Susan Bennett

Susan Bennett joined the Rutgers community in 2013. In her role, Susan works with the First-year Interest Group Seminars (FIGS) program. The FIGS program supports junior and senior student leaders as they develop and teach their own one-credit seminar courses for incoming students. These courses blend crucial information for the college transition and introductory topics within over 30 areas of academic study and career paths. In her position, Susan is responsible for developing a multi-stage training process for the Peer Instructors (PIs) which includes foundational topics in pedagogy, effective teaching strategies, dialogues on diversity, equity and inclusion, classroom management, and leadership skills. Susan also coordinates the curriculum for a 3-credit seminar for PIs that includes discussions focused on teaching practice, course administration, and reflection on the meaning of a teaching experience in one’s professional development. As a member of the FIGS team, Susan serves on the interview and selection team, reads and reviews FIGS course curriculum, and supports the assessment process. Outside her role with the FIGS program, Susan also serves as a career advisor, primarily for undecided and exploring students.

Susan has over ten years of experience working within various areas related to the first-year experience. Prior to working at Rutgers, she coordinated the new student orientation program and first-year programming at Monmouth University for five years and served a mentor for first-year students in a retention office at Sacred Heart University. Susan received her Bachelor of Arts in sociology and education from Bucknell University and her Master of Science in College Student Personnel from Miami University.