Alma College professors reflect on legacy and future

EMMA FIGLEWICZ
EDITOR

11/11/2024

Alma College has welcomed numerous professors over the years, all dedicated to helping students achieve their goals and earn their degrees. While the faculty has grown with the addition of many new members, some professors have remained at the institution for decades, continuing to shape and guide generations of students.   

“I was hired for the 2001-2002 school year, but I actually started in Jan. of 2002. I didn’t know much about Alma when I got the interview, but when I came to my campus visit, I was struck by the faculty from across different disciplines who were interested in learning who I was,” said Laura von Wallmenich, Associate Professor of English and Associate Provost.  

“This is my thirty-third year here at Alma College. College teaching jobs are hard to find and I was fortunate enough to be given a number of offers. However, when I looked at Alma it seemed as though there were opportunities to work closely with students here. Also, there were opportunities for me to continue my own research and I appreciated both of those opportunities which is why I came here,” said Derrick Hulme, Professor of Political Science.   

“I’ve worked at Alma for twenty-three years. Why have I stayed almost a quarter century? It is because I love Alma students. They tend to be sincere, hand-working and open to new ideas,” said Robert Vivian, Professor of English.  

Throughout the many years they have spent teaching at Alma College these professors have seen numerous changes occur for the better and the worse.    

“When I came here you had students be more interested in traditional liberal arts degrees. In the modern program, people are looking for more pre-professional programs and so it’s harder to sustain that disciplinary breath that is the hallmark of liberal education,” said Von Wallmenich.   

“The student population is more diverse than when I first came to Alma, which is nice. Alma College students are bright, hardworking, motivated, and friendly, and I don’t think that has changed. I do feel that faculty today have more of a challenge getting students to spend sufficient time on reading, study, and homework due to the influence and addictive nature of smartphones and social media apps,” said Robert Molina, Professor of Mathematics.   

“For all the changes in higher education certain characteristics haven’t changed. I think that Alma students are over engaged and very involved, but also curious. In general, I find that many students here have always been willing to try things they haven’t tried before. I think that there is a kind of core personality of Alma students that makes us unique,” said von Wallmenich.  

Recently many higher-level liberal arts institutions have been struggling to retain students and stay afloat. However, the staff here have high hopes that Alma College will not fail.   

“Hopefully, the future at Alma will be quite strong. Its mission of personalized education will probably become even more valuable as we move forward to an uncertain future,” said Vivian.  

As a new generation of educators establishes themselves at Alma College, there is a strong sense of optimism among the veteran faculty that these fresh perspectives will help usher in a new era for the institution.   

“My advice to new faculty is to stick together, talk together, and take leadership roles in faculty governance. People who know me will laugh because I really don’t care for this kind of thing myself, preferring to teach my classes and just be a math nerd. But I think strong faculty leadership is needed to keep Alma College moving in the right direction,” said Molina. 

“Treat your students with respect, expect of them what they are capable of achieving, don’t settle for anything less. Too often people underestimate and underscore what young students are capable of achieving,” said Derick Hulme.