From the Chancellor at UW-Whitewater

            I had hoped to stop by tonight to collect my exam and wish you well in your retirement, but that didn’t exactly work out. I live 40 minutes away, and I can’t really spare the time. I still have some studying to do, we’re moving in two weeks and Christmas is fast approaching. Busy, busy, busy. At any rate, I would also like to thank you for a few things. When I signed up for this class, I wasn’t exactly enthused about the curriculum. I love English courses, but reading drama and poetry are activities that rank somewhere between getting a root canal and paying taxes. It turns out that they aren’t so bad after all. Perhaps it was your knowledge and passion for the material. Or maybe something inside me clicked. Whatever it was, I really enjoyed this class and the poems and plays we studied. I owe you a debt of gratitude for sparking my interest in these formerly dull genres. Thank you.

            My high school teachers used to tell me, more than ten years ago, the same thing that some of my professors have been telling me. They think I should be an English major, and I agree. I’m not sure if this is a testament to my abilities in English or my disabilities elsewhere. Whatever the case may be, I have a growing family to look after. I believe I once told you that I am a business major, as that is the most practical path to follow. The problem is, I don’t want to be an accountant. I believe my future may lie elsewhere. In short, I have decided to change my major to English. After that, who knows? I’ve always wanted to go to graduate school. Or law school. Whatever happens, I have found the courage to believe that I will be able to take care of my family with an English degree. I deliver pizzas now and we’re fine. I guess the point is that I feel you are in some way responsible for my decision. There are a lot of factors, but your teaching was certainly one of them. Thank you. Thank you so much for making English 102 a fantastic class.  I will never forget your passion for things that others would have been bored with decades ago. See you in the funny papers.