Alpheus Mautjana - Faculty Spotlight

About Prof. Mautjana

"Dr. Alpheus," as his students call him, started working with college students as a teaching assistant (TA) during his PhD studies at the University of Florida (UF). His natural interest in students' academic welfare earned him a Chemistry Teaching Award at UF. After teaching and research tenure at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, Prof. Mautjana joined Santa Fe College. He teaches General Chemistry courses.

Prof. Mautjana's interest in students' academic welfare dominates his approach to teaching. He cultivates closer interactions with students, especially those coming to college with significant academic deficits. These are invariably first generation in college and are from underserved communities. As a result of building trust, Prof. Mautjana's former students keep in touch with him, and quite often they meet his current students and share upbuilding experiences. Noticing the benefit of these interactions, Prof. Mautjana proposed to his colleagues - the Chemistry Faculty - a formal arrangement, which is the Colloquium. The Colloquium is a program where faculty create a forum and invite their former students as speakers and all current "freshman" students as the audience. Professors, administrators and/or qualified career services personnel within the college may also be invited as Guest Speakers.

After four successful conferences (and counting), the colloquium has become a convention of sorts for chemistry students. It is an occasion where they mingle and talk regardless of their station within the chemistry series. The colloquium is SF College’s way of inspiring disheartened students, shepherding them, and eventually retaining them in their chosen field and setting them up for success. Through the colloquium, students are able to see faculty as a united body rather than as individuals with unrelated agendas. Problems, which a given student thought were unique to him or her, are now discussed at the colloquium along with remedies suggested by fellow students who overcame such difficulties or by an expert who helps people manage them. The idea is for a struggling student to not feel alone anymore but that he or she belongs in SF college community!

Spotlight Video

In the following video, Prof. Mautjana discusses the Colloquium as a means to intervene in the struggles experienced by college students from underserved communities as well as by most first-generation students.

Additional Resources

If you are interested in sharing your expertise or experiences with our "freshman" students as a Guest Speaker at the Colloquium, please send an email to alpheus.mautjana@sfcollege.edu.

Prof. Mautjana has published two general chemistry workbooks and has donated the royalties to SF College Foundation. These are designed for student's own reading and practice so they can wrap their minds around each topic in College Chemistry I (https://he.kendallhunt.com/chem1_mautjana) and College Chemistry II (https://he.kendallhunt.com/mautjana).

Support "Dr. Alpheus" by recommending these workbooks to students you know who contemplate taking chemistry.

Internationally, Prof. Mautjana has published two math books to provide insight (across the language barrier) and a guide not only for Sotho-speaking math teachers but for the students as well. The first math book helps a self-confidence-building teacher as well as the student to solidify their numeracy skills (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1155525). The second book does similar on algebra topics (https://www.smashwords.com/books/1168968).

You can help promote numeracy in rural South Africa by funding a supply of these books to Elementary and Middle schools in Limpopo, South Africa. If interested, please send an email to alpheus.mautjana@sfcollege.edu.