Dr. Ryan Franklin is a well-known professor at Piedmont University, but not just because of his popular history classes. Students are just as likely to see him hanging around campus as they are in the classroom.
“Being able to go to the Commons [and] trying to run on campus when I get off work, it does create a stronger relationship [with students] because it is interactions outside the classroom or my office,” Franklin said. “I just think it demonstrates to students that I do have things going on than just history. I think anytime you can interact and engage with students beyond the classroom it strengthens bonds”
Franklin always offers his open-door policy during office hours on his first day of classes. He says students are always welcome to approach him not just for help in class but also to talk about current events or anything else surrounding history. This represents his passion for history and the world as a whole, and it offers a chance to get to know his students outside of the classroom.
“I see Dr. Franklin around campus all the time,” sophomore Emmi Dreger said, who is in one of his classes. “He is often with his family but he always makes a point of emphasis to wave and say hi to me and other students.”
Franklin also uses his time on campus to hang out with his family. He can often be found in the cafeteria with his two daughters, who he says love having cafeteria lunch with their dad. His girls often join him in the office to hang out while he is grading papers and planning lessons. Occasionally, they get to help their dad out as “enforcers,” while Franklin’s students are taking a quiz or an exam.
“I want to be present for my wife and kids. It is the intention that I set for myself,” Franklin said. “This is a job that allows me to have flexibility with my family, and that is the most important part of my life.”
Jobs like this are a rare breed. Not every teaching position allows a professor to bring their kids in to spend time with them while helping students. It is not every teaching position that the professor has the ability to know all of his/her students by name and even know some personally, inviting them in to talk about anything whenever they want.
Being present with his family and while simultaneously being present with his students is the best of both worlds for Franklin. And maybe, several years into the future, his two worlds can truly collide. “If they became Piedmont students, that would be awesome!”
