Early development the focus for former interim dean, first-time honors instructor

Dr. John Colombo, Director of KU’s Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and former interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, joined KU Honors this past fall as an instructor of the first-year honors seminar, “Early Experience and Development.” 

We chatted with Dr. Colombo about his personal connection to the honors program, his seminar, and the importance of research opportunities.

Tell us about your history with the University Honors Program. 

This is the first honors class that I’ve ever taught, but I’ve known about the program for a long time. My son, who graduated from KU in 2017, was a member of the honors program. And, of course, in my capacity as interim dean, I knew about the program in detail because it was housed within the College. It’s really one of the academic gems in KU’s crown.

How did your seminar, “Early Experience and Development,” come to be?

I’ve done a lot of things over the course of my career, but pretty much all of it has revolved around the fact that what happens early in the lifespan of organisms has an outsized or disproportionate influence on the rest of their lives. These basic principles have been part of nearly all my teaching and research here at KU.

Was your seminar adapted from previous courses you’ve taught?

This honors course is the first time I’ve been able to pull [these principles] together as a central organizing theme. For example, we’ve been able to cover topics like fetal programming, exposure to different visual environments and languages, and the promise of early intervention; toward the end of the class, we covered economic and social policy. In that way, the material is relevant to so many different potential majors, and I would hope that this might in some way get our students thinking about how they could use it in their careers.

Did serving as the interim dean shape your perspective on interdisciplinarity?

Well, my entire career has been spent doing interdisciplinary research, so I’ve been pretty dug in on this point even before my stint with the College. Like nearly all other institutions of higher education, KU is built around disciplinary-based units, like departments. But the truth is that the most impactful research and scholarship that we do — and the best training we can give our students for their future — lies across disciplinary boundaries. Any academic endeavor that seeks to break down those boundaries is exceptionally valuable, and I love the fact that we are giving this cohort of students these kinds of opportunities so early in their college careers.

How have you opened students’ eyes to the possibilities of research? 

That has actually turned out to be an important part of the class. I’ve spent some time talking about the nature of KU and how it sits in the bigger picture of different institutions of higher education here in Kansas and in the nation … that is, the fact that students who choose to come here to KU have access to faculty who are actively engaged in research and scholarship, and that getting involved in research is something that they should all take advantage of during their time here. We’ve talked about how to find out about faculty members’ research programs, how to find out if they are actively publishing, how to approach faculty to see if there is room in their research or scholarship for undergraduate assistants. 

What’s the value of making first-year students aware of these opportunities?

As someone who is actively involved in doing research, I am commonly asked by students from other institutions in the state as to whether they might be able to work in my laboratory because such opportunities are not available at their own schools, and I have to tell them that those slots are really only available to students enrolled here. This is something that our own students should not take for granted, and something that we should be telling them from the start.

Any highlights of the course? 

Well, the content has been fun, but to be honest, the best part of this course has been getting to know the students in the class and hearing about their initial experiences at KU. I’ve also really enjoyed working with the student assistants, Daniel and Selena, who have actually been a huge help to me as I’ve navigated this work for the first time.