Time Well Spent

Since being hired at Oakland University in 1983, Andrea Eis, distinguished professor of film studies and production, has made quite an impact on the College of Arts and Sciences through her work with the arts.

Born and raised in and around New York City, Eis left the East Coast to pursue her education in the Midwest, earning degrees from Beloit College, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and Cranbrook Academy of Art before she found herself teaching at Oakland University.

Eis has created a network of friends among the faculty — which have helped inspire her throughout her career — and the opportunities she has received have given her much to be proud of. She has been able to develop new courses, teach study abroad programs and develop new majors.

“I was on the committees that developed the majors in studio art, graphic design and film,” says Eis. “They’ve all been very successful with high student interest, so it feels good to have been a part of that.”

Throughout all her accomplishments at OU, Eis is most proud of the success of the film production major. As the first person to develop a filmmaking course at OU, she has enjoyed watching this course of study expand and develop highly talented individuals who go on to have success in the filmmaking industry.

Her greatest motivation over the past 40 years at OU, however, is her students. “I have been so impressed with the students since I started,” Eis says. “They are creative, interested in learning, determined and enthusiastic. They make teaching a great experience.”

“I am continually amazed by their ideas, the creativity they bring to making their films, their enthusiasm and interest,” she adds.

Eis knows that she will be forever connected to this place. The time she has spent here has made a difference to the campus she has called home for so many years.