No student would expect a high-level college administrator to be a writer of self-produced, online podcasts. However, the situation is a bit different for Dr. Timothy Snyder, Loyola's acting Vice President for Academic Affairs.
"There's so many ways that you can help students succeed; the podcasts are just one idea," says Snyder.
Snyder, who is currently in his first year as the Vice President for Academic Affairs, joined the Loyola community last summer following the retirement of Dave Haddad, former VP for Academic Affairs and current tutoring coordinator at Cristo Rey High School in Baltimore.
Bringing nearly three decades of experience as a college professor and administrator with him, Snyder was more than qualified for the Vice President job. Prior to coming to Loyola, Snyder served as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Fairfield University for six years, a period which included professorships in mathematics and computer science. Before then, Snyder had served as the Dean of Science at Georgetown University during the latter part of the 1990s.
As Vice President for Academic Affairs here at Loyola, Snyder helps coordinate various programs and curricula. He oversees the College of Arts and Sciences, the Sellinger School of Business, and the soon-to-be School of Education, which will be established by the 2009-2010 school year. In addition, Snyder assists Andre Colombat, the Dean for International Programs, and Ilona McGuiness, the Dean of First-Year Students and Academic Services, and he works with the Center for Community Service and Justice and the Loyola/Notre Dame Library.
"[I] work with pretty much anything that has to do with the academic unit," says Snyder.
When asked what made him apply and, eventually, accept the available position at Loyola, Snyder noted the friendly attitude and excitable environment on campus.
"The most striking feature is how welcoming people at Loyola are," says Snyder, adding that there is "a continual excitement and warmth" here on campus which makes his job "so exciting on a day-to-day."
"[It's] so rare in an organization when you're excited to go to work."
Out of the myriad of duties and responsibilities bestowed upon Snyder, he is quick to point out that his main priority and the area of utmost concern for him is ensuring that all Loyola students have the tools and the know-how to succeed.
"I want every student to succeed and I'm certain every student can," he says.
It was from this positive spirit coupled with a dedication to helping students achieve success that Dr. Timothy Snyder's LCASTs were born. The LCASTs-an acronym which stands for "Loyola College Academic Success Tips"-are podcasts that have been airing every other Monday since January. Available for download from iTunes or from the LCAST web site (www.loyola.edu/lcast), each LCAST installment features Snyder revealing one his personal tips for academic success, followed up with elaboration dictating how the specific tip can be put into effective practice. Snyder says that the idea came to him after walking around on Loyola's campus and noticing a majority of students headphones-in-ears, listening to MP3 players. He believes that it is easier for professors and administrators to tweak the methods by which they teach than it is for students to tailor themselves to a new method of learning. Acknowledging this, it makes perfect sense to offer academic tips in a format which will allow students to download the information and then carry that knowledge with them throughout the day.
"[The podcasts] apply to all learning and all classes," says Snyder, who produces the podcasts on his own, expertly choosing each topic and responding to listener comments online about how to make the podcasts more effective.
Producing the podcasts also allows Snyder an outlet for one of his life's passions-music.
"[I] used to be a professional musician, [so the] podcasts are personally enriching because I can write music." Snyder writes, records and mixes all the background music heard on the podcasts, something he believes allows the "podcasts to be intimate."
Snyder, who eagerly commented many times on the "great potential and great students" of Loyola, hopes the podcasts will aid students in building confidence and prevent them from falling behind.
As for his music, perhaps soon Snyder will launch his own Myspace page.
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