Six Faculty Members Retire At Year’s End
Sonja Darlington, professor of education and youth studies, has been teaching future teachers at Beloit since 1992. Darlington’s research in African literature, gender studies, and curriculum has taken her around the world, and she has used those connections to match students with opportunities, including in Tanzania and Botswana through study abroad program she directed. More recently, she investigated programs that promote liberal arts education to students enrolled in the Chicago Public Schools.
Professor of Political Science Georgia Duerst-Lahti has been a role model to younger women faculty, a mentor to many students, and a national expert on politics and gender. Her research has explored gender power and ideologies, women as elected officials, leaders, and candidates, and masculinities, especially as they apply to the U.S. presidency. Since she arrived at Beloit in 1986, she has used her connections to help students land internships, enter graduate schools, and start careers.
Professor of Geology Carl Mendelson, a paleontologist and expert in microfossils, joined Beloit in 1981. He has written and edited scholarly volumes and constructed databases that explain some of the earliest forms of life, and he’s encouraged students to explore the planet’s diverse landscapes by directing Beloit’s study-abroad program in Ecuador and leading dozens of field excursions across the United States.
Professor of Economics Warren Bruce
Palmer started his Beloit teaching career in 1992. He has taught microeconomics, macroeconomics, accounting, finance, and more, including courses that draw on his expertise on the Chinese economy and the environment. Recently, he developed the Life and Financial Planning Workshop, an interdisciplinary course for juniors and seniors that focuses on key financial
decisions students will face after they graduate.
Professors of English Lisa Haines Wright and Steve Wright wrapped up their tenures in the English department in May. The couple have been wildly popular with students, but both have shied away from the campus spotlight, hence our lack of up-to-date photos.
Lisa Haines Wright is a scholar of medieval studies who came to Beloit in 1990 from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. Her passionate approach to teaching, inextricably woven into her scholarship, has inspired many students to pursue advanced studies in English.
Steve Wright has directed Beloit’s academic writing program and taught academic and expository writing and course in the British literary tradition. He is known for his genuine interest in students and his extensive and helpful feedback on their papers. He joined the college in 1990, after teaching at Indiana University and Williams College. Wright is a two-time recipient of the Underkofler Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award.
