Annual Report 2016_web

Benson Sexton started serving Lindsey Wilson College students
right after he graduated from the college.
Blue Raiders for Life: Sexton in 2007 with freshman
advising colleagues – all of who are still serving LWC
in new roles. (Left to right): Instructor of
Communication Benson Sexton, Career Services
Director Laura Burwash, Instructor of Communication
Jennifer Furkin and Alumni Director Randy Burns.
A
2004 LWC alumnus, Sexton was named a Freshman
Advisor in the college’s Freshman Year Experience
program two days after he received his LWC bachelor’s
degree in communication.
“I graduated from Lindsey Wilson on a Saturday and started
working the following Monday,” Sexton said. “I was advising
students who were only four years younger than me.”
Now an instructor of communication, Sexton’s teaching
methods and approach to working with LWC students are built
on the insights he gained while working with the college’s firstyear
students.
“FYE taught me first-year students want to learn, but they
may not know how to learn,” he said. “I never assume our
freshmen have the basic learning fundamentals, such as taking
notes and asking questions. Many are not prepared to be successful
in a college classroom.”
Sexton – who joined the college’s faculty full-time in 2012 –
constantly seeks ways that will help him become an even more
effective college teacher.
“I learn from my students every day,” he said. “Our students
come from unique and diverse backgrounds. One of the things
we focus on in class is frame of reference, or how we respond
and deliver messages based on our experiences. When we pull
those unique perspectives out of students, then we begin to
learn about their cultures and how communication is approached
from different backgrounds.”
Sexton encourages a lot of discussion in his classes, and he
also seeks student feedback about his classes.
“I challenge students to debate and talk in class about the hot
topics facing our society,” he said. “In return, the learning environment
is elevated and students begin to connect what we are
discussing to textbook material.”
And students appreciate what and how Sexton has taught
them – he has twice been named Teacher of the Year by the
LWC Student Government Association, most recently for the
2015-16 school year.
“It is quite an honor to receive this award because it was
from Lindsey Wilson students,” Sexton said. “It is extremely
humbling.”
Sexton also looks for ways to expand the classroom experience
for his students. He recently collaborated with LWC colleagues
Instructor of Biology Stefanie Tarter and Professor of
Communication Greg Phelps to land a grant that funded an oral
history project called “The Facing Project.”
“‘The Facing Project’ is a storytelling project that connects
students through the stories of the residents of Southcentral
Kentucky,” he said. “Students are paired with citizens to discuss
past or present issues that have challenged or changed the
direction of their lives. Projects may cover many topics including
poverty, homelessness, hunger and sex trafficking.”
LWC students will interview, write and publish the stories of
people who have met triumph or tragedy in an effort to educate
the broader community. The stories will culminate when students
bring the stories to life by taking on the voice of their
subject and presenting it as a monologue on stage.
“The ultimate goal is to provide awareness about social disruption
in our community,” Sexton said. “Our hope is through
‘The Facing Project’ we will encourage social change. This initiative
is a perfect match for LWC. Our goals are similar – to
make a difference and change lives.”
Sexton said that is why he is passionate about teaching at
LWC.
“I attribute much of who I am today to Lindsey Wilson College,”
said Sexton, who is a native of nearby Albany, Ky. “I
was afforded experiences I would have never thought possible
at a small college in Kentucky. I want to give back to the college
that gave so much to me and changed my life. ”
As an LWC alumnus and a native of the region, Sexton has
an unique understanding of LWC students.
“I know what’s like to live in a one-stoplight town and go to
college leaving behind a close-knit family and community,” he
said. “We need to love and understand these young people because
many are first-generation college students. They are looking
to us for guidance as they meet the uncertainty of college
for the first time.”
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