A Duke Workday: Where Campus Living Inspires Classroom Learning
Sandra Valnes Quammen, Senior Lecturer of Romance Studies, lives alongside the students she mentors
Each video in “A Duke Workday” series connects you with a staff and faculty member who shares and represents the Duke values of respect, trust, inclusion, discovery and excellence. Is there a colleague you would like for us to highlight in “A Duke Workday?” Let us know.
Sandra Valnes Quammen, Senior Lecturer of Romance Studies, doesn’t just teach at Duke. She lives alongside the students she mentors.
As a Faculty-in-Residence on East Campus, she’s made her home where first-year students begin their Duke journey, turning hallway hellos and late-night conversations into moments of connection and growth.
Through the Faculty-in-Residence program with Undergraduate Education, professors like Valnes Quammen bring learning beyond the classroom, creating space for curiosity, community, and conversation over shared meals, movie nights or simple encounters on the quad. One of 12 faculty members who call East Campus home, she helps students see that education isn’t confined to a lecture hall.
"The faculty in residence role has given me an opportunity to have a broader perspective of what the day to day Duke undergraduate student experience is like, and, I think in that way, it's also informed the way that I teach and the way I interact with students in class,” Valnes Quammen said.
Meet Sandra Valnes Quammen and go behind the scenes in the latest installment of A Duke Workday.
Got a suggestion for a colleague to feature? Let us know.
