That works for me

December 14, 2023

As retirement looms, I’ve been mulling over the last 35 years.  In August 1989, I joined a mathematics department that was mostly male, mostly white and with many members having a Xavier degree somewhere on their CV.  Janice Walker was the most notable exception to those demographics, which I shifted only slightly.  I shared an office with my friend and colleague Danny Otero who joined Xavier at the same time.  In those days, we dodged cars zipping along Ledgewood Avenue, went to basketball games at the Cincinnati Gardens, and felt our way through clouds of cigarette smoke in Alter Hall.  That’s just to say that a lot has changed in the intervening years, almost all of it for the better, and that makes me hopeful for the Xavier that will not have me in it.
 
Despite whatever challenges we’re facing at any point in time, I think we get better because of our people and their commitment to Xavier.  In my early years, there was a real emphasis in my department on university citizenship.  I know it’s dangerous to name names, but I can’t help thinking about the extraordinary ways in which people like Bill Larkin, Dave Flaspohler, Janice Walker, and Dick Pulskamp stepped away from our department to answer the university’s call.  I’m deeply grateful that I got the opportunity to make contributions, such as they were, in the areas of academic advising, student success, and enrollment.  And, I’m even more grateful that the current members of my department are contributing their leadership to the university.
 
I can’t wait to see how Xavier adapts and improves over the coming years.  I’ve had a few moments when I’ve thought: “I’m not going to be part of it anymore.”  Then I reflect on some of the incredible people at Xavier that I either taught or had a hand in hiring and who will be a part of our transformation.  That works for me.

Dr. Jim Snodgrass
Professor, Mathematics

Photo credit: Musketeer 1990