Proud to be part of Carthage

Judith Schaumberg, the College's first Provost, has
dedicated her career to developing exemplary teachers.

Posted Jan. 15, 2010

If there's one thing that Judith Schaumberg does exceptionally well, it may be changing course.

The new Provost of Carthage College has been a water-skier, motorcyclist, whitewater rafter and snowmobiler. She's traveled to Alaska, Croatia, Tibet, the Czech Republic and many other destinations, navigating through one adventure after another.

But that's just in her free time. Her career has been rich in texture as well, starting back in the '60s when someone told her that she couldn't teach science because of her gender.

"In 1968 or so, women were not allowed to teach science," Dr. Schaumberg says. At the time, she was a sixth grade teacher who had just moved to a new junior high school with the hope of joining the school's science team.

"I was actually told, 'The men don't want you in the science department.' "

She changed course. "I realized they had a whole bunch of kids who had difficulty understanding what they were reading, and I wanted to help kids understand," she says. Dr. Schaumberg is now an authority on reading instruction, reading in middle school, and reading comprehension. In November, she was named the first Provost of Carthage College.

"I'm glad I took that turn because it was far better for me," she says. "Sometimes when people are kicking you, and you get up and do something different, it turns out to be a better idea."

20 Years at Carthage

Dr. Schaumberg was still teaching in middle school and working on her Ph.D. when she joined the Carthage faculty as a part-time instructor. "Carthage was looking for someone to teach recent research in reading instruction," she says. One of her professors recommended her for the position. She taught one graduate-level education class in the evenings — Seminar in Reading Instruction — and continued to teach in middle school during the day. In 1990, after she completed her Ph.D., the College offered her a full-time position.

"I really didn't want the job, because I was very happy being a middle-school teacher," she admits, laughing. "But it was a really good opportunity for me."

In 1996, she was named associate dean for the College's graduate program and continued to teach courses in reading instruction.

She retired in May 2008, but that retirement didn't last long.

"At my retirement dinner, the President — between the main course and dessert — turned to me and said, 'Judy, what are you doing when you come back from Europe? I want you to be acting dean.' " (At the time, the Dean of the College was leaving on sabbatical.) "I was very happy that my mouth wasn't full of food because I'm sure my mouth dropped."

"You know what is really fun? I think it's really fun to put on the academic regalia and stand up before a group of people and be a teacher, because that's what I do."

Her answer? "Can I think about that?" She didn't think long. She took the position because of her loyalty to Carthage, her sense of responsibility and her dedication to the College's mission, she says. Now, "when people ask me what I do, I tell them I go to a lot of meetings, I stamp out a lot of fires, and I smooth a lot of feathers," she says. "It's gratifying, rewarding when I can solve problems. Luckily I've been able to do that.

"You know what is really fun?" she continues. "I think it's really fun to put on the academic regalia and stand up before a group of people and be a teacher, because that's what I do. I love talking to parents, the welcoming of the new students at the New Student Convocation. I thought graduation was a great deal of fun. I got up on stage and looked out at 3,500 people and I started to hyperventilate. But once I calmed down, it was fun."

Moving to the Future

After serving for 15 months as acting dean, Dr. Schaumberg was named Carthage's first Provost in November. President F. Gregory Campbell wrote in a letter to faculty and staff that "there is widespread agreement that the title of 'provost' more appropriately reflects the responsibilities of the office, and the seriousness of purpose of Carthage as an academic institution. Judy has done an exceptional job as the chief academic officer for the past 15 months."

The title change comes in conjunction with the College's ongoing search for a permanent candidate for the position. (Editor's note: Dr. Julio Rivera became Provost of Carthage on Aug. 1, 2010.)

For Dr. Schaumberg, it's another change in two decades of transformation for the College. "When I came here, I think we had a student population that wasn't quite 1,000," she says. The College now enrolls approximately 2,450 full-time and 900 part-time students. "We had half the faculty — either 75 or 80 faculty members at the time. ... The physical changes are amazing: Hedberg Library, the TARC, Tarble Arena, the Clausen Center, the new dorms — all of that has come since I've been here."

"I'm always very, very proud that I'm a part of this faculty. They're very dedicated to teaching. They really want to be here."

