Dr. Arnold to teach part-time
Campus Times
February 28, 1997
Dr. George Arnold, physics professor and chair of the Mathematics/Physics/Computer
Science Department, will make the transition to working part time next semester.
Dr. Arnold has been teaching at the University of La Verne for 32 years.
He has recently served on the Diversified Major Committee, the Appeals Committee
and the Personnel Council.
"I'm basically starting to retire," Dr. Arnold said. "I
don't want to spend all my energy on [teaching] anymore. I've enjoyed it,
but I've always felt a little bit busy, a little overly busy. It's taken
a lot of time from other things."
Dr. Arnold plans to get more involved in astrophysics research, and
also hopes to have more time for reading, traveling and "just doing
what I like to do. Not being stressed.
"If I just quit cold, I would regret not being with the students,"
Dr. Arnold said.
Before he began working at ULV, Dr. Arnold taught for four years at
McPherson College in Kansas, a sister school to La Verne.
He left McPherson to get a Ph.D. in physics at the State University
of New York in Buffalo, and from there made the move out to California.
Dr. Arnold said he quickly noticed that "there is a much more diverse
population here."
At the time, a former professor of Dr. Arnold's, Dr. Charles Morris,
was teaching physics part-time at La Verne and encouraged him to apply.
"Back in those days, the networking of the Brethren colleges was
much closer than it is now," said Dr. John Gingrich, dean of the College
of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Arnold became the school's first, and so far only, full-time physics
professor.
Over his 32 years at La Verne, Dr. Arnold has taught through four different
University presidents and has seen many changes in the University.
"He came here when things were rougher than they are now. He learned
to provide good educational programs to his students without many resources,"
said Dr. Gingrich.
Dr. Arnold said that under the current leadership of President Stephen
Morgan, "Things have been the most stable. The college is on a firmer
footing now; I greatly admire his leadership style."
He remembers the change in student attitude, from quite conservative
to more radical, during the Vietnam War period of the early 1970s.
He said students are now "more conservative again."
Dr. Arnold also taught at the University during the time that his two
daughters attended school here; they both graduated in the early 1980s.
He plans to teach just two classes, probably Astronomy and Beginning
Physics, next semester. During spring of 1998, he will probably only teach
one class.
"I'm going to see how I like that," Dr. Arnold said. He is
uncertain whether he will continue on the part-time basis after next year.
Dr. Gingrich said, "It's really his call, because we're glad to
have him."
The University is planning to hire a new full-time physics professor,
hopefully by the end of March. So far, 125 applications have been turned
in for the position; the applicants are now going through the primary screening
process.