Nine faculty members complere distingushed academic careers

Surrounded by the soft peach-colored hue of Hollenbeck Hall’s Ness Family Auditorium, friends and colleagues said farewell to seven of nine retiring professors with a combined 217 years of service to the university, April 19.

Bhattacharyya, professor and chair of the department of sociology, entered retirement at the end of the academic year along with Claudia Cornett, professor of education; Don M. Dunifon, professor and chair of the department of art; Jerry L. Hamilton, associate professor of education; Robert J. Levy, professor of philosophy; Jack D. Osbun, professor of art; Eugene R.

Swanger, professor of religion and director of the East Asian Studies program, and Fumiko Togasaki, assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures.

Also retiring was Robert Smith, adjunct assistant professor of history who has been with the university since 1977.

Bhattacharyya is recognized as a scholar in the fields of culture and medicine and Indian studies. She has also spent time in China, Honduras, Tanzania and Nigeria, examining issues in the political economy of development.

Cornett teaches courses in reading, language arts and integrating literature and the arts across the curriculum.

During her tenure, she has been recognized with awards for both teaching and advising, including the Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Dunifon is a producing potter and neon artist. He has exhibited in numerous shows, and his works have been on display and for sale in shops in New York and Ohio.

Hamilton is a specialist in educational psychology, learning theories and methods of effective teaching. He also served as the faculty adviser to the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Levy specializes in the philosophy of logic, the philosophy of science and contemporary philosophy. He is the author of the text Introductory Logic.

Osbun teaches courses in painting and photography and researches Latin American art history and Mexican folk art. He has staged more than a dozen one-man exhibitions in galleries in Mexico, Texas, Ohio, Michigan and Florida.

Smith is a specialist in African history and culture. For 24 years, he taught in Zaire and is fluent in the French and Kituba languages.

Swanger teaches courses on Japanese, Chinese, Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist and Zen traditions and myth and symbol in religion.

He is a recipient of the Alumni Association’s Award for Distinguished Teaching and a National Defense Education Act Fellowship in Chinese language.

Togasaki teaches courses in Japanese language, literature, art history and film. Her research covers the literature and art history of pre-modern and modern Japan.

During the reception, the retirees were presented with gifts from Wittenberg, including their choice of either a captain’s chair or rocker inscribed with the university emblem.

“The work of these individuals has been critical to the strength of Wittenberg’s educational program, and their contributions to the development of hundreds of students are immeasurable,” said Provost Sammye Greer.

“We are sad that they are leaving but also happy for them as they move into new and challenging ventures.”