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Teaching is a mammoth part of faculty members’ — and coaches’ — jobs, but their work does not end when students leave the classroom or field. There’s preparation, advising, grading (lots and lots of grading), research, and more.

This summer, APSCUF is going behind the scenes to show you how faculty members and coaches continue to devote themselves to affordable, quality education even when class is not in session.

For our inaugural post, meet Christine Karpinski, an assistant professor of nutrition at West Chester University.

I want to start off by saying that I love my job. I taught my first class in 1999 and immediately found my calling, after having worked outside of academia for 10 years. This blog post is in no way a complaint about my workload.

Anyone who knows me knows I don’t exaggerate, and my stories are always short and to the point. So let me get to the point: I work an average of 60 to 70 hours per week during a semester. Oh, did I mention that the 60 to 70 hours includes Saturdays and Sundays? Anyone who doesn’t understand that faculty must work on weekends doesn’t understand what it takes to manage four courses per semester and an average of 120 students.

So let me explain how those hours add up. Let me start on the weekend, because that’s truly where it begins. I typically work for 10 hours each weekend. This entails grading weekly assignments and larger papers/projects. Then there are the emails (about 20 per day). I also need to prep for the upcoming week. I never teach the exact same material in any given semester, so I am constantly updating my notes, slide, handouts, etc. Oh, and then there are more emails.

In my current position, I teach four classes per semester, so I’m standing in front of a classroom full of students for 12 hours each week, but that’s the easiest part of my job. I advise about 60 students about their schedules and professional aspirations, which adds up to a minimum of 900 minutes each semester. Then there are my five office hours, when any student or advisee can pop in with questions or concerns. In between classes and office hours, I spend several hours a day organizing, grading, and answering emails. These hours also entail collaborating with fellow faculty on projects, scholarship, and service. My most time-consuming service is my work with the WCU athletes for more than six years: providing nutrition services. For the past few years, I have mentored a group of nutrition undergraduate students who are interested in working with athletes. Mentoring these students adds many more hours to my work with the athletes than if I had just done the work myself — but it’s important work. Lastly, I attend approximately three to four hours of department and committee meetings every week. My service on these committees at all levels varies week to week, but on average takes about three hours of my time. Outside of all of this is my scholarship — which often falls by the wayside during a semester.

All told, I work an average of 10 hours per day, 10 hours per weekend, and several evenings each week. What I’ve told you is the truth — and I find great satisfaction in every hour I give to my job.

By the way, I haven’t even discussed the innumerable hours I work each winter and summer (while off contract) to prepare for the next semester, and to continue with my writing, research, and service. But that’s for another day …

Christine Karpinski is a board-certified specialist in sports nutrition and an assistant professor in West Chester University’s department of nutrition.

Negotiators for APSCUF and the State System met June 10. Click here to read Friday’s press release.

The next faculty negotiations session is scheduled for June 24. The next coach session is slated for June 27.

Members, click here to sign up for text-message alerts about future contract news.

In case you happened to miss them when we first shared them on our social media accounts, we are revisiting some examples of our faculty members’ and coaches’ accomplishments.

• A Bloomsburg University coach was named to the 2017 College Football Hall of Fame.
• A California University professor of biological and environmental science received an award for preserving the lives of rare songbirds.
• A Cheyney University art professor painted the APSCUF-sponsored dinosaur for Harrisburg’s Dinomite Summer art exhibition. The piece is featured on Front Street for the summer.
• For a biology professor at Clarion University, simply reading facts was not satisfactory for him to teach his students, so he decided to build his own plane.
• Researchers named a rare species of insect after an East Stroudsburg biology professor who contributed his findings to their work.
• A professor of forensic science at Edinboro University made a remarkable discovery using the chemical luminal to detect blood traces that date back to the Revolutionary War.
• Have you ever wondered if the sell-by date on your food was completely accurate? A physics professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania believes he’s found a far more accurate alternative.
• For a geology professor from Kutztown University, curiosity sparked greater interest for her and some of her students. They are searching for a kiln containing historic military effects.
• Numerous faculty members have full-time work loads, but they still manage to work on personal accomplishments. Dr. Laurie Cannady from Lock Haven University recently published her memoir, “Crave.”
• Out of 290 nominees, Mansfield University’s professor Jeffrey Jacobsen has been nominated for the 2017 Music Educator Award.
• For a Millersville University professor, basic fire and bus drills are not enough to protect children from the dangers their generation faces. He advocates for additional terror preparedness for children, especially in the wake of increased school shootings.
• A Shippensburg University professor dedicated her time and effort to a cause she is passionate about: a bilingual textbook for Taiwanese students to teach them English.
• As the heat continues to rise in these upcoming summer months, an exercise-science professor at Slippery Rock University shares his personal experience with melanoma, along with his research findings on the risks associated with harmful sun exposure.
• A West Chester University art professor uses her art as an avenue to display her interests, both politically and environmentally.

