College Life

I recently wrote about about how through multiple trials and failures I eventually got my Ph.D. What this degree got me was the best job I've ever had. It must be so, because I've never lasted more than five years with an employer before, and often much less. I'm in my ninth year here.

I am a faculty member of a small public liberal arts college. The public aspect is unusual. Most four year colleges are private, and typically religious. We are supported by the state to provide a good yet affordable education to this mostly forgotten corner of the state. I like being part of that.

So here we are in the mountains, with less than 2,000 students and about 100 faculty, on a 400 acre campus of which 300 acres used to be coal mines. The land has been reclaimed and is beautiful.

On a "typical" day I'll arrive in the morning, curse loudly that the good parking spots are taken and that I have to park way up the hill. If it's Spring I'll listen for the Yellow-Throated Warbler who is always in the Pine trees as I walk down from the lot. If it's winter then I'm looking for the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker.

Once in my office I'll check emails. Many are informational on the surprising number of activities going on. If I've missed the emails there are still the many posters and signs lining the hallway walls advertising what's coming up. I can pick a play performed by our extraordinarily creative and boundary pushing theatre people. Or perhaps catch a music performance from either visiting artists or our own students and faculty. There are guest speakers, student activity groups and clubs, and sporting events from the college athletics. What I keep the sharpest watch for are the events with free food.

Other emails are the standard sort one gets in any workplace. Then there are student emails. Some headed "Dr," others "hey," some not at all. Some students are asking for help - good for them - others make excuses for not completing assignments, and then there are the famous emails of the type: "hey, I slept in and missed class. Did I miss anything important?"

Classes, by the way, are fun. The largest I teach have 32 students, the smallest can have less than 10. Today, for example, I might go into my Western Civilization survey class, almost all non majors, and explain the end of the Roman Republic. My approach is based on the idea that this is the last history course they may ever take, so let's make it memorable. Let's see today whether they prefer Cleopatra or Augustus! My upper level classes for history majors get more in depth. Perhaps today in my medieval history class the students and I will work together to unravel the intricacies of scholastic philosophy. We have some incredibly bright students and it's great to get them active and involved in the classroom.

Office visits are a regular part of the day. I may go wander into a colleagues office to gossip. I especially enjoy visiting my friend C whose kids play soccer, I'll help her understand what her kids' coaches did over the weekend. Students sometimes wander into my office. Again I am very happy when someone comes in asking for help. I'll stop whatever I'm doing and sit with them to go over their paper. Some of our majors visit too, sometimes to discuss a class, sometimes to just chat. It's the advantage of a small college that you really get to know students very well. A few I stay in contact with after they graduate. I love that.

When I get the chance, during a normal semester, I'll squeeze in some research and writing. I have a backlog of books in my field I need to read in order to keep up. There are various copies of historical documents I made when I did research in England. These need studying. Most of this is what I do all Summer (there are no summers off in academia), but I try to at least work on a few things during the semester in order to keep the momentum going.

Sometime - there is no time clock - I'll be ready to go home. I'll walk up the hill to the parking lot, greeting students on the way. Driving out I may pass by the softball or baseball team at practice. Some days I'll stop at the school gym and run from there (I can't run from home, the couch has an irresistible magnetic force on me). Yes, that's me, the guy in the short shorts cruising through campus into town and back. Then I'll go home, usually with a stack of papers to grade at home over the weekend. It never stops. I love all of it.