In all the discussions of policy and practice in and around higher education, it is important to remind ourselves that the relationship of faculty members and students is fundamental. Better policy, professional development, institutional leadership are all critically important. But ultimately improvement also depends on faculty members who can understand their students' and meet their needs.
Catherine Stimpson's career as faculty member and administrator began before the founding of Change—and is still not over. In her essay she traces the different phases of her academic life, from her being near the age of her students and sharing jokes and common cultural references to now spending part of her teaching time in Abu Dhabi and cultivating the” linguistic and cultural self-consciousness that nearly everyone who teaches in a diverse global classroom must nurture.”
Her account of the various phases describes her classroom and administrative work in the context of institutional changes, as well as the shifting, broader political and cultural landscape, including the issues of aging and ageism. Throughout, she comes back to her students and how she interacts with them, offering sharp insights and wise commentary that any faculty member could profit from. Even as she contemplates and wrestles with aging and the “the mess of retirement,” she is still powerfully engaged with the fundamental task of teaching. “My classrooms and students are compelling. Retiring from them now would be self-diminishing.” One editor's opinion—she should not, yet.
This volume opened with broad accounts of the history of higher education since the founding of Change. Stimpson's essay provides an insightful and wise history of one academic life. It is a fitting coda to this volume.