Last week, the Utah Statesman profiled two USU philosopher professors: professors Huenemann and Kleiner.
Huenemann was featured in the paper because he was recently awarded full professorship after 15 years of teaching at USU. From the article:
Among his colleagues and students, Huenemann is known for filling the shoes of a philosopher by fitting the quirky and comical stereotype, said friend and colleague John Seiter, speech and communications professor. … Though Huenemann is an accomplished philosopher and professor, Seiter said what stands out most about Huenemann is the person he is…“He is a compassionate leader with an amazing sense of humor. He makes movies with his kids. He invests a lot of time into being a father.”
I have regrettably never taken a class from Dr. Huenemann. But he has nonetheless made my stay at USU more enjoyable. My first semester (Fall 2006), I wasn’t so sure I made the right school choice. But that semester, I attended a philosophy club event where I was introduced to professors Huenemann and Kleiner. I was so impressed by their knowledge, their passion, their beards—everything. Knowing that professors of their caliber taught here at USU gave me great peace of mind.
While I wasn’t able to take any of Dr. Huenemann’s courses, I have been the beneficiary of Dr. Kleiner’s teaching. Professor Kleiner was also featured in the school newspaper, but the reason for the article is hardly celebratory:
Of the many professors USU employs, one philosophy professor will not be returning to expand the minds of students next fall. Professor Harrison Kleiner has inspired the hearts of his pupils here for five years, but because of the budget cuts, he no longer will teach them how to think like Socrates, write like Plato and study like Aristotle.
Those who know Dr. Kleiner, from either this blog or his classes, understand how profound a loss his leaving will be. I don’t use Yiddish to describe many people, but Dr. Kleiner is a real mensch. He’s more than a phenomenal educator, he’s an all-around great person and I’m honored to call him a friend. I wish him the best and hope he continues to grace our blog.
Be sure to thank both these men for their many years of service at this school.
Thank you for the kind remarks, Jon. Anything that I have given I feel I have received doubly thanks to great relationships with colleagues and students.
Barring a miracle, it does appear I will be around Logan again next year. I’ll be teaching some distance education courses, spending more time at the Beav, and may even become campus minister for the Newman Center. Hopefully not too many years pass before I land a job at another school (or perhaps even here again if our budget situation improves). In the meantime I do plan on continuing to annoy SHAFTers.
I remember my roommate freshman year would always come back from class and share stories and mind blowing ideas from his intro to philosophy class. Then I got to take the class the following year and experience it all myself. I’m glad the University requires general education classes.
You’re a great teacher. Thanks for staying on the site – it would get pretty dull without you.