Job Title: Associate professor emeritus of philosophy
How many years have you worked at Saint Mary’s? 35 years
What do you enjoy/have you enjoyed most about teaching? I think what I enjoy most is how philosophy deals with really big and important ideas, seeing students engage in those important ideas in ways that are real to them. In philosophy, we can know a lot of philosophy, but until it becomes internalized — when students realize the questions in philosophy are actually their own questions, it’s a pivotal moment, and when that happens that’s very satisfying.
How do you hope you are remembered/what will you most be remembered for? I suppose what I would like to be remembered for is being a presence on campus, whether to students or fellow colleagues. If a student asks a question in class, in a subsequent class, I will reengage that question. Students have appreciated when I’ve taken seriously a question I didn’t know the answer to, thought about it, and raised it again a class or two later.
What are you most proud of from your career? Keeping a sense of humor. I think what I’d like to be remembered for is being someone who was on the job and showed up every day and did the best I could in a whole range of circumstances. At a place like Saint Mary’s, we’re called upon to teach a whole wide range of students in terms of majors and programs, and a wide range of students and their abilities. In terms of service to the institution, we do a wide range of services. In my mind I think I always tried to be on the job. I tried to meet the needs of the students that I had. I tried to do what I could for the institution and for my colleagues. I feel like I was responsive and engaged with the people around me.
What are your retirement plans? I have projects I want to do but haven’t done because of time and attention. Maintaining social connection is important. I have ways I think I do that but I’m curious to see two or three years from now what that circle looks like.
What will you miss/are you missing the most? I’m still teaching one course, but I’ll miss teaching. What’s meaningful is engaging people in important questions, but what I enjoy is being in the classroom and having to respond to questions on the spot. When someone raises a question I don’t expect or connects it to something I didn’t expect, being able to respond to that in the moment is very satisfying, and there’s an intellectual challenge in that. I think, by and large, I do it well, and it’s something I really enjoy doing.
