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K. SCHAICH, Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, 65 Dudley Rd, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

A potter transforms a mass of clay into a beautiful and functional bowl, pitcher, or platter. Professors share with potters the challenge of developing the full form and potential of their starting material. A professor must transform a novice intellectual into a knowledgeable, technically-competent scientist and also a capable professional. Teaching the former without the latter is like leaving clay without shape, glazing, or firing. Accomplishing the latter demands that contemporary professors be mentors as well as traditional academic and research advisors. As mentors, professors have incredible opportunities -- and responsibilities to mold and develop the full potential of their students, and what they do (or don't do) has a critical impact on students' futures.

Students must not only learn facts but must be able to think with the information, apply it creatively, and solve problems with it. They must be able to understand and function in the professional world, know what to expect, and how to meet challenges. They must develop perspective and learn how to weigh values and make decisions. They must develop confidence to move beyond the familiar to embrace the new, whether leaving the student table to network with industry members at local IFT meetings, getting established in a new job, or taking on new responsibilities in an existing job. They must learn the political and personal skills necessary to survive and thrive as professionals, and they need connections to people and organizations.

These qualities are not intuitive for students; they do not develop in a vacuum or with age. They evolve when professors actively invest in and commit to molding students beyond the classroom and laboratory. As for the potter, time and attention given by a professor in molding a student reaps large rewards in the quality of the final product.