‘Profiles in Faculty Achievement’ video spotlights OHIO’s Jodie Foster

Ohio University Associate Lecturer in Biological Sciences Dr. Jodie Foster believes every student brings something different to her classroom.

Dr. Foster is the latest OHIO faculty member to be featured in University Communications and Marketing’s “Profiles in Faculty Achievement” video series. Launched in October 2014, the video series is designed to recognize outstanding educators and researchers on all of Ohio University’s campuses while promoting the University’s commitment to academic excellence.

Dr. Foster’s professional background is a combination art and medicine. She began her career with an art degree, working for her own graphic design company before deciding to pursue a career as a physical therapist.

It was her background in art and her ability to equate the human body to an art form that offered her a different perspective in appreciating the human body and the cadaver. Her belief that science is a highly creative field that creates a more rounded approach to critical thinking eventually led her to teaching in higher education.

As an educator, Dr. Foster’s approach to teaching revolves around talking to her students. She said sometimes there will be 20 students in her office studying during her office hours, a time when she hopes to foster conversation.

“Part of what makes a successful professor to me is a genuine caring,” Foster explains in the video. “Students want to know that you care about them. One of the things I think makes Ohio University so special is that the professors really care about the students. We want you to succeed.”