Meet Pacific’s Professors-in-Residence

For Assistant Professor Houman Kamran Habibkhani, living in Southwest Hall means more than an incredibly short commute to the John Chambers Technology Center or easy access to meals at the Marketplace. Most importantly, it gives him the opportunity to connect with students outside the classroom and create meaningful relationships. 

Through University of the Pacific’s Professors-in-Residence program, faculty members bring mentorship, conversation and opportunities for connection directly into the residence halls, helping students navigate college life and build community beyond the classroom.

The program supports faculty-student relationships and a student-centered campus experience, creating opportunities for professors and students to get to know one another as people.

Meet Pacific’s three Professors-in-Residence and learn how they are helping students thrive.

Jackie Smith-Ratliff

Smith-Ratliff, an assistant professor of practice at Benerd College, is a licensed marriage and family therapist and says the role is a natural extension of her work as an educator and therapist, both of which center on relationships.

“Being a Professor-in-Residence gives me an opportunity to connect with students as whole people, to learn about their interests, hear their concerns and support them as they navigate college life,” she said.

Living on campus has also strengthened her own connection to Pacific. She especially values everyday opportunities to spend time with students, sharing a meal and checking in with them.

Those seemingly small interactions can make a meaningful difference, she said, helping students feel seen and supported while making it easier to ask questions or find campus resources.

Smith-Ratliff encourages students to reach out even when they don’t necessarily need help but want to chat.

“I am also here to celebrate their successes, hear their ideas and learn from them,” she said. “Building community is something we do together.”

Jeffrey Hole

As Pacific’s inaugural director of First-Year Experience and Professor-in-Residence for Grace Covell Hall, Hole focuses on helping students navigate the transition to college and build connections that support their academic, social and personal development.

He sees the program as an opportunity to deepen Pacific’s existing sense of community by changing how students experience their living spaces and relationships with faculty.

When professors are present in residence halls, he says, students have opportunities to see a more personal side of their instructors.

"Students begin to see professors differently and in a way that makes them more human and approachable than they might otherwise if they were just seeing them in the classroom,” he said.

Hole said the experience benefits faculty, too. Living alongside students gives professors a fuller understanding of who their students are, including how their needs may differ from those of previous generations.

That perspective can inform how faculty teach, connect with students and create opportunities for growth both inside and outside the classroom.

Houman Kamran Habibkhani

For Assistant Professor of Computer Science Habibkhani, the Professor-in-Residence program offers a chance to get to know students beyond academics. He enjoys engaging in everything from board games and study breaks to shared meals and movie nights. 

The flexibility to develop group activities with students around his own interests is one of the program’s strengths, he said, and empowers professors to find natural ways to engage with students.

What makes his work at Pacific especially rewarding is watching students grow.

“That feeling at the end of the semester where I compare a student to when they started, and can see how much progress they have made, that is a fulfilling feeling. It makes me feel like I have accomplished something, touched somebody. That's valuable.” 

Through everyday interactions and shared experiences, Pacific’s Professors-in-Residence are helping make the campus a place where learning, mentorship and community are a culture in and out of the classroom.

Learn more about Professors-in-Residence.