After more than forty years in higher education, Jeanne Higbee, Ph.D., retired from teaching in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning at the University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development. In tribute to her service, PsTL asked Higbee to share career moments in this Q&A, and invited thoughts and recollections from those who know her as a colleague, mentor and partner.
As you reflect on your career. What surprised you most about the journey and what did you find most rewarding?
JH: If I look over my entire career, what surprised me most is that I entered this career planning to be an administrator, and the higher I moved up in administration the less I wanted to do that because it meant I wasn’t with students anymore. I would see an occasional student at committee meetings or in some other formal settings, but I didn’t have that regular contact with students and that’s why I moved to a faculty position. For me, definitely the most rewarding piece of this has always been the direct work students, whether it’s been in the classroom, as a counselor and advisor working closely with students in those kinds of settings or co-presenting with graduate students and mentoring them. By far, the most fulfilling aspect of my career is the direct contact with students.
If I think about other things, what’s been surprising is that many faculty, especially at research universities, would not put teaching first-year students high on their priority list. For most of my career, once I moved into the faculty ranks, I was teaching almost exclusively first-year students with an occasional grad class here and there or an occasional other course that might involve students across the undergraduate years.
I loved teaching first-year students. I wish more faculty would open themselves up to the joy of the kinds of developing minds you encounter when teaching first-year students.
Tell me about the light bulb moment with students: When all the sudden someone’s life changes because of his or her educational experience.
JH: There have been so many I’ve witnessed because I’ve worked in programs that serve students from historically underserved populations and students who might not have anticipated years before that they would even attend college. One of my favorite kinds of light bulb moments is when a student will realize just how smart he or she really is. When all of a sudden a student realizes, “I can do this. I am very capable. I understand this. Now I look at myself in a different light and I think differently about my career goals.” That’s one of the things that always excited me. That moment when students become invested in learning; highly motivated. Sometimes a student won’t necessarily enter the institution that way. Sometimes they know they want to go to college, but they aren’t sure what they want to do, or they start college with a major that, in essence, somebody else selected for them. But, when they find that one thing they love and want to delve into it, all of a sudden they are inspired to do so much more. When it is no longer about a career where I can make money or a career my parents would approve of, and all of sudden it is: “This is what I’m interested in. This is what I want to learn more about and want to spend my life doing.” That to me is really the most powerful experience that I can have as a faculty member. Having the joy of seeing a student reach that point.
How can other educators make this same sort of difference to awaken students?
JH: It all comes from within a student. A lot of it is really taking the time to get to know students as individuals. I’ve been fortunate because I’ve taught courses that enable me to do that. I’ve taught courses that had enrollment limits of 20 students, like freshman seminars. I encourage any faculty member at the University of Minnesota to take advantage of teaching a freshman seminar where they can delve into a topic of deep interest and have the opportunity to share that interest with students and get to know the students well. Another part of it is that I’ve taught a lot of writing intensive classes and that deepens my relationship with the student because they’re sharing so much with me, not just in the classroom, but, through their writing. I think that’s a big part of it. I just finished reviewing the final galleys of a book chapter and it reminded me about what I had written in that chapter, it’s not just about the small classes where you can do that. You can have a large lecture hall with a hundred students and you can still make the effort to get to know those students as individuals. Because if you don’t, you’re never going to see those moments.
Many colleagues and students credit you with making them better writers. What’s your secret and why the green pen?
JH: (Laughs) You heard about the green ink. I sometimes use purple. Growing up when teachers still graded everything with red pencil, before anything was electronic, you just learned that the red pencil meant that something was wrong: That you were then wrong. So I have never used red for presenting any kind of feedback.
I’m continuing to edit an international open access journal while I’m retired, and at the same time while I was reviewing the galleys of my own work yesterday, I was also going through an article that was submitted by someone from another country. Trying to give reasons for all the feedback. Trying to point journal authors or students to the resources they need to build upon those skills. To always make the process of reading someone’s writing a mentoring process, rather than a grading process. That’s always been important to me.
Your publications are extensive. Which one(s) are you most proud of and why?
JH: That’s hard to answer. The work I’ve done has kept building on previous work. I have to point to my whole body of work where my closest co-author and co-editor was always Emily Goff. But there were a number of people, another former graduate student, Jennifer Schultz, Irene Duranczyk, and others who also shared in this work quite a bit. Definitely my work related to Universal Design is an area in which I know, I’m not saying I made a difference, but I know that work makes a difference and that the impact of the work is broader than what was initially assumed about UD. We now know Universal Instructional Design can improve learning for all students, not just a specific target audience of students with disabilities. In fact, one of my most recent publications was a conference proceedings paper I presented in January, co-authored by Emily Goff, about our work on integrated multicultural instructional design (IMID). We intentionally presented at an international conference and published it in an international open access conference proceedings, so anybody anywhere in the world could get their hands on it at no cost. That publication has only been on the web for maybe two months now so it’s not had time to have an impact, and other things that we’ve written related to integrated multicultural instructional design build on our work with Universal Instructional Design, but the new paper takes IMID many steps farther in terms of considering the multiple facets of students’ individual social identities.
Your colleagues describe your character as a blend of highly intellectual and scholarly passion combined with human compassion and kindness. Where did your empathy come from?
