Travis Vail/ Roundup
The College Guild hosted a banquet in the Great Hall today to honor 11 faculty members that will be retiring after this semester.
The event’s proceedings were led by Jim Dawson, who teaches political science and service learning at Pierce College.
According to Dawson, AFT 1521, which is the union that represents the faculty at Pierce College, opted to organize a ceremony that was separate from the annual Faculty Gala so that the faculty members could personally commemorate the achievements of their colleagues.
“This isn’t just one of the largest groups of retirees, but so many of them have been so active in the union too; that’s what makes this so special,” said Anthropology and Geology Department Chair Diane Levine.
Roughly 70 faculty members attended the event where they enjoyed a powerpoint presentation by Dawson and catering from the Corner Bakery.
The presentation followed a “roast” style format wherein each retiring faculty member’s achievements were mentioned, followed by lighthearted jokes about old photos or various events that took place during their time as teachers.
Among those honored was Norm Levy, who has taught political science at the college level for over 40 years, most of which was spent at Pierce.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see so many talented, wonderful people making Pierce College what it is, and what it will be,” said Levy.
According to Dawson, the College Guild plans to host similar events for the retiring classes of future years.
“In the old days we never did this sort of thing; the campus has a positive culture now,” said Tom Oliver, who served as interim president at Pierce College for two years.
For more information, including features on several retiring faculty members, please visit therounduponline.net.
