Issue link: http://tcnj.uberflip.com/i/1417553
10 The College of New Jersey Magazine P R A I R I E MICHAEL ROBERTSON, English I taught at TCNJ for 28 years. Students read some of the greatest, most chal- lenging works of the 19th century — from Emerson and Whitman to Dickinson and Hawthorne — and they impressed me every time with their passion and insight. What's next: I'll work full-time on a biography of the great Victorian artist, writer, and socialist William Morris. ANTHONY CONTE, elementary and early childhood education One of my memorable moments at TCNJ was when the Class of 2018 chose me to be the faculty speaker at their graduation ceremony. The pomp and circumstance is something I will never forget. I came away realizing that the students attending TCNJ are very special, well-spoken, well-mannered and respectful of each other and their professors. ALVIN FIGUEROA, world languages I have taught at other places such as Princeton University and Hunter College, but my students at TCNJ were unique. I learned how to honor diversity and differences in social, racial, and existential perspectives. PHILIP SANDERS, art and art history I have been lucky to work with a lot of really great students over the years, and we constantly led each other to new insights about ideas, projects, the process of learning and teaching, and ourselves. BLYTHE HINITZ, elementary and early childhood education I'm most proud that two of my research students each won the Hoffman Prize for best article in the TCNJ Journal of Student Scholarship in 2018 and 2021. They discovered that one can have both roots and wings. What's next: I'm serving on doctoral committees in Pakistan and writing a book chapter with two colleagues based on our anti-bullying presentation at the 2021 American Educational Research Association annual conference. MARCIA BLICHARZ, nursing I was at a national conference some years ago and someone came up to me and said she was one of my past students and that she chose a career in holistic health because of something I mentioned in class one day. It reminded me that small things you say can have an impact. What's next: Being a beach bum and catching up on reading for fun. DONNA SHAW, journalism What I'll miss the most about TCNJ are my students and colleagues. The students, in particular, keep you young. When I first was offered the job at the college, friends warned me that I might not like academia after my long career in news. Happily, they turned out to be totally wrong. What's next: My husband and I are doing a trip to Maine, where we'll stay until we're tired of eating lobster every day. That takes a while! Parting words It's hard to say goodbye, especially to beloved professors who choose to retire. So we give them the last word to share some favorite moments and tell us what they have on the horizon. We wish them well! KATHRYN RATHKE