What Matters to Me and Why (WMTMW) is a continuing series of faculty and staff talks on life, work, and meaning. Staff and faculty members are invited to explore the question: what matters to you and why? Topics vary as each talk is deeply personal to the speaker, with titles in recent years ranging from “Storytelling as a practice of solidarity” to “Transparency in Science, Art, and Relationships.”
These lectures are followed by a Q&A portion and conversation between the speaker and audience, serving as a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to come to know the people at Carleton in a more personal way. Be on the look out for posters around campus, or check the chapel calendar to find out when the next WMTMW talk will be!
If you would like to nominate a speaker, please email our College Chaplain, Rev. Schuyler Vogel, at svogel@carleton.edu. We strive to represent the full diversity of staff and faculty on campus and welcome nominations regardless of role or longevity. All members of the Carleton community have wisdom to share.
The series is cosponsored with EthIC. Lunch is provided.
WMTMW Origins
What we know today as What Matters to Me and Why (WMTMW) was originally titled “Reflections: Faculty Talks on Life, Work, and Meaning,” often referred to simply as “Faculty Reflections” or “Reflections.” It gained its current title around 2006-2007. This lecture series began in the 2000-2001 academic year with two faculty per term giving a talk. In 2001, attendance ranged from 20-40 audience members consisting of primarily students. By 2003, the range had expanded to 15-60 people, with an average of 30-40. The highest recorded number of attendees was in 2011 with 120 people in attendance for a talk given by Steven Poskanzer. The duration of these talks were around an hour to an hour and a half, with the lecture portion taking anywhere from 20-45 minutes of that time. The very first one in spring of 2000 appeared to have been cancelled but was originally scheduled as a pre-dinner talk with no food served. By the summer of 2001, the series was successfully initiated at lunch times with food served (there is a gap in records from March 2000 to July 2001).
The overarching purpose of these talks has generally been described as showing students that the people they admire “took a while getting to where they are” and “how different people here live out their own deeply held values.” The topic of these talks as written by former College Chaplain Carolyn Fure-Slocum is best summarized in the following quotation which was found in introductory emails to faculty beginning in 2001:
“‘Reflections’ are informal talks by faculty about their lives, work, and the meaning they find in both. Usually the faculty person talks about his or her path in life… why they chose their area, why they chose to teach, and/or why they chose Carleton or liberal arts colleges. For some people there is religious or spiritual content, for others it’s been more about finding meaning in general.”
Discussion between the speaker and attendees was also an integral part of the series, with Fure-Slocum often encouraging speakers to turn the “larger questions,” such as the meaning of life or other broad themes brought up in the lecture, back to the students.
Early speakers ranged from Stacy Beckwith (Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies) and Louis E. Newman (Professor of Religion) to Roy Grow (Professor of Political Science and International Relations), Fred Hagstrom (Professor of Studio Art) and Marion Cass (Professor of Chemistry). Locations included the Sevy Faculty Lounge, the Alumni Guest House, the Sayles-Hill Lounge, the Athenaeum, and the Weitz.
