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19 2013
The Secret Lives of
Professors Visiting faculty share backgrounds, hobbies by Isabel Mills Staff Reporter
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ILLUSTRATION BY HAMPTON
Students inspire creative work by Ritti Singh Staff Reporter
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hen they’re not teaching classes, a number of Whitman College faculty members work on their own creative projects. Balancing the roles of teacher and artist can be quite the challenge. Novelist and Associate Professor of English Scott Elliott finds that he is able to do most of his writing in the summer and while on sabbatical. “Teaching requires a kind of selflessness. I need to be able to engage with students to such a degree that while I’m teaching, it’s difficult to carve out the time to write,” said Elliott. On the other hand, the interaction between the two roles can enrich professors’ creative projects in a meaningful way. Associate Professor of Art Charles Timm-Ballard, who paints, draws and works in ceramics, believes his time in the classroom helps him discover new ideas. “If I was in the studio all alone, I’d be solving all my creative visual problems all alone. In teaching, I’m interacting with about 30 students that I talk to every week, and I’m continuously solving problems of 30 people’s work. I’m thinking about all the different ways I can resolve the issues amongst those pieces, so I’m exercising those creative muscles
all the time,” said Timm-Ballard. Elliott has also learned new strategies from his students. “It’s sometimes the case, too, that my students will display a way to solve a writing problem that I can use when I’m working on my own fiction. I learn things from my students, from the ways they approach their writing,” said Elliott. Working with students can also influence professors’ work thematically. Associate Professor of Art Michelle Acuff, a sculptor, was inspired partially by her students to explore the relationship between human beings and the natural world in one of her recent art installations. “I actually came to this subject matter partly in response to the student body here. It’s things that they’re interested in: environmental issues, our role in global warming, climate change ... It’s kind of a nice loop: I get influenced by what the students are influenced by and inject that into my work, and then bring that back to them ... It creates a dialogue,” said Acuff. Some of these artists also feel that being at a liberal arts college makes it easy to get feedback. “I like being part of an intellectual community, and especially a small one like Whitman. I get to hear what the philosophers think of my work, and what the historians think of it.
There’s a richer dialogue that happens in the liberal arts,” said Acuff. Elliott said that a novelist benefits greatly from being surrounded by thinkers in other disciplines. “A novel is a very interdisciplinary form in which you fluidly move within lots of disciplines ... So I think being in an atmosphere that honors that well-roundedness and fluidity is a good atmosphere for a novelist to be in, even if there aren’t a lot of other novelists around,” said Elliott. Timm-Ballard feels similarly. “I think that my thinking gets richer the more I’m engaged with diverse approaches. I think that what we do is the same, but the tools and trappings of different disciplines lead to different solutions to those problems and imaginative solutions, and that makes my experience of being an artist richer,” said Timm-Ballard. Teaching while working as an artist or writer is often a financial decision, but many professor-artists at Whitman feel that it is worth the balancing act. “The reality is that it’s hard to make a living as an artist, but I never felt like it was ‘selling out’ or a ‘sacrifice.’ [Teaching] just allows us to do the thing that we do in a very powerful way. I feel incredibly fortunate to be here, to do this, and I feel like it’s important work, teaching art and involving students in that process,” said Acuff.
