Saint Anselm College will be losing six faculty memes to retirement at the end of the academic year. According to Dean Cronin, the following faculty members will be retiring at the end of the year: Maureen O’Reilly (Nursing), Deborah McCarter (Nursing), Kelley Spoerl (Theology), Joseph Spoerl (Philosophy), Beth Salerno (History), and Gregory Buck (Mathematics).
These retirements come during a great time of change at Saint Anselm College. These departures are in addition to the retirements of Dean Alicia Finn, Chief Diversity Officer Ande Diaz, and the departure of Director of Health Services Maura Marshall. Additionally, the college has yet to announce a formal plan for the $5 million budget cuts, $2 million of which is coming from the academic instruction budget.
A husband-wife faculty duo will be retiring at the end of the year, Joseph Spoerl of the Philosophy Department and Kelley Spoerl of the Theology Department. Joseph Spoerl has been with the college since 1990 and served as Chairperson of the Philosophy Department for five years. He also served three terms in the Faculty Senate. “What I have loved the most has been the opportunity to be constantly learning. You really learn a subject in depth when you have to teach it, so every course I have taught has been an occasion for broadening my own education,” Joseph Spoerl said. He reflected on the value of philosophy and humanities courses and the nature in which they challenge people to think by saying, “Teaching in interdisciplinary courses like our old Humanities program and Conversatio have also been great learning opportunities. And to be able to do this surrounded by smart, well-educated colleagues has been very enriching.”
Professor Joseph Spoerl is electing to retire now, in part, due to the Voluntary Retirement Package the college has offered in efforts to enhance budget cuts. As his time as an educator comes to an end, he is fearful of the future of academics not only across the country across the country, but also St. A’s. “I am concerned about the future of academics at the college. We have a culture-wide problem in the USA of deteriorating academic standards and I have seen it in my students,” he said. “They do not come to college with the skills that my generation acquired in high school. The always-growing focus on extracurriculars, especially sports, also has eroded the institutional and cultural commitment to academic values across higher education, not only here at SAC but across the country,” he continued.
Professor Kelley Spoerl also reflects fondly of her time on the Hilltop. “I loved teaching. I loved teaching my subject areas and I think that is going to be the hardest thing to leave behind,” she said. “I may miss it so much that I may even go into pastoral education at a parish because I love it so much,” she continued. Professor Spoerl began working at the college in 1990 in a position at the library, before transitioning to the classroom. She went off to work in Catholic publishing, and upon her return, was hired as a full time faculty member.
When thinking about a memory that encompasses the spirit of the Anselmian community, she reflects on the somber day of 9/11. She was returning from a wedding in Texas to her busy four course load and recalls being panicked about making sure she is caught up with her classes.
“And then, of course, all hell breaks loose and none of that is important anymore,” she remembered thinking upon hearing of the attacks. “The president of the college called for an emergency prayer service and it was one of the most beautiful and powerful memories I have of this college. The Abbey was packed to capacity, like a Baccalaureate mass.” “It was such a perfect representation of the Christian ethos I can recall and am so thankful to have been part of it.”
Associate Academic Dean Beth Salerno will also be retiring at the end of the year. Salerno has been with the college since 2000 as a professor of history as well as the founding Director of the Center for Teaching and Excellence and an Associate Academic Dean. After 24 years on the Hilltop, Salerno said “I love doing mentoring, which I define as helping people navigate obstacles to achieve their goals. I have been privileged to do that with faculty through the CTE and through conversations with a wide variety of colleagues.” With her experience in mentoring faculty as well as students, the thing she will miss the most is “ the collaborative and collegial problem solving I got to do here,” Salerno said.
Unlike some faculty, Salerno did not find herself influenced to retire due to the Voluntary Retirement Package offered by the college. Salerno’s decision to retire came pre-Covid due to external factors “and a realization that life is too short not to pursue some other goals,” Salerno said. As her time at Saint Anselm comes to an end, she is hopeful that the college will continue its high level of academics “as long as it has committed faculty who value teaching here. Ensuring that faculty requires respect, communication, compensation, and collaboration, which are areas all institutions sometimes struggle with, and that Saint Anselm needs to work on,” Salerno said.
As all of these professors prepare to say goodbye to the community, many of them reflected on their time in the classroom and as contributors to the college. “I am going to miss my colleagues the most! It has been so enriching and enjoyable to get to know faculty, staff and administration in many different roles and through many different activities,”Deborah McCarter said. “ I have appreciated being in a small college where there is an opportunity to interact across disciplines, and I have learned so much from each one. I hope I will be able to stay connected to Saint Anselm College after my retirement.” McCarter came to the college in 2007 and has served in a variety of roles in the Nursing Department and within the Faculty Senate.
As the semester and academic year begin to wrap up, the Saint Anselm College Community would like to thank these faculty members for their contributions to the college and wish them a restful and pleasant retirement.