APSCUF strives to keep our members and followers updated on our faculty members’ and coaches’ numerous accomplishments. Don’t forget to follow us on our social media sites for more great stories featuring our incredible faculty and coaches. Have a tip for us? Tag APSCUF on social media or email it to .

—Corrinne Rebuck, APSCUF intern

Left photos: Marietta Dantonio-Madsen paints APSCUF’s Gradusaurus. She took pictures throughout the process and plans to self-publish a book about the project. Second from right: Dantonio-Madsen visits the finished dinosaur on Front Street in Harrisburg. (Photos courtesy of Marietta Dantonio-Madsen) Far right: A closer look at Gradusaurus.

Marietta Dantonio-Madsen laughed constantly during a recent project.

“I’ve never painted baby dinosaurs,” she said with a chuckle.

The Cheyney University art professor depicted the miniature prehistoric creatures on a much larger reptile: APSCUF’s Tyrannosaurus Rex, part of Harrisburg’s Dinomite Summer outdoor art exhibition. The T-Rex features 14 tiny dinos — one for each State System university — on each side.

Dantonio-Madsen spent eight to 10 hours a day in a frigid storage area on her campus adding academic symbols, a torch, a medallion, and a mortarboard (Her own undergraduate cap is under the foam, fiberglass cloth, and resin.) to the almost-8-foot fiberglass Gradusaurus.

She had from mid-April to mid-May to complete the piece, and she used every day — except for a single-day hiatus for eye surgery.

Visiting the makeshift studio to help were the artist’s husband, fellow faculty members, and students — including a brand-new transfer student who spent three days with Dantonio-Madsen. She also solicited ideas from Cheyney faculty members, said B.J. Mullaney, APSCUF’s Cheyney chapter president.

The project was an opportunity for a university going through challenges to have some fun, showcase talent, and to connect it to fellow institutions in the State System, Mullaney said.

“I know that the faculty were very excited that Cheyney was the university that was able to do the dino,” she said.

This was not Dantonio-Madsen’s first ginormous-animal-painting rodeo. She worked on the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Foundation’s sculpture in Harrisburg’s 2004 Cow Parade. (The bovine now resides in the university’s library.)

“I knew the amount of work,” she said. “And I knew I could do it.”

She looked at the project — for which she volunteered — as an opportunity to give back.

“This was my way to help,” she said. “Through art, I’ve always been able to reach a much larger audience. I am such an advocate of education, and I want everyone to see the advantages of higher education.”

One of Dantonio-Madsen’s biggest challenges while creating the piece was the humidity. It rained during the weeks in the garage, and that plus the cold temperatures slowed the paint’s dry time. Health issues also made ladder work painful.

Dantonio-Madsen offered to paint the dinosaur after APSCUF’s Executive Council approved the sponsorship, which benefits Shalom House in Harrisburg. APSCUF is listed on the plaque at the base of the T-Rex, and the exhibition includes additional opportunities for the association’s exposure.

“It’s good to have a dinosaur representing our professors and students in a positive way,” APSCUF President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash said, alluding to a faculty member being called an “old dinosaur” in March’s budget-appropriations hearings.

Gradusaurus will stand up for higher education near the APSCUF office on Front Street in Harrisburg throughout the summer. APSCUF then will determine its permanent home.

—Kathryn Morton, APSCUF associate director of communications

Mansfield University student Corrinne Rebuck will work in the state office through August. Click here to learn more about future APSCUF internships.

State APSCUF’s government-relations and communications summer 2016 intern is Corrinne Rebuck, who just completed her junior year at Mansfield University. Rebuck double majors in political science with an international-security concentration and psychology with a human-resource-management concentration.

The Harrisburg native said she is looking forward to the state events in which she will be involved.

“I hope to gain a greater perspective and understanding into what APSCUF is doing for my university’s faculty, as well as the other members APSCUF represents,” Rebuck said.

In her free time, she enjoys reading, spending time with her family and friends, and engaging in outdoor activities.