23 Celebrate 25 Years at College

This year 23 faculty and staff members were inducted into the College’s 25 Year Club recognizing those who have contributed 25 years worth of service to the community.  This not only includes professors, but also the staff that are responsible for administrative affairs and the welfare of the students.

“All the members of the 25 Year Club are invited back for a reception in May,” said Thomas Corbin, one of this year’s inductees who works in the Assistant Treasurer’s Office. “It’s kind of a gathering of the history of the college.”

The reception will be held this year on May 29 in the McCullough Social Space. At the gathering, President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz will share some of the College’s history, while personally congratulating and taking pictures with the inductees, who receive a pin that officially marks them as exceptional members of the College community.

When asked what about their positions and what has made such a long commitment worth it, the professors unanimously answered the students.

“It’s the students. You guys make all the difference in our lives,” said Christian A. Johnson Professor and Chair of the Department of the History of Art and Architecture Cynthia Packert.

As Chair, she has a crucial role in hiring and reviewing contracts and tenure tracks for the department.

“When you walk into a classroom of smart, really engaged students…. it feels like you have to put your best self forward because it’s essential to the whole learning dynamic,” she said.

Thomas Manley, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Geology, praised the work that students have completed throughout the years.

“The one really great thing is that the oceanography course that we teach here is one where students actively participate in very important research for the Lake,” he said.

While faculty spoke to the level of freedom and support that the school offers them to conduct research and grow as an academic, the staff also described working for the College as rewarding.

“Middlebury is a great employer,” Corbin said. “I’ve been fortunate to work with presidents who value the staff, the faculty, the students, the parents highly and want people to feel safe and comfortable coming to work.”

Much has changed in 25 years, and the College is a different place than the one two decades ago. Joy Pile who works at Library and Information Services spoke about how technology has changed the way the library runs.

“When I first came to Middlebury we were still filing catalog cards,” she said.

At the same time advances like digital books and the speeds of inter-library loans have drastically impacted the ease with which research can be done.

Corbin, who has also worked in human resources, administrative processing and insurance prior to settle down in Treasurer’s Office said, “I think colleges are one of the last places where you would actually stay in a career for 25 years ... Colleges have a longevity that is different from business.”