Master Staff

Every Residential College has its own master staff, which comprises the college master, associate master, and assistant master. The master, a senior faculty member, guides the academic and programmatic life of the college. The associate master shares some of the masters responsibilities, while assistant masters—graduate students—assist in administrative matters, help the executive board, and help communication between the students and both the master and the Office of Residential Colleges.

 

For more information about the Master Staff of Residential Colleges, click here for our information source.

 

List of Master Staff

NAME POSITION TITLE, DEPARTMENT
Sara Broaders Master Senior Lecturer, WCAS Psychology
David Nelson Associate Master Associate Professor, Jour Editorial
Paul Thelen Assistant Master

 

MASTER

Each residential college has a Master. The main roles of the Master are to provide leadership for CCI and to provide an example of student-faculty interactions aside from within the classroom. In addition, the Master has certain responsibilities, which include facilitating student-initiated programming, administering the budget of the college, recruiting the Fellows, and appointing the Associate Master and/or Assistant Master.

 

Ayers CCI’s current Master is Sara Broaders.

 

Sara C. Broaders

Senior Lecturer, WCAS Psychology

Office: Swift 104B

Phone: (847) 491-3652

E-mail: s-broaders@northwestern.edu

 

Sara Broaders is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University. She teaches a variety of courses, including: Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Research Methods, Psychology and Law, Children and the Law, and a Freshman Seminar on Psychology and Weird Beliefs. Her research interests concern the role of gesture in cognition and communication, particularly in the contexts of forensic interviews and problem solving.

For more information about Sara Broader’s work and achievement, click here to see her website.

 

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ASSOCIATE MASTER

Most residential colleges have one or two associate masters. Usually full-time faculties at Northwestern, the Associate Master typically shares some of the Master’s organizational responsibilities, sometimes assisting in the recruitment of fellows. The responsibilities of the Associate Master involves accommodating the needs of the residential college, the needs of the Master, and the special capabilities of the individual.

 

Ayers CCI’s current Associate Master is David Nelson.

 

David Nelson

Associate Professor, Jour Editorial

Office: MTC 2-125

Phone: (847) 491-2087

E-mail: d-nelson@northwestern.edu

 

David Nelson teaches graduate courses in media management and ethics, media marketing and news at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He also teaches undergraduate reporting classes and an adult writing class. Prof. Nelson served as chairman of the Newspaper Department and also as Associate Dean of the school. Prior to that, Prof. Nelson was a news executive at Time Inc. and at Knight-Ridder Newspapers. Active in the industry as a consultant today, Prof. Nelson served or serves on advisory boards of Morris Communications, Chesapeake Communications, the Newsletter Publishers Association, the Specialized Information Publishers Association, the Associated Press, the New York Times College Advisory Board and the Inland Press Association.

Professor Nelson holds the Carnegie Teaching Fellowship at Northwestern University. He teaches the only undergraduate course in the U.S. that examines the roles and relationships of the military and the news media. Nelson also facilitates conferences on this topic between news executives and ranking officers in the U.S. military. Northwestern induced Professor Nelson to its “Teachers Honor Roll” in 2002. He recently was named Northwestern’s “Professor of the Year” for 2007.

For information about Professor Nelson’s work and achievements, click here to see his website.

 

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ASSISTANT MASTER

The Master Staff also includes a designated graduate student position, or the Assistant Master. Assistant Masters are full-time graduate students who act as resource person, performing various administrative tasks under the direction of the Master and RC Coordinator. Some organizational tasks include working with the Master to ensure Fellows participation in the life of the RC, attending meetings, participating in college events, and interacting with students. Other responsibilities of the Assistant Master include facilitating budgetary procedures and advising the executive board in planning events, as well as overseeing the special equipment and facilities of the college.

Ayers CCI’s current Assistant Master is Paul Thelen.

