John Emert returned to Ball State University for the first day of class, as he had for the past 19 years. However, this year he came back as the associate dean of the Honors College.
Emert began teaching Honors College classes about 17 years ago. The mathematician with an undergraduate degree in music performance had a chance to explore mathematical questions in his classes and taught abroad for the Honors College.
Teaching in Honors College classrooms allowed him to build on the students' strengths, he said, but let them go farther with their education.
"It was that excitement that lead me to want to join the Honors College on a full-time basis," he said.
Dean of Honors College James Ruebel said Emert received the position after an interview process during the 2007 fall semester, which saw about 30 inquires about the position from across the nation. Ruebel said what appealed to him and other interviewers was Emert's experience at Ball State and his mathematical background.
This background made some Honors College students uneasy during the interview process.
"It's sort of scary to have a mathematician in the house," Emert said.
The Honors College doesn't have as many professors from math and science departments as from other subjects such as English, Ruebel said.
"I think being a mathematician probably made me an interesting choice, and that line of questioning did come up," Emert said. "The fact is, don't pigeon hole me as a mathematician, take me as a whole person"
And when other honors faculty members have humanities backgrounds, Emert's interests and strengths balance out well. That includes providing a balance to Ruebel.
"Our dean is a classicist. I mean, he has 'Green Eggs and Ham' in Latin on his desk for crying out loud, and so he comes into this office and I have 'The Book of Nothing' and other interesting, bizarro books," he said.
When Emert spoke about replacing Joanne Edmonds, the former associate dean of 18 years, he knew he had big shoes to fill. She's beloved on campus and did a wonderful job as associate dean, Emert said.
"If I can do half as good as she does, I'll be successful," he said.
He said Edmonds has given him some advice, and Emert said he looks forward to helping the Honors College advance.
What Emert wants to do is to help show people that the Honors College isn't an escape from other college experiences, but an addition to them.
"We're able to extend the buffet a little bit," he said.
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