his year, Whitman College is fortunate to have a great variety of visiting professors. Although they have only been here for a short time, the professors all expressed a love for the Whitman community and its students. In fact, all four professors mentioned their appreciation for the great feeling of community both at Whitman and in Walla Walla at large. Visiting Assistant Professor of Astronomy Cassandra Fallscheer is originally from California, but for the past seven years she has lived in Germany, where she received a doctorate at the University of Heidelberg. She has also lived in Canada. Her other worldly adventures include scuba diving in the Caribbean, exploring the rain forests of Taiwan and biking in the San Juan Islands. Fallscheer began her undergraduate studies intending to be a math major. However, during an internship working with highenergy particle physics she met an astronomy professor who inspired her to pursue the subject. “Astronomy appeals to me because it’s neat to see how math and physics can so elegantly explain the incredibly beautiful and artistic-looking things we observe in the universe,” said Fallscheer. When Fallscheer isn’t pondering the wonders of the universe, she can be found at the climbing gym or exploring her surroundings on her bicycle. Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Lawrence Goldman was born in New York and raised in New Jersey. Chemistry enthralled him in high school, and he continued along that scientific path in his undergraduate studies at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He later went to graduate school in Wales, which was an eye-opening experience for him. When asked about his passion for chemistry, Goldman mentions his love for the many incredible changes involved in this particular field of science. “It’s exciting to be able to blend two colorless liquids together, and then proceed to watch them explode,” said Goldman. A history enthusiast since
high school, Visiting Assistant Professor of History Laura Ferguson grew up in Portland, Ore. and graduated from Oregon State University with an undergraduate degree in history. There she also pursued her passion for outdoor activities like backpacking and cross-country skiing. Here in Walla Walla, Ferguson enjoys exploring Mill Creek and taking her yellow lab for walks. Her research focus is on 19th century San Francisco. Her fascination with the city stems from the way that cities work and the way different groups of people come together to create that system. Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Gary Gemberling is a disc golfer, biker, hiker and trumpet player. He said that it was his great high school teachers who first drew him to a career in education. Before becoming a professor, his passion for performing led him to play in a house band, perform at Busch Gardens and go on national tours with three Broadway musicals. Gemberling started working at Whitman as the director of the wind ensemble. To get to work every day, he commuted 200 miles round trip from his house in Idaho. According to him, interacting with students each day made the long drive absolutely worth it. “I hope my students will continue to be involved in music in some way. Music keeps the mind young and is something you can do for your entire life,” said Gemberling. Each visiting professor expressed a great desire to share his or her knowledge and passions with Whitman students. “Something I’d like for my students to get out of General Chemistry is how related chemistry is to other sciences and how important it is in the modern world,” said Goldman. The professors have also been impressed by the work ethic of Whitman students, who seem eager to spend time in class. “They hold high expectations for themselves and others, are extremely driven, have pride in the effort they put forth and are very friendly. They live up to my motto that the end product is the result of the effort you put in to it,” said Gemberling.
Biology professor leads award-winning alumni trips by Serena Runyan Staff Reporter
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ILLUSTRATION BY MEASE
ne Whitman professor can cross catching a piranha out of a rowboat off of his bucket list. Associate Professor of Biology Delbert Hutchison, known around campus as “Hutch,” won the 2013 Faculty Award for Service this summer for his work leading alumni trips. The Whitman College Alumni Association Faculty Award for Service is awarded annually to a faculty member who has worked to maintain strong relationships between alumni and the college. Professor Hutchison has led alumni trips for ten years, acting as both a supervisor and a source of biological knowledge. “My job is to entertain and inform and make sure everybody has a good time,” said Hutchison. The Alumni Association puts on multiple trips and local programs throughout the year in order to keep alumni connected to Whitman. “It’s a big part of your life, being here,” said Hutchison. “If we do our jobs right, when you leave here you will realize what a great education you got, and your
friendships and your connections to the college will still be here. Part of that effort to maintain that connection is to give you something to do together.” Hutchison has traveled with alumni to a variety of locations from the dense forests of the Amazon to the open planes of an African safari. Each destination has its strengths and weaknesses, so it’s hard for him to pick a favorite. “I’m an evolutionary biologist so the Galápagos is one of my favorite places on the planet, but you know, a Safari in Africa is staggering ... So not really a favorite, no. But I could go to the Galápagos 10 times,” said Hutchison. Some of his fondest memories include listening to hyenas and lions while falling asleep in a tent guarded by a Maasai warrior, talking about human evolution around a campfire in the Serengeti and jumping into a pool fully clothed after a humid hike through the Amazonian rainforest. On these trips, Hutchison makes lasting connections with a multitude of alumni. “Its always a good time. There’s always cocktails after dinner, and a fire, and you sit around talking and laugh-
ing and you make friends with these people. I’ve made good friends with a lot of people and we still keep in touch,” he said. Since the trips tend to be expensive, the alumni who sign up are typically 30 or 40 years out of Whitman. Even so, Hutchison sees strong commonalities between all alumni and current Whitman students. “What I’ve observed is that a Whittie is a Whittie. They’re excited about life and they’re curious about things. They’re friendly, inquisitive, respectful and fun. I enjoy it thoroughly,” he said. Hutchison also said he’s interested in getting more of the younger alumni to sign up by leading a less expensive trip. “I’d like to explore a cheaper [budget]; instead of a luxury liner, something a little more ‘Spartan’ that younger people can afford to do,” he said. And while graduation may still seem far away, Hutchison encourages students to remember that these alumni resources exist. “I guess the main thing for students to realize is that someday they’ll be alumni and these opportunities will be there. Once you’re one of us you’re always one of us,” he said.