Faculty, staff retire with combined 205 years of experience
Cornell College is saying a bittersweet farewell to seven faculty and staff members as they enter retirement. If you add up the years of service to the college, they’ve been here a combined 205 years. All of them have worked here for more than two decades, two of them for more than three decades, and one for almost four decades.
To say they’ll be missed is an understatement. We asked them a few questions as they look forward to more free time during their retirement. Here’s what they said:
Lora Baltes, Alumni and College Advancement
What are your plans for retirement?
I don’t really have a bucket list—what matters most to me now is spending more time with family and friends. I’m also looking forward to reorganizing things around the house; indulging in my love for cooking; getting lost in a good book, TV series, or movie; picking up some needlework after a really long pause; or simply enjoying each day as it comes.
What were your first impressions of Cornell?
Whoa, that was a long time ago—1985. Having lived in Lisbon since 1975, I was familiar with the campus and knew a few folks who worked at the college. Additionally, my uncle, David Pieper, was a member of the Class of 1961, so I’d known of Cornell College since I was a young child. In fact, I have a photo of myself at about 18 months old with a Cornell T-shirt on. So, maybe I was destined to work here. I fell in love with the campus once I started working here, and I’ve cherished the college since—not just for its beautiful landscape, but for the entire college community and the meaningful work we do. That is constantly reaffirmed every time I talk with alumni and hear their stories and love of Cornell. And I tell them why I love Cornell.
How many years have you worked at Cornell?
3 months shy of 40 years
What is your favorite place on campus?
King Chapel holds a special place in my heart because of its grandeur but also because I have organized and attended many special events in that space from the May Music Festival to Music Mondays, convocations and honorary degree ceremonies, Homecoming Convocation and organ recitals, Delt Lectures, the holiday concert, and President Brand’s inauguration. When Robert Triplett was college organist, I turned pages for him whenever he played the organ. It was all by happenstance. I worked in the office that handled special events, and I could read music. That was a phenomenal experience for me over the years. I’ve missed being in King Chapel for the last 4+ years and will certainly be there when it is refurbished and open again.
Kara Beauchamp, Professor of Physics Emerita
What are your plans for retirement?
I have a new job at the University of Iowa as an instructional lab manager in the electrical and computer engineering and the mechanical engineering departments.
What were your first impressions of Cornell?
Cornell has a beautiful campus, but that was a little more evident in the summer than when I visited in February for my interview, and there was a lot of snow on the ground! The faculty’s commitment to teaching was evident right away.
How long have you worked at Cornell?
Sept 2001–June 2024
Kerry Bostwick, Professor of Education Emerita
What are your plans for retirement?
In retirement, I’ll be trading meetings for museums, emails for easels, and deadlines for dirt under my fingernails—traveling, gardening, making art, and soaking up time with my favorite people.
How many years have you worked at Cornell?
I’ve had the joy of teaching at Cornell for 27 years—long enough to see students become colleagues, and classrooms become a second home.
What Cornell traditions or quirks will you miss?
I’ll definitely miss the block plan—you know, that magical system where you can compress a semester’s worth of work into 18 caffeine-fueled days. Honestly, after 27 years, my brain only works in 3.5-week cycles. I’ll probably still be waking up in retirement thinking it’s week three and I forgot to post the final assignment.
How did your teaching style change over the years?
Early on, I focused more on planning what I would say; now I focus on what students will do, think, and create. I’ve learned to trust the process of inquiry.
Do you have any advice for new faculty or staff?
Remember that students don’t come to us as blank slates. Meet them where they are, build on what they know, and create space for them to question, explore, and construct meaning for themselves. Teaching is less about delivering answers and more about designing experiences that invite discovery.
Alice Ganzel, Professor of Psychology Emerita
What are your plans for retirement?
Get back to exercising! I also plan to continue working on my house and landscaping the property. Hopefully do some gardening.
What were your first impressions of Cornell?
We moved into college housing during a week when daytime temperatures were over 100 and nighttime didn’t get below 80. I must have stared at the thermostat for a full 30 seconds before I realized the house didn’t have air conditioning. Luckily, another newer faculty member stopped by to introduce himself and offered a window AC unit (one of three they had purchased). Our families have been fast friends ever since (not just because of the AC!).
How long have you worked at Cornell?
Since 1999
Lynne Ikach, Professor of Russian Emerita
What are your plans for retirement?
I plan to do some volunteer activities, travel with my husband, and continue practicing my favorite crafts, sewing and felting.
What were your first impressions of Cornell?
It struck me as a charming campus full of dedicated faculty and staff, and students excited to learn.
How many years have you worked at Cornell?
33 years
How did your teaching style change over the years?
I incorporated more student-centered activities into my courses, including activities that asked students to use their creativity to engage with course material.
What are your favorite places on campus?
McLennan College Hall, which has been my home away from home for so many years, Cole Library, and the Commons.
Lisa Janssens-Rud, Lecturer in Psychology
What are your plans for retirement?
Spending more time with family and being healthy. Will travel more.
How many years have you worked at Cornell?
25 years
How did your teaching style change over the years?
The greatest changes came after the pandemic. Recognizing how students were coming to Cornell using more technology. So this had to be incorporated into class work at a greater level.
Do you have any advice for new faculty or staff?
Be open to trying new formats, but keep what works and build on it.
Dee Ann Rexroat ’82, Office of Marketing and Communications
What are your plans for retirement?
I plan to relax and indulge my interests. This will mean going to concerts, movies, theatre, and dance. I have many books to read, a beautiful piano waiting to be played, and knitting projects to create. You will also find me outdoors birding, in senior college classes, and road tripping with girlfriends or my husband. Cornell will always be part of my life, since so many of my friends are Cornellians, and for the first time in 31 years, I’ll come to Homecomings without working at them!
What were your first impressions of Cornell?
I was only 17 or 18 when I visited Cornell and was smitten by the campus and its community. I love it as much today as I did then; I just see it more clearly now.
How many years have you worked at Cornell?
31 years
What traditions or quirks will you miss the most?
I’m not going to lie: I will miss eating at the Hilltop Café, along with the company provided by co-workers from faculty to facilities staff. I will never cook that well or have so many friends to eat with.