JH: That’s very kind. When I was at the University of Georgia, I was respected by faculty outside my department but not necessarily by faculty within. My work related to multiculturalism, some of my work with disabilities, was not valued there, but it has always been my focus because of how my mother raised me. I started doing this work before the term social justice was used to describe the work. It’s always been important to me because of the values my Mom instilled in me at a period of time when having those values was not popular. Having these values from an early age forward and knowing that I then had to have the courage to walk the talk, and not just be an empty shell, this had a long-term impact on my wanting to be inclusive of everyone.
How do you believe empathy impacts students?
JH: Some graduate students come into our program very confident, but for some, they’re not just the first in their family to do graduate work, they are the first to attend college, graduate from college and it’s still important that they come to that realization of just how smart and capable they are and that more doors will continue to open to them. I love the fact that half of the students who enter our MA program have every intention of pursuing their doctorate. At the same time, I understand the students who don’t say that when they enter because certainly when I entered my Masters program I never would have dreamed that I would pursue a doctorate at some point. I was somebody who, as a masters-level graduate student, was literally told by my advisor that I was not doctoral material. I’d love to hold my publication work against his.
Retired, but not slowing down, correct?
JH: One of the things I was looking for in retirement was no deadlines; being able to do things according to my own timeframe, at my own pace, on my own schedule. I can’t do that with The Journal of College Teaching and Learning that I edit for The Clute Institute because they are very respectful of authors. They ask that the turnaround from point of submission to initial point of decision is eight weeks. That’s a challenge if I’m traveling or if I have other commitments or something else sparks my interest and I want to follow that flow. I have to interrupt it and get back to the journal work. Balancing that is the opportunity to work with authors from all over the world and the US. I’ve worked with teams of authors from Tuskegee and really enjoy having the opportunity to read work that isn’t related to any academic discipline. One of the papers I learned the most from was a paper related to teaching astronomy and some work that’s been done internationally to make astronomy and the study of the stars more accessible to students who aren’t at institutions with big budgets and fancy telescopes. Another piece I recently edited on college students’ involvement in aquatic sports tourism in Taiwan used the same theoretical framework about intended behaviors that the University of Georgia’s Karen Kalivoda, now the Director of the Disability Resource Center, introduced me to when she was a graduate student. I was on her doctoral committee as the outside member, but was the one who worked with her most closely on her dissertation. Her dissertation from the early 90s used the same theoretical framework I was reading yesterday only applied to a completely different area of expertise.
I’m drawn into reading and editing these pieces from all around the world that have nothing to do with my academic disciplinary areas of expertise, but at the same time are just truly interesting to me. I can tell you in depth about many of the articles I’ve edited. And, because The Clute Institute has numerous conferences in different parts of the world, including the US, I get to go to conferences and meet some of these authors and that’s a truly wonderful experience. I really enjoy doing it.
One last question: Have the late night student phone calls ended?
JH: (Laughs) Of course the phone calls have ended, but the emails still tend to roll in. My husband will be long asleep and I’ll do a quick check of the umn.edu account at about 2 a.m. before I go to sleep. It’s fun to see the messages that came in during the wee hours.
Thank you to Jeanne Higbee for her far-reaching impact and tireless dedication to inclusive, education development through teaching, writing, editing and mentorship. In celebration, we toast you with the following words of praise and gratitude.
“Jeanne’s energy and connections put the University into the forefront of Education Development.” — Cathy Wambach, PsTL colleague
“No one else at the University has shown me as much compassion, kindness and generosity. She brings the idea of making a difference into reality. I can only aspire to make that kind of impact.” — Jill Trites, PsTL colleague
“She lets you see the real person. She is compassionate, willing to be vulnerable and expresses genuine concern for others and that is very rare. She helped make the department a place of stability.” — Bob Poch, PsTL colleague
“Best instructor I’ve had in my entire life. You never feel like you’re taking up her time. She’s a fierce advocate for students who is always willing to mentor and help provide direction.” — Amber Eule-Nashoba, former student
“She was my advisor. I learned so much from her, more than in some of my classes. She’s a natural teacher. She pushed me to get stuff finished and think in different way. I’m excited she’s retiring so she’ll have more time to work with me. I don’t just like her; I love her.” — Anise McDowell, former advisee
“She is a life-effusing force who knows when to hire others. With her green ink pen, Jeanne made me a much better and more confident writer.” — David Arendale, PsTL colleague
“I owe every professional thing I’ve accomplished to Jeanne. I’ve been supported by everything I’ve learned from her personally and professionally. She’s also fearless about publication.” — Emily Goff, co-author and former student
“In 2008, she helped me navigate the path to becoming a faculty member. She was my main advisor at the time, and served in a number of edits that influenced my work and made me a better writer.” — Mike Stebleton, PsTL colleague
“I admire her commitment and passion and fearlessness. She taught me to see the best in students, what they’re strengths and abilities are; to understand who they are, what they have to offer and how we can impact them.” — Gary Peter, PsTL colleague
“Jeanne introduced me to Universal Instructional Design and from that point on all the courses, papers and workshops unfolded. She made a big difference in precisely how I’ve designed courses and provided materials.” — Jay Hatch, PsTL colleague
“She’s the most brilliant person I’ve ever met. We’ve been married 35 years and that is the thing that continues to attract me to her. She’s always been passionate about teaching and was always student-oriented. She would take calls from students day or night.” — Tom Couillard, husband
