Q&A: Meet Professor Jeff Frank
Meet Your Education Mentor
Professor of Education Jeff Frank combines a passion for philosophy, education, and critical thinking in his teaching. With a focus on empowering students to explore and expand their sense of purpose, his courses challenge students to think deeply about the role of education in shaping their world and their own identities.
What makes your approach to teaching unique?
Gratitude. I feel tremendously lucky to be living out my dream of teaching at a liberal arts college. My teaching philosophy is grounded in simplicity: asking good questions and taking students seriously. I focus on creating a space where students are excited to explore their ideas, challenge their assumptions, and engage in meaningful discussions. It’s endlessly gratifying to watch students surprise themselves as they discover new passions.
What do you value most about your students?
Their willingness to surprise themselves. Liberal education is about realizing that we don’t always know ourselves or the world as well as we think. I love when students challenge me or each other, offering fresh perspectives and rethinking longstanding debates. Even a student saying, “I don’t know” is an opportunity to explore and make connections in new ways.
What’s an innovative course you’ve developed?
I’m always redesigning my courses to help students engage with timeless questions in fresh ways. In many of my courses, we read books that are thousands of years old. I come to class each day, excited to see students learn new things about themselves and problems in the world today from discussing books that have been debated and discussed by countless generations of students and teachers. I am grateful to be part of this ongoing conversation of humanity.
What surprises students most about you?
What I hope my students learn from me is that this experience is for them. It is about them finding out what they care about. It is about them deepening their sense of purpose and cultivating their promise and potential. I want each of my students to leave my classroom more confident and more interested in themselves and the world.
What’s been your proudest moment as a professor?
I feel proud every time I see a student realizing that not knowing something is an invitation, not something to run away from. Watching a first-year student discover a passion, develop confidence, and find their path is why I teach at a liberal arts college. It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of that process.
What is an alumni success story that inspires you?
I get to work with too many fantastic students to pick just one. So, maybe I will mention the most recent graduate I spoke with. I am tremendously proud of my former student Harrison Mullen ’18, getting a Ph.D. in my field of philosophy and education at Boston College. He exemplifies so many wonderful Laurentian values. Just this year he won a major grant from the NCAA where he is exploring how we can help student-athletes when their playing careers are over. With this project, I see Harrison exemplifying the deep care for others that so many Laurentians have, coupled with a real innovative and creative spark. Very few philosophers of education are asking the types of questions that Harrison is asking, and I am proud that I’ve known Harrison since his First-Year Seminar! He is one of many great Laurentians out there making things better because of their presence.
