Every office tells a story of a life of passion, creativity, and commitment. What stories do your professors’ offices hold?
“This is my small attempt at growing plants in a windowless office,” professor Ashley Smith says. Professor Smith, who teaches biology here at UWM Washington County, is a plant biologist by training, and plant passionate by life.
“I use Monopoly in my Introductory Accounting class,” professor Carl Gahala, says, leaning on his tower of games. “My students play as if they are doing the accounting for a business.” But it’s not all fun and games: at the end of the course they have to put together a financial statement that reflects the transactions they’ve made through the game!
“This is my backyard,” UWM Washington County mathematics professor Mohan Thapa says, pointing at one of the two photos he has of the Himalayan mountain range in his office. “This here is approximately right where my house is.”
It was a trip to the library with his high school English teacher that sparked Professor Toye Ekunsanmi’s life long passion for microbiology. Another big love is his four children, one of whom made him this insulated mug with their photos. “I call this my trophy of parenting,” he says.
Professor Chris Yogerst probably has the most identifiable office on campus–it’s filled with comic book and film artifacts! “Any piece of popular culture . . . you should be able to learn something about its historical moment. The reason I am still interested in any of these things is because of it’s place in history.”
In English instructor Rachel Barger’s office, students will find copies of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Journal. She has been researching the best practices in teaching students composition for nearly two decades, and presented at the conference last year.
Instructor Matthew Madsen’s office, while spare, has one real treasure–a photo of his son Maverick. At two and a half the little boy is living up to his name and embracing his Wisconsin roots. “He’s taken up performing trust falls off the ottoman,” Madsen shared. “And no matter the weather, he wants to be outside.”
The CGS Catalyst 