H I G H L I G H T O N F A C U LT Y


Dr. Peggy Pittas


Going above and beyond to create real-world experiences


M


ost people who know Dr. Peggy Pittas probably don’t know that she started the internship program


at Lynchburg College. But as she retires after forty years of teaching


this spring, Dr. Pittas says one of her greatest legacies is introducing practical work experiences for her students.


“She has been a great mentor to so many students, and she is one of the first persons our alumni seek out when they return to campus.” — DR. JULIUS SIGLER


In 1973, the professor of psychology


sent seven students to what is now the Central Virginia Training Center and gave them class credit for work- ing with handicapped children. Her students taught the children to feed themselves. “I guess you could call it the first service-learning,” she said. She went on to write contracts and handbooks that governed the Col- lege’s internship program. Dr. Pittas was also the fourth di-


rector of Senior Symposium, which gets students to think critically by focusing on a topic and applying it to various disciplines across the cur- riculum. She served as editor of the Lynchburg College Symposium Readings (lcsr) texts, compiled on such themes as science and technol- ogy and war and peace. “The legacy


of Senior Symposium and lcsr is that it made teaching a communal property,” she said. Dr. Pittas is responsible for making


the Agora a national, online publica- tion, specializing in undergraduate student responses to great books. “Peggy Pittas is first and foremost


an outstanding classroom teacher,” said Dr. Julius Sigler, vice president and dean for academic affairs. “She brings high intelligence and excellent organizational skills to every task she undertakes. She has a ‘no nonsense’ approach in the classroom, but she pairs that with an excellent sense of humor and the ability to build strong and lasting connections with her students.” It won’t be the same without her.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52