Profile – Michael Wunderlich
Written by Monica Flint
April 9, 2004
Ask Michael Wunderlich what he enjoys most about his many
jobs and responsibilities at
When Wunderlich first began working as a computer consultant for SU’s Computing and Media Services in 1996 he did not know how important teaching would eventually become to him. But over the course of eight years at the university and a number of promotions within CMS, he has discovered that teaching and working with students carries with it not just a financial benefit, but also a benefit that he describes as “almost spiritual.”
“Anyone who loves teaching can tell you about it,” Wunderlich said. “It’s when you look into a student’s eyes and you know you’ve made a difference.” As this school year comes to a close, Wunderlich has begun to research opportunities for doctoral work, hoping to focus on teaching and education and possibly to become a full-time professor. Currently a full-time systems architect for CMS, a part-time adjunct professor in the School of Information Studies, and the faculty fellow for SU’s chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, Wunderlich dedicates a good deal of his time to Syracuse University.
Arriving on-campus at 8 a.m., Wunderlich spends much of his day doing project-type work for CMS, designing computer systems for use in campus labs and on ResNet. Wunderlich teaches his classes during his “lunch hour” or at the end of his workday, and once a week stays on campus to attend “academic hour” at the fraternity. He often checks his e-mail from home to address time-sensitive issues and uses AOL Instant Messenger to communicate with students. Jeff Pitt, Wunderlich’s friend and former manager in CMS said he is so dedicated to his work that he used to call him at the end of the day and say “Go home!” in an attempt to keep him from getting burned out.
While his 8-hour-a-day job
is with CMS and he clearly enjoys working with technology, it is evident to
many that his heart lies very much with teaching. Jon Wright, Wunderlich’s coworker
and officemate, says it is obvious that he genuinely cares about the students
with whom he works. “He’s
patient and listens well,” Wright said. “I think he gets what they take
the class for and gets why they come to see him.” Dave Molta, an assistant dean at the
As he stands in front of his IST 346, Application of Information Systems class, it is easy to see why he is cut out for teaching. Dressed casually in jeans and a polo shirt, Wunderlich could almost be mistaken for one of his students - an image he presents purposely to help his students feel comfortable talking to him. “Students can be put off by a suit and tie,” he said. “I want to earn their respect on merits, not on clothing.” And his students do seem at ease with him. Some crack jokes and many are willing to participate in the class. He asks questions and encourages students to provide their own opinions. Now and then he selects a student specifically saying, “What do you think?” or “Come on, you’ve been awfully quiet,” in order to elicit a response.
“Teaching has helped me to learn a little about people,” Wunderlich said, and as he strives to make the class not simply a lecture, but a discussion, he seems to understand the mindset of the students he is in front of as well as the issues they face. For his students, Wunderlich is an “easy-to-deal-with” professor who “tries to make class entertaining.” His biggest fault, they said, is not much of fault all. “He’s as nice if not nicer than most professors, but he knows so much, I think it’s hard for him to teach it all,” one student in the IST 346 class said. “Sometimes, he assumes we know stuff because it’s so easy to him. He’s always saying ‘You guys know this, right?’ when we probably don’t know the stuff,” another student said.
Wunderlich said his attitude towards teaching requires both student and teacher to be honest and upfront. At the beginning of each semester, he gives his students a list of expectations he has for them and requires them to fill out a form concerning what they expect. Gemayel Jean-Paul, one of Wunderlich’s former students, believes that this approach is fair and works well. “He expects everyone to learn the material taught in the class from the reading assignments,” Jean-Paul said. “He'll expect questions, and if he doesn't get any questions, he believes we all know the material.”
Wunderlich’s commitment to helping students includes not just teaching classes, but also mentoring and guiding students both in his class and in Sigma Phi Epsilon, the fraternity for which he is the faculty fellow. As faculty fellow, he is an advisor to the SigEp brothers, overseeing their academic night and holding office hours for them. However, the SigEp brothers say he does so much more for them than just advise. Wunderlich keeps track of the progress of students and offers a book scholarship for one brother each semester. He has also helped them organize projects such as a faculty reception at the fraternity house and participation in the Relay For Life charity event. Wunderlich even uses his technical expertise to help the fraternity, setting up wireless communication in the fraternity house and building and hosting the chapter’s website. Brian Sandler, a SigEp brother and senior broadcast journalism major, described Wunderlich as the best advisor an organization like a fraternity can ask for. “We welcome his ideas and put them to use instead of just having him as a figurehead to keep in check with university requirements,” Sandler said. The brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon appreciate him so much that they recently built him his own office in the fraternity house and are planning on making him and “honorary brother.” Chris VanDeWeert, the president of SigEp, agreed that Wunderlich was unbelievably dedicated and generous. When the brothers began organizing a Relay for Life team this semester, Wunderlich donated $10 to each member on the team and offered to register and pay for any other brothers who wanted to join the team. “I think this showed how much he cared about the issue and how much he cared to help us out,” VanDeWeert said. Paul Hanus, a freshman member of SigEp, said they appreciate that Wunderlich stops by often and does so much for them. “He’s pretty committed,” Hanus said. “We all love him and we love to see him around the house.”
Even with his immense dedication to the university and his many on-campus jobs and responsibilities, Wunderlich still makes time for his home life, spending time with his wife, Michele, and their three dogs, Cleo, Ally and Jake. Wunderlich said he and his wife usually go out on Friday nights. “We’ve been married eleven years,” he said. “But we’re not dead.” He is also a season-ticket holder for SU basketball, football and drama, and plays golf in the CMS golf league.
Wunderlich said on the whole, he sees teaching and mentoring not as a job, but as an opportunity, and said it is the psychological rewards that make it worthwhile. Those rewards were never more evident than when a worker for SU’s Physical Plant stopped into Wunderlich’s office in Hinds Hall one day. The man said his son was a student in one Wunderlich’s classes and thanked him for the positive impact he had had on his son’s life. “Things like that make you realize how much impact this job can have,” Wunderlich said. “A professor you can relate to can really make a difference.”
In the end though, Dave Molta knew the simplest way to sum up Michael Wunderlich. “I will describe him in student terms,” Molta sad. “Mike is very cool.”
Source
List:
Michael Wunderlich – mrwunder@syr.edu
Dave Molta - djmolta@syr.edu
Chris VanDeWeert - cvandeweert@yahoo.com
Brian Sandler - sandler482@yahoo.com
Paul Hanus - pjhanus@syr.edu
Jon Wright – jlwright@sy.edu
Jeff Pitt - jdpitt@syr.edu
Gemayel Jean-Paul
- gjeanpau@syr.edu