Connections—March 2008
The Hubbard Center has produced print copies of our newsletter Connections for almost ten years. The primary purpose of the newsletter is to facilitate networking and the sharing of information that promotes professional growth. We have now decided to stop distributing print copies of the newsletter, but instead electronically post articles on this website. This month we bid a fond farewell to some of our retirees.
Featured in this issue:
- Joan Bryant Woodworth
- Stephen W. Millsaps
- Harriette Buchanan
- Ron Stidham
- James Winders
- Stephen J. Simon
- Not Featured, But Not Forgotten
Joan Bryant Woodworth says farewell to her students after thirty-two years at Appalachian. Joan loved having the opportunity to teach interdisciplinary classes in Watauga College, University Honors, Human Development and Psychological Counseling, and Psychology. In her career, she enjoyed training and research opportunities in England and the People’s Republic of China. Joan was Chair of the Faculty Senate for two years, and contributed to many university committees during her tenure.
The most valuable part of her experience here at Appalachian was having the opportunity to share in the learning process with so many bright students. Joan enjoyed teaching classes such as the History and Systems of Psychology as well as several special topics and honors classes on sleep and dreams. She views retirement as a “shift of settings, not as an end of a career,” and is considering overseas travel and lectures, consulting, and potentially teaching some courses.
The Department of Economics will certainly miss Stephen W. Millsaps who will retire after 38.5 years of teaching, 35.5 of which were spent at Appalachian. Steve enjoyed teaching Economics and Business Statistics II, introducing students to new ideas, and watching the variety of responses. He also enjoyed satisfying his curiosity with research and seeing his name in print in a good academic journal. Two of Steve’s greatest moments at Appalachian were receiving the 2006 Board of Governor’s Teaching Award, and being asked to prepare testimony for a U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means discussion on energy policy.
A favorite teaching memory for Steve is when one of his students retook his statistics course after failing. The student, in turn, majored in statistics, achieved an A average, obtained a PhD, and landed a great job forecasting for the U.S. Department of Labor. At this time, Steve has not made any plans for retirement; however, we are certain he will stay busy!
After thirty-three years of teaching, Harriette Buchanan is retiring from Interdisciplinary Studies. Harriette has enjoyed teaching the freshman composition sequence and major courses in which she saw students beginning to focus on their academic interests. The personal satisfaction and the professional validation by peers elsewhere was the most rewarding aspect of conducting scholarship during her years at Appalachian. Harriette’s most notable accomplishment at Appalachian was achieving the status of tenured full professor after never having been on the tenure track. Harriette will miss interacting with students most, but once retired from Appalachian, she plans to spend time with her family and continue her scholarship, especially her scholarship on contemporary southern Appalachian literature.
Ron Stidham will be retiring from the Department of Political Science/Criminal Justice after 40 years of teaching, 16 of which were spent at Appalachian. Over the years, Ron has enjoyed having supportive colleagues. He has further enjoyed teaching really bright students and later hearing from them and learning where their lives and careers have taken them. Ron’s favorite course to teach has been Law and Society, and his proudest moment at Appalachian was seeing his daughter graduate from Appalachian in December 2007. After retirement, Ron plans to travel, write, and maybe learn how to play the frustrating game called golf.
The History Department will be saying farewell to another long-term faculty member, James Winders, who has spent 30 years teaching at Appalachian. Over the years, Jim enjoyed teaching Western Intellectual Tradition and being able to set his own goals. During his career, Jim was particularly pleased when he received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities (2004-2005). Jim enjoys hearing about the professional achievements of his former students, and will miss interacting most with his graduate students. After retirement, he plans to write, travel, and play the guitar.
After thirty-eight years at Appalachian, Stephen J. Simon is retiring from the Department of History, where he has particularly enjoyed teaching about ancient Greece and Rome. Students have been the heart of Simon’s teaching career; he has greatly enjoyed his interactions and has been enlightened by their various perspectives. Simon currently has no definitive plans for retirement; however, he will miss teaching the most.
Not Featured, But Not Forgotten
Jim Avant, Health, Leisure and Exercise Science
Eric Hatch, Psychology
Cheryl Knight, Curriculum and Instruction
George Schieren, Economics
Ann Page, Sociology and Social Work
O’Hyun Park, Philosophy and Religion
Eric Purves, Art
Hank Schneider, Psychology
Roger Stilling, English
Bill Ward, English
The Hubbard Center electronically publishes our newsletter, Connections, three times each semester. Please contact Kathy Isaacs, editor, with any comments or questions.
