Jeff Vanke has senior-itis.
This is his last semester at Guilford, as he’s stepping down from his position as assistant professor of history to spend time with his family.
Vanke came to Guilford in 1999, and has become a thriving member of the Guilford community. He submitted his letter of resignation last May. Vanke admits rumors about his leaving have been circulating around campus, though these rumors are not the reason for his leaving.
“Some people have different impressions about why I’m really leaving; some of them are completely false,” said Vanke. “There are three main reasons: I live in Chapel Hill … more than an hour away; I’ve been doing that commute for five years and it’s just no fun.
“Paired with that is the fact (my wife) had a child in the summer of 2002 … I am interested in spending more time with my son,” he said. Additionally, Vanke has found it difficult to balance raising a family and being a full-time professor: “The third reason I am leaving Guilford is because faculty are required to spend a lot of time in meetings and in administrative tasks. (As a full-time father) that’s a lot of work.”
Vanke has taught many First Year Experience (FYE) and Modern Europe-focused history classes. In the five years he’s been at Guilford he has already seen one set of incoming first-years graduate. This year’s seniors will be the second group.
“I already feel emotional about leaving the teaching and especially since spring break. Every day multiple students come to me and tell me how sorry they are that I’m leaving,” said Vanke.
“He is among the best teachers I’ve had at Guilford,” said senior Keenan Miller. “The thing about (Vanke) is that he plays an essential role at Guilford; basically, he forces students to think.’
“He had an obvious enthusiasm for what he was teaching … which made him very appealing. (He taught you) if you’re going to have an opinion, explain it and support it. It’s an essential portion of an undergraduate education – to produce people who know how to think,” said Miller.
“Guilford has lost a professor who really was involved in student affairs,” said sophomore Phil Newell, who helped campaign for Vanke when he ran for mayor of Carrboro last year. “He’s committed to helping people … he’s involved in a great many things.”
Newell also noted that at ratemyprofessor.com, Vanke rates among the highest.
Vanke graduated from Duke as an undergrad and received his Ph.D. from Harvard.
“I view my job here about overwhelmingly teaching the students and that’s been the big draw for me to keep commuting for three years, it’s the thing I’m going to miss the most,” said Vanke.