All of the students, faculty, staff, and other members of the Allegheny community have an interesting personal journey that is still unfolding. On this Gator Day, we would like to focus on helping you discover new opportunities to further your own journey, which is why the theme for this Gator Day is “The Journey: Different Paths to Success.”
To celebrate and introduce this first ever Gator Day, we have convened a special panel of faculty and staff members to discuss their personal journeys, and the interesting twists and turns they have had to navigate in that process.
Our official kick-off event “The Journey: Different Paths to Success” will start on Monday, October 22nd at 7:00pm in Schultz Banquet Hall. The event will feature five panelists: Prof. Dan Crozier (Communication Arts and Theater), Prof. Thomas “TJ” Eatmon (Environmental Science), Kazi Joshua (Associate Dean and Director of CIASS), Jane Ellen Nickel (College Chaplain), and Prof. Barbara Shaw (Women’s Studies). The panel presentation will be moderated by Associate Dean and Professor of Environmental Science Terry Bensel.
As an added incentive, all students who attend this event will receive a raffle ticket for a drawing to win a Samsung Galaxy Tablet!
Please read below to learn more about each of the panelists, and we hope to see you on Monday, 10/22 at 7:00pm in Schultz Banquet Hall.
Panelists
Dan Crozier
Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Theater
Dan Crozier was born on a cold January day on the banks of the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa. After College (Saint Mary’s, Winona, MN) and an internship at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, he moved to New York City, where he acted on stage and in film and television. He has also worked as a director, stage manager, stage hand, carpenter, painter, bicycle and foot messenger, proofreader, cook, baker, farm hand, bartender, private investigator, day care worker, furniture mover, Kwik Trip clerk, accountant, office temp (for about 5 minutes), surveyor, dog trial assistant and switch board operator. He received an MFA in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin in 1997 and taught at the University of Georgia prior to teaching at Allegheny College.
Thomas “TJ” Eatmon
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
After graduating from NC State University with a BS in Chemical Engineering, TJ Eatmon joined Teach for America and served as a 7th grade science teacher in Houston, Texas while earning a Master’s degree in Education. He then went on to study environmental policy at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Southern University. His courses at Allegheny examine cultural, political, economic, and industrial dimensions of environmental sustainability. He also uses aquaponic systems in several of his courses as a systems thinking tool, and as a vehicle for integrating coursework with research and civic engagement opportunities. Professor Eatmon worked at Domino’s Pizza for 7 years in 4 cities and two different states. He can toss and prepare a pepperoni and cheese pizza in less than 50 seconds, and delivery driving has made him exceptionally good with driving directions.
Kazi Joshua
Associate Dean and Director of the Center for Intercultural Advancement and Student Success
Kazi hails from the African nation of Malawi, and he arrived at Allegheny in 2009. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and political philosophy from Trinity College (Vermont), a master’s degree in theological studies from the Maryknoll School of Technology, and a Ph.D in theology and culture from Yale University. Kazi was the founding Director of the Center for Justice Ministries and Assistant Professor of Justice Ministries at North Park University. He has taught at various institutions and served on many boards, and he was very active as a community organizer in Chicago, IL. Kazi previously served as Assistant Dean and Director of the Office of Residence Life until October 1st, when he accepted a new role as Associate Dean and Director of the Center for Intercultural Advancement and Student Success (CIASS).
Jane Ellen Nickell
College Chaplain
Jane Ellen Nickell has been Chaplain at Allegheny College since February 2006, where she oversees the Spiritual and Religious Life program and teaches in the Religious Studies Department. She advises student groups, leads weekly Chapel services, and provides support for students of any faith tradition or of none. An ordained United Methodist minister, Jane Ellen holds degrees from WV Wesleyan College (B.A.), Vanderbilt Divinity School (M.Div.), and Drew University (Ph.D.). Before entering ordained ministry, she studied musicology and worked for fifteen years in performing arts management at the University of Illinois. Among other things, Jane Ellen worked the switchboard at a hotel in Ocean City, MD one summer, back when it really was a switchboard. Despite graduating at the top of her college class, she went on to work for the grand sum $133.33 a month as an intern at a regional theatre.
Barbara Shaw
Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies
My journey has taken me across 2 continents (with an upcoming third), 14 countries (2 of which I’ve been a resident), jobs continuously since the age of 16 (some more personally meaningful than others), and 5 degrees/certificates from higher education institutions. If you had asked me prior to college what I would do as my life’s work, I would not have said “professor.” I’ll give you hints: one possible career was connected to travel, and the other to the sciences. College—a liberal arts college—gave me the time, space, and opportunities to explore possibilities, change my mind, and then change it again.
Moderator
Terry Bensel
Associate Dean and Professor of Environmental Science
It took me six years and a couple of false starts to get through my undergraduate education in economics at the University of Northern Colorado. In between I worked as a longshoreman, delivery driver, waiter, dishwasher, gas station attendant, newspaper reporter, janitor, and hacky sack instructor. After graduating I spent close to three years working as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines. When I returned to the US I found myself back on the docks as a longshoreman (good money) and then working as a letter carrier for two years before returning to school and earning my graduate degrees. It’s fair to say that I never could have really imagined being where I am today, but that I can find relevance and meaning in all of my work and academic experiences that brought me here.