 

Paul Thelen

Graduate Student, Interdisciplinary PhD Theatre & Drama

E-mail: p-thelen@u.northwestern.edu

Born and raised in Iowa, Paul earned a BFA in Theatre and a BA in Political Science from Creighton University. He performed in the Nebraska Theatre Caravan’s national tour of A Christmas Carol, and then entered the Iowa College of Law as an Iowa Merit Scholar. After graduating with distinction from law school, he matriculated into Northwestern University’s Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Theatre & Drama. Currently, he is a doctoral candidate at Northwestern. His dissertation focuses on the performance preparation and practice of litigators in American jurisprudence. Paul teaches courses in theatre theory, history and criticism.

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10 QUESTIONS FOR THE MASTER STAFF

Sara Broaders

If you were a fruit, which fruit would you be and why?

I don’t think I would want to be a fruit….too short a shelf life. If I had to choose, I guess I would say a fresh fig, since they’re my favorite, and they’re a little out of the ordinary.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Flight!

If you could go swimming in something other than water, what would it be?

Lime Jello

What are you planning to be for Halloween this year?

Probably a witch, mostly because I have a costume for that.

What is/was you favorite stuffed animal? And what did you name it?

When I was little, we had a huge stuffed lion, which was as big as I was when I was 6. His name was Clarence. I have no idea where the name came from, though…

What was your dream career as a child?

Actually, to be a psychologist!

Whats your personal theme song?

I don’t have just one. In part it depends on my mood. “Crazy” by Patsy Cline is my husband’s and my song. I’m not sure that I could pick just one other song to be “mine”. Some of the songs that might be in the running on a particular day are: “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor; “Beautiful Day” by Colin Hay; “Without You Here” by the Goo Goo Dolls; “Better Class of Losers” by Randy Travis; “I Walk the Line” by Johnny Cash”, and “If I Had $1,000,000″ by the Bare Naked Ladies. Music is totally a mood issue for me…. And my taste is a bit eclectic (e.g. everything from Classical to AC/DC to Dragostea Din Tei).

What has been your favorite encounter with the police?

You don’t really expect me to answer that question, do you? [Note: I definitely have one, but I've never been arrested or even come close to being arrested...]

Whats your most embarrassing moment?

You don’t really expect me to answer that question, do you?

Whats the first thing on your to-do list after you retire?

I’m not sure that I ever will retire. Travel would be the highest on my list if I ever do.

David Nelson

If you were a fruit, which fruit would you be and why?

Lime. I’m green in terms of my eco-philosophy and earthly activities.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Fly. Fast way to get around Chicago – and avoid O’Hare totally.

If you could go swimming in something other than water, what would it be?

Maybe carbonated water. That’s as far as I would want to go.

What are you planning to be for Halloween this year?

A professor. That’s a joke. Get it?

What is/was you favorite stuffed animal? And what did you name it?

A teddy bear. His name was Adon.

What was your dream career as a child?

Writer.

Whats your personal theme song?

Light My Fire

What has been your favorite encounter with the police?

Getting off a speeding ticket where I really was speeding.

Whats your most embarrassing moment?

Singing in the church choir. I have no voice for song. People stared at me. Every Sunday morning.

Whats the first thing on your to-do list after you retire?

Golf. More golf. Much more golf.

 

Paul Thelen

If you were a fruit, which fruit would you be and why?

I would be a grape, because of all the possibilities!!! I could be anything from a simple raisin to an expensive bottle of wine.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Legilimency (HP fans know this one), because it would make my dissertation work go much, much faster!

If you could go swimming in something other than water, what would it be?

Chocolate Milk? No, better make that regular milk. Wait. My answer depends on whether or not I am the only one swimming.

What are you planning to be for Halloween this year?

I will be one year older, because I am a Halloween baby!

What is/was you favorite stuffed animal? And what did you name it?

Hmm. I didn’t really have a favorite stuffed animal. However, I had a live dog named Penny.

What was your dream career as a child?

I wanted to be Johnny Carson…and a cowboy.

Whats your personal theme song?

As Time Goes By

What has been your favorite encounter with the police?

I helped an officer arrest an alleged car thief. No, I have never been arrested.

Whats your most embarrassing moment?

I embrace embarrassment. Most embarrassing moment…does performing as one of the Village People in a high school choir concert count?

Whats the first thing on your to-do list after you retire?

I hope I never want to retire.

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