University of Rhode Island - Renaissance / Grist Yearbook (Kingston, RI)

Page 23 text:

Who ' s the man inside Ballentine, behind the smile, under the curly top with all the brains and personality in the world? You’ve got it - Richard Sisco, the man we students voted to the top twelve favorite teachers of all six hundred in the University. This is a man who’s dream is to create for URI a law school of its very own. That takes enthusiasm. And enthusiasm is the name of the game for Mr. Sisco. Some people consider accounting and law to be very dry subjects. Yet Sisco never allows a dull moment to sneak into any of his classes. Perhaps this is because he avoids preparing structured lectures. Instead, he just speaks on the subjects in front of the class as his thoughts flow spontaneously. Sisco divulged his magic formula: I present the material in two ways,” he said. First I give my students the material in theory. Then I give them the practical application.” This, he is confident, is what makes the classes interesting, and what makes the material stick. Reading about a case in a text book is usually quite a different thing from seeing how it works in real life, he explained. In a similar setup to the alcohol counseling and health advising centers available to students on campus now, Sisco has plans to add to these services a legal counseling center to aid students having trouble with the law. Sisco believes every student’s education should be well rounded. His students are required to present case studies orally before the rest of the class. This helps them gain the expertise of analyzing and presenting the material on their feet. Afterall, Sisco reasoned, what good is it to have knowledge of the case in your head if you can’t let anyone know what it is? At the end of the semester, my students will have learned to present themselves before their peers, and they may have even learned a little law at the same time. Sisco jested. When asked how he felt about his teaching profession, he openly admitted, I love every minute of it. You just can’t put a price tag on the rewards.” by Nancy Kutcher 19