I recently bumped into a dear old friend — Prof. Emeritus Larry Herold, who was my undergraduate geography adviser. In just the few minutes we spent catching up, I recalled, quite vividly, what this professor had meant to me as a student and how he impacted my life.
Professor Herold was, undoubtedly, one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. He did much more than instill facts. Through dialogue — in the classroom, in small groups between classes or in one-on-one meetings — he taught me to ponder and question and study and explore and dream. He liberally embellished textbook content with the knowledge he had gained during his own travels and studies. In so doing, he encouraged me to dig deep in pursuit of understanding.
In 1959, ecumenical scholar and author Stephen Neill wrote, “The good teacher … discovers the natural gifts of his pupils and liberates them by the stimulating influence of the inspiration that he can impart.”
Neill’s is an apt description of Professor Herold’s impact on me and, surely, many other pupils. Neill’s description likely applies to many other University of Denver instructors as well.
In his recent convocation address, Chancellor Robert Coombe referred to faculty as the “lifeblood of the University.” Indeed. And while some faculty members undertake research of great public or scholarly value, others make their most enduring contributions not in the lab, but in the classroom. In the latter category fall Professor Herold and journalism Assistant Professor Cathy Grieve (profiled in this issue), whose teaching has had a profound and lasting impact on generations of students.
Knowledge is the currency of our institution, and thanks to the dedication and talent of our teaching faculty, we are rich indeed.