Pradip Ananda

Pradip has been working in higher education for 20 years, with his prime focus being student development. He has worked with residence life, student conduct, academic advising, and career guidance. When not working with students, you can find him on his bike, usually cycling for a charity, playing drums with his band, or hosting a table of Dungeons & Dragons.

1. HOW DO YOU TEACH OR EXEMPLIFY APPLIED CRITICAL THINKING?
In my 20 years of working, I’ve had the privilege of engaging with people at their highest points and in their most challenging moments. While these experiences may seem vastly different, the core question remains: What do you do with this moment to shape the future? In some ways, I'm like that 5-year-old who's always asking why, but I try to steer my questions to help get to the root of what someone wants to accomplish. Ultimately, the decision rests squarely on the student's shoulders, and they learn a bit more about themselves in the process. There's a compounding effect to all of this because the more you recognize how you can think through a problem, the more empowered you become to solve problems later on. I believe in asking the right questions to encourage critical thinking and guiding people to discover their own solutions rather than simply providing answers.

2. WHY DO YOU THINK APPLIED CRITICAL THINKING IS IMPORTANT IN YOUR DOMAIN OR ROLE?
We live in this interesting time where others heavily influence our actions and appearance via social media, and our words are not always our own (e.g. using ChatGPT). I want people to be more confident in their decision-making and aware of their thought processes. It sometimes feels like our thoughts become a homogenized mass instead of unique to our individual selves. Regardless of where you are and/or what you're doing, you should think critically about what's happening. Is this right? Can this be done better? What's my role in the bigger picture? By pushing people to analyze their choices and reasoning, I help them develop the skills to think critically and apply that thinking in any context.

3. CAN YOU SHARE A STORY WHERE QUALITY APPLIED CRITICAL THINKING WAS KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS?
I once had an employee say, "My last boss used just to tell me what to do in hard situations, but you ask all these questions and make me figure it out myself. It’s awful and great at the same time!" That statement perfectly captures my approach to applied critical thinking! She had a brilliant mind and all the tools to handle the problems she was facing at that moment, but things had compiled and become overwhelming. Sometimes pride cometh before the fall, and she hadn't asked for help, but when she did, she could prioritize the problems and work her way through everything. I supported her, but the plan and actions were her own.

4. HOW DO YOU USE CRITICAL THINKING IN OTHER AREAS OF YOUR LIFE OUTSIDE OF RIT?
As I shared in my bio, I'm a fan of the game, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). My role is usually the game master (GM), which means I'm setting the story and reacting to everything the players choose to do. Not only does this mean that I need to understand a library of rulebooks, but I also need to remember the main storyline, characteristics of each person around the table, and then the need to balance entertainment and fun with inclusivity and safety. Every decision I make as a GM is an application of critical thinking because I'm not only reacting to the moment but setting up future opportunities for engagement for my players. Similar to those times when I'm asking questions of a student, the pinnacle of a D&D game is when the players begin to have their own discussions to push the storyline with minimal input from me. Suddenly, they've owned their characters and the story and are making the most of it!

5. ANY LAST CRITICAL THOUGHTS YOU WISH TO SHARE?
I'm incredibly fortunate to have a career that has allowed me to practice my critical thinking. Similar to anything, "practice makes decent," so I take every opportunity to continue honing my craft. If you're looking to push your critical thinking, reach out to someone who loves to poke holes in ideas or has 101 questions. You'd be surprised with what you discover at the end of the conversation.