Programs provide informal settings for students to get to know their instructors

Ever want to sit down and chat with one of your favorite instructors over lunch or coffee? With the Take Your Professor to Lunch and Coffee Connections programs, undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences have opportunities to get to know their professors outside the classroom, taking informal conversations in more directions than office hours or a quick talk after class can offer.
If a student wants to ask about educational or research opportunities, career paths, or just break down the divisions of a student-teacher bond, instructors are usually willing to dedicate this extra time.
With the Take Your Professor to Lunch Program, a student can grab a bite to eat with an Arts and Sciences professor, and invite up to two more students to join, once per semester.
Meanwhile, Coffee Connections, which launched during the COVID-19 pandemic and offers virtual and in-person options, allows students to chat over coffee with a professor twice a semester. Both programs provide a small monetary incentive through a Dining Dollars meal card or $5 digital Starbucks card, depending on which program the student chooses, for each approved participant.
We caught up with a few students and professors who grabbed either lunch or coffee, and here is what they had to say.