Past Presenters
Spring 2000: Ruth Weiner, Theater
Fall 2000: Jeff Ondich, Computer Science
Winter 2001: Dave MacCullum, Philosophy; Bev Nagel, Sociology; Michael Hemesath, Economics
Spring 2001: Stephen Campagna-Pinto, Religion
Fall 2001: Tammy Metcalf-Filzen, Physical Education; Stacy Beckwith, Hebrew and Judaic Studies
Winter 2002: Nancy Cho, English; Louis Newman, Religion
Spring 2002: Roy Grow, International Relations; Fred Hagstrom, Art
Fall 2002: Roger Jackson, Asian Studies and Religion; Marion Cass, Chemistry
Winter 2003: Mary Easter, Dance and the Performing Arts; Richard Crouter, Religion
Spring 2003: Philip Camill, Biology; Mary Savina ’72, Geology
Spring 2004: Anne Patrick, Religion; Joel Weisburg, Physics and Astronomy and the Natural Sciences
Fall 2004: Cathy Yandell, French
Winter 2005: John Ramsay, Educational Studies; Susan Singer, Natural Sciences
Spring 2005: Bob Tisdale, English; Susan Jaret McKinstry, English
Fall 2005: Clifford Clark, American Studies
Spring 2006: Jen Everett, Philosophy; George Soule, English
Fall 2006: Raj Sethuraju, Director of OIL; Adrienne Falcon, Sociology
Spring 2007: Hudlin Wagner, Dean of Students; Lori Pearson, Religion
Fall 2007: Robert Oden, President
Winter 2008: Jackson Bryce, Classics; Michael McNally, Religion
Fall 2008: Anna Moltchanova, Philosophy; George Shuffelton, English
Winter 2009: Tun Myiut, Political Science
Fall 2009: Silvia Lopez, Spanish
Spring 2010: Kimberly Smith, Environmental Studies
Fall 2010: Kelly Connole, Ceramics
Winter 2011: Steve Poskanzer, Political Science and President; Shana Sippy, Research Associate in Religion
Spring 2011: Cindy Blaha, Astronomy
Fall 2011: Seth Greenberg, Psychology; Matt Rand, Biology
Winter 2012: Martha White Paas, Economics; Jennifer Ross Wolff, Biology
Spring 2012: Dev Gupta, Political Science
Fall 2012: Beth McKinsey, English and American Studies
Winter 2013: Kaaren WIlliamsen, Director of the GSC; Thabiti Willis, History
Spring 2013: Qiguang Zhao, Chinese; John Tymoczko, Biology
Fall 2014: Phoebe Wilmot, Bon Appetit food service; Dani Kohen, Chemistry
Winter 2015: Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, Anthropology and African and African American Studies; William (Bill) North, History
Spring 2015: Hudlin Wagner, Dean of Students; Stephen Mohring, Sculpture
Fall 2015: Carolyn Livingston, Dean of Students; Deanna Haunsperger, Mathematics
Winter 2016: Mike Flynn, Linguistics; Nathan Grawe, Economics
Spring 2016: Marty Baylor, Physics; Mihaela Czobor-Lupp, Political Science
Winter 2017: Alfred (Al) Montero, Political Science; Deborah Appleman, Educational Studies
Spring 2017: Adriana Estill, American Studies and English; Daniel Groll, Philosophy
Fall 2017: Trey Williams, Dean of Students
Winter 2018: Andy Flory, Music; David Lefkowitz, Art
Spring 2018: Chico Zimmerman, Classics
Fall 2018: Annette Nierobisz, Social Studies; Ross Elfline, Art History
Winter 2019: Dan Hernandez, Biology; David Tompkins, History
Spring 2019: Paul Thiboutot, Dean of Admissions
Fall 2019: Mija Van Der Wege, Psychology; Brisa Zubia, director of OIIL
Winter 2020: Danny Matthews, Director of GSC; Liz Raleigh, Sociology
Fall 2020: Julia Strand, Psychology; Fred Rogers, Vice President and Treasurer
Winter 2021: Carol Donelan, Cinema and Media Studies; Palmar Alvarez-Blanco, Spanish
Spring 2021: Beverly Nagel, Sociology, Science, Technology, and Society
Fall 2021: Peter Balaam, English
Spring 2022: Alison Byerly, President
Fall 2022: Melissa Eblen-Zayas, Physics; Renee Faulkner, Director of OIL
Winter 2023: Kristin Bloomer, Religion; Michelle Mattson, German and Provost & VP for Academic Affairs
Spring 2023: Andrew Carlson, Theater
Fall 2023: Kambiz GhaneaBassiri, Religion
Winter 2024: Cecilia Cornejo, Cinema and Media Studies
Spring 2024: Shosh Dworsky, Rabbi; Dina Zavala, VP IEC Division
Fall 2025: Edwinna Johnson, the Associate Director of Intercultural Life or OIL
Spring 2026: Yansi Perez, Spanish and Latin American Studies and Associate Provost