines, but here at FSU they do. Established in the early 1980s by the Rev. Milton S. Carothers, FSU’s Faculty Luncheon Series has become the longest-running, regularly occurring, interdisciplinary lecture series on campus. Open to the public, this event provides FSU’s faculty with the unique opportunity to share their research with the community over lunch once a month.

Dr. Paul Marty has been coordinating the Faculty Luncheon Series since Fall 2013. A wonderful resource for faculty and students, the Series addresses a wide range of topics and breaks down some of the academic silos present within the research community. While past years have focused around specific themes, Paul’s current vision for the Series is “simply to provide a venue where our amazing faculty from across campus can share their expertise with an interdisciplinary audience,” he says.

Community is Paul’s top priority when it comes to planning this event. As Paul says, “coordinating this Series has not only offered me the chance to meet so many of our amazing faculty and learn about their amazing research, but has also enabled me to work with so many different units on campus, from the University Libraries to the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement, all of whom volunteer their time to make this Series a success!”

Indeed, the Faculty Luncheon Series would not be possible without a wide range of volunteers, including the speakers, the attendees, the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement, the University Libraries, and UKirk Tallahassee, which has hosted the Series once a month at 548 W. Park Ave. for nearly 40 years.  Lunches cost $10 per session, and reservations can be made by calling 850.222.6320 or emailing office@ukirktallahassee.com. The schedule of talks can be found at http://facultyluncheon.cci.fsu.edu/.