WINTER 2007-08
FA C U LT Y S P O T L I G H T
Dr. Ralph
Anttonen E X P LO R ATO R Y P R O G R A M
Known to generations of Millersville students, Doc Roc has helped them find their direction.
He is known as Doc Roc—more often just Doc—and his wife is Mama Roc. Together, the team of Dr. Ralph Anttonen and his wife Judy ‘76 has become a Millersville University phenomenon. Childhood sweethearts since their days in high school in Fitchburg, Mass., the Anttonens have turned their Millersville home into a favorite hangout, where students talk, learn, explore, discover and bond with their mentors. “I think the kids like it here so much because they get an open-minded, warm environment where they can really share their ideas,” says Doc. Anttonen, who has been at Millersville since 1971, wears many, many hats. These include chairman of the department of academic and student development, professor of educational psychology, director of the Exploratory Program, advisor to WIXQ-FM 91.7, radio show host, voice of the Marauders men’s basketball team, author and Santa Claus to the local fire company. And those are just a few. His popular nickname of Doc – some people don’t even know his real name – came from his radio show persona. He
and his wife have a Saturday afternoon radio show on WIXQ, where they play rock hits. Doc has been advisor to the radio station since 1975 (see page 19 for information about the WIXQ reunion on April 26). His warm, resonating voice is also the same voice that has been announcing Millersville men’s basketball games since the early 1970s. He adds, “I’ve always loved basketball and I love announcing.” Raised by his father and grandmother, Anttonen says. “I grew up poor with little family. So I like the idea of family, and the students and faculty are like my extended family.” Anttonen’s childhood was spent in a coldwater flat with no bath or shower. His family spoke only Finnish and when he started first grade, he couldn’t speak English. At the end of that year, he was in the top reading group and had mastered English so well that he served as the interpreter for his family. Doc and Judy recently celebrated 45 years of marriage. She is a retired special education teacher. Their daughter, Karen, lives in Idaho, where she homeschools her five children, including two
adopted children from Guatemala and two from China. Their son, Eric, works for a pharmaceutical company and lives in Indianapolis. He and his wife have four children, including two adopted from Korea. Perhaps Doc’s most notable accomplishment at Millersville is the Exploratory Program, which he started in 1986. Designed to help students find their passion and grow, the program now boasts more than 100 advisors and 700 students. “Statistics show that 80 percent of college students come [to college] undecided or change their majors. There is no reason to feel bad about being undecided. That’s what college is for,” says Doc. As he explains, the key is to be flexible, and to be independent learners and critical thinkers. Above all, students need to discover what fuels them, what gets them excited. That’s how they can bridge the gap between being undecided and finding their direction in life. It’s no wonder that students look up to Doc. He’s proof that finding your passion in life will guide you to the place where you should be.
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