VCU news

By Loan Nguyen

You could measure the success of Fernando Tenjo-Fernandez, Ph.D., by all of the hats he’s worn since arriving at VCU in 2003: associate professor of biology, associate chair for the Department of Biology in the College of Humanities and Sciences, co-chair of the Men of Color Initiative and many more. But the metric Tenjo-Fernandez uses to measure success is different. He measures success by the engagement of his students in the classroom.

Tenjo-Fernandez said he sees students most engaged when they have the opportunity to work hands-on. He’s seen this firsthand while teaching his “Yeast and Fermentation” class.

“In the class, students have to figure out all of the scientific processes behind fermented products such as cheese, kimchi, sourdough bread and traditional fermented products from other countries. They need to know basic biology, biochemistry, chemistry,” Tenjo-Fernandez said. “It is incredibly extensive.”

Students start the class by presenting a proposal of what fermented product they want to make. Tenjo-Fernandez observed that at this stage, students are understandably “shaky” and not confident in their own knowledge or skills. Through experiential learning, students grow their confidence. The class culminates in a final presentation with faculty and people from outside the university invited to attend. By the time this presentation rolls around, the students are much more self-assured than before.

“It is impressive,” Tenjo-Fernandez said about the growth he observes in students throughout the semester. “At some point, students can express by themselves what they’ve learned. I can see the enthusiasm that they have when they learn it. They can explain [their work] very well. They can answer questions. That’s when I know that I have made an impact, when students are able to clearly communicate what they learned.”

Though Tenjo-Fernandez has spent most of his time at the university as a professor, he arrived at VCU as a postdoctoral fellow on the MCV Campus. He says there were obstacles in the transition from conducting research to teaching.

“I was trained as a scientist,” Tenjo-Fernandez said. “And even though I could explain things, it was a different idea to express what I learned or what I know to a scientific audience who knows what I’m doing versus students where I have to explain in a way where they can understand.”

"I always have to bring something new to keep [students] engaged. That’s a motivation for me."

Fernando Tenjo-Fernandez, Ph.D.

One of his key takeaways from teaching over the years is to keep things as simple as possible. He believes that students have to learn all of the basics before they can move on to more complicated concepts. He’s also learned to be receptive to students’ needs, which informs his work with the Men of Color Initiative. The initiative is dedicated to the enrollment, student success and postgraduation outcomes for Black males and Latinos.

“Sometimes even the students don’t know what resources they need,” Tenjo-Fernandez said. “So we [at the MOC Initiative] try to make ways that the students can learn what is available for them. It is important to let them know [of those resources].”

Many people have served as mentors for Tenjo-Fernandez throughout his career at VCU. He highlighted D’Arcy P. Mays, Ph.D., associate dean of research and operations at the College of Humanities and Sciences and interim associate vice provost of institutional research and decision support, as someone who helped him navigate the complex structure of a university when he first started at VCU. 

“When Professor Fernando Tenjo-Fernandez arrived at VCU, I was assigned to be his mentor through [what is now] the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence & Faculty Success’ new faculty mentoring program. From the beginning, it was clear that Fernando had a passion for teaching and wanted his students to succeed,” said Mays, a professor in the Department of Statistical Sciences and Operations Research. “As he has now moved into leadership positions in his department and at the university, Fernando continues to positively impact the lives of students, faculty and staff with the same integrity and passion that he had when he first arrived at VCU. It has been a great pleasure to have him as a colleague.”

Tenjo-Fernandez also credits Donald Young, Ph.D., professor and former chair of the Department of Biology, who was Tenjo’s longtime chair and who initially helped him move over to the Monroe Park Campus. Mentor William B. Eggleston Jr., Ph.D., former associate professor in the Department of Biology, helped Tenjo-Fernandez understand the campus culture and the importance of learning leadership skills. He also expresses thanks to Aashir Nasim, Ph.D., chief diversity officer and adviser for ONE VCU and vice president of the Office of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success, for helping him develop his leadership skills through the Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute, part of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU.

Some of Tenjo-Fernandez’s students look to him as their own mentors and continue to keep in touch with him after their classes together are over. Just last year, a former student informed him that she had graduated medical school and invited him to her graduation ceremony, which he attended online.

Those kinds of relationships are what drive Tenjo-Fernandez to continue his work, and to continue it at VCU specifically. “I’m still very interested in learning from the students,” Tenjo-Fernandez said. “I always have to bring something new to keep them engaged. That’s a motivation for me.”

“I have found a community that embraces diversity,” said Tenjo-Fernandez. “We are committed to every person’s and every student’s success.”

Editor’s Note: Diversity Drives Excellence Profiles introduce you to some of the diverse faculty and staff members whose work makes VCU such an uncommon and amazing university. The Office of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success (IES) publishes the profiles on its blog and promotes them across its social media channels.