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Armchair scholars interested in lectures by award-winning Robert Weiner, Jones Professor of History, will soon have access to his work in video and audio format. Trustee Scholarship recipient Justin Kruger ’04 (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.) collaborated with Weiner to create a study guide to the lectures.
A representative of The Teaching Company who had learned about Weiner’s teaching awards approached him about taping a classroom lecture.
“She taped the lecture, and she was sufficiently pleased by it. The company then invited me to give a lecture in their main office,” says Weiner.
Kruger, a history major, was thrilled at the opportunity to lend his talents to the project.
“My job was to help produce a series of pamphlets that outline each course,” Kruger explains. “These supplementary materials gave a brief overview of the course. They included timelines, maps, glossaries, bibliographies, lecture outlines, and other materials. I read through all of the course materials he referenced and went over the syllabus. I also helped him organize and research the information.”
Their collaboration was part of Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students are paid a stipend to assist a faculty member in research. Lafayette is a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more that 180 students who participate each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.
In addition to receiving awards for teaching excellence, Weiner has presented his research in journal articles and at conferences such as last year’s annual meeting of the Western Society for French History, which included his paper in its selective proceedings.
Weiner has been an invaluable mentor to Kruger for the last three years. When he had the opportunity to collaborate on EXCEL work, Kruger jumped at the chance.
“Professor Weiner is more like a friend and a colleague than a professor,” says Kruger. “I talk to him outside of class on a regular basis about a lot of things.”
Says Weiner, “Justin is an incredible student. The more work you give him, the more he asks for. He has wonderful judgment skills.”
Kruger is undertaking a yearlong research project in 19th century history that will overlap with his recent collaboration.
“This EXCEL project was great supplementary work to my honors thesis, which will certainly touch upon many topics that Professor Weiner is lecturing on, including the Revolution of 1848 to the Franco-Prussian War of 1871. It was great background, plus I love history. I was really thrilled to be working on this,” he says.
He adds, “EXCEL and majoring in history offer great background for whatever career I decide to pursue. There is so much I have learned, such as developing good habits, organization, and discipline. I can use these skills in whatever career I pick.”
Kruger says EXCEL is an example of academic opportunities that arise from Lafayette’s atmosphere of collaboration.
“This project is an outgrowth of the great mentoring relationship I developed with Professor Weiner and is a wonderful example of how faculty and students really mix and work side by side at Lafayette,” he says.
Kruger has made dean’s list every semester, has an occasional radio show on the student-run station WJRH, and plays intramural soccer.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Over the past five years, more than 130 Lafayette students have presented results from research conducted with faculty mentors, or under their guidance, at the conference.