Despite misconceptions of uninterrupted vacationing and free time, many Wilkes University professors have dedicated full-time working schedules to research, development, education and mentoring over the summer season.

Take, for example, Dr. Anne Batory, professor of marketing and interim chair for the department of entrepreneurship, leadership studies and marketing, and Dr. Jeffery Stratford, assistant professor of biology.

Batory and the rest of the faculty and staff within the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership have offered a multitude of summer classes spread throughout all summer sessions. These classes included several held on weekends and evenings on the Wilkes main campus, on the Pocono campus and in Mesa, Ariz.

The Sidhu faculty has also been at work assessing and preparing for courses offered in the upcoming academic year.

“In the Sidhu School we have also spent time and will continue to spend time reviewing our curriculum to be certain the experience meets student learning needs and our goals for learning outcomes,” Batory said.

Many of the faculty have also devoted time to professional development.

“This past summer many of our faculty presented at conferences and networked with colleagues in the United States, China, and Europe,” said the interim chair. “Our research studies are typically at various stages of development and summer provides some time to read, create, analyze, evaluate, and write. At the end of summer there is a plan for continued professional development throughout the academic year”.

The business and leadership staff are not the only group that can be seen working on the Wilkes campus during the summer.

Stratford has devoted the majority of his summer, over 30 hours per week, working on at least one research project and at least another six hours per week on research meetings and papers. Wilkes biology students will later present their findings.

The professor of biology also spends on average three hours per week working with outreach programs including Wilkes Women Empowered by Science, or WEBS, and catching birds for their summer camp.

Batory and Stratford both say they enjoy at least a week’s worth of leisure time during the summer despite their full schedules.

“This renewal time is important for body and soul,” said Batory.