The students are even more capable and excited to learn, she continues, "and the faculty has only improved. I'm always very, very proud that I'm a part of this faculty. They're very well educated, very dedicated to teaching. They really want to be here. They really want to help Carthage move to the future."

Faculty-Student Connection

As a teacher, Dr. Schaumberg recognizes the importance of connecting with each and every student. She recalls conversations she had recently with candidates for professor positions at Carthage. "One of the things that attracts them to Carthage is the ability they'll have to interact with students," she says. "They all come out of the big institutions where they've been doing their doctorate work. The classes they get to teach at those institutions are huge. They don't get to know their students; they're primarily talking at students.

"The teachers who are interested in coming to Carthage want to interact with students. They don't just want to talk at them. They want to nurture them, bring them up, help them really learn."

As Provost of the College and an expert in the field of education, those are the teachers Dr. Schaumberg wants.

"One of the things I had been concerned about my entire career was what makes a mediocre teacher and what makes an excellent teacher," she says. "That's one of the reasons I wanted to come to teacher education — to make those exemplary teachers."

An inspiration

Today Dr. Schaumberg continues her work as an authority on reading instruction. She has been involved with the Wisconsin State Reading Association since the 1970s. She was a founding member of the Waukesha County Reading Association, and has served on many school board committees in Kenosha, Racine and Brown Deer. She is currently serving on the executive committee of SOAR: Scholarships, Opportunities & Access in Racine, an education advisory board. She also maintains the Judith Schaumberg Scholarship for Carthage students minoring in early adolescence and adolescence education. The scholarship is meant to recognize and encourage excellence in middle school reading instruction.

"One of the things I had been concerned about my entire career was what makes a mediocre teacher and what makes an excellent teacher. That's one of the reasons I wanted to come to teacher education — to make those exemplary teachers.

"By the middle school years, kids already know how to read, but they don't know how to read the texts of the content that they're in," Dr. Schaumberg explains. This focus stems in part from Schaumberg's early goal to teach science. "If students are in a biology class, they don't know how to read a biology text. Nobody can teach students how to read the biology text except for the biology teacher. It's important to me to have content teachers be committed to teaching students how to read in their subject areas."

Many of Dr. Schaumberg's former students stay in touch, keeping her posted on their successes. Sue Saynay, '07, a first grade teacher in Racine, described Dr. Schaumberg as an inspiration. Saynay had already been teaching for 15 years when she came to Carthage for further education. "I had many questions and Dr. Schaumberg was most informative," she says. "During class she created an atmosphere that nurtured participation and collaboration. ... My admiration for Dr. Schaumberg has encouraged me to look into pursuing doctoral classes."

"She's just a neat person all the way around," agrees Sandy Fredericks, administrative assistant for the Education Division at Carthage, who has worked with Dr. Schaumberg for 15 years. "She's very caring and considerate. She's open to suggestions, she's open-hearted. ... There was never a time that you couldn't go in and just sit down and talk with her. She'll give you all the time you need."

Looking forward, Dr. Schaumberg sees only bright days for the College.

"Students are getting experiences here that many places don't offer students until they're graduate students," she says. "I can't see anything except continuous forward, upward motion for the College. It's a college on the rise. We are attracting the best and the brightest, in both faculty and students."

Five Things to Know About Judith Schaumberg

"My husband and I had a matching set of 650 Yamaha motorcycles. In the middle school, when the kids found out that I drove a motorcycle, one asked, 'Do you wear a black leather jacket?'

"I said, 'Of course. Did you think I had a pink one?' "

• • •

"I'm very animated when I'm in front of the classroom. People always say to me, it's like I'm a different person. I feed off of audiences. I'm a pacer. I could never just stand behind the lectern. That's not me."

• • •

"Until recently, I was an avid water-skier, and I taught lots and lots of people how to water-ski."

• • •

"I was also a very avid snowmobiler and president of a snowmobile club for awhile. One year I did a marathon run from Menomonee Falls to Eagle River, 10 men and me, on the snowmobiles. It took us three days."

• • •

Her favorite seasons at Carthage are fall and winter. "The lake is most interesting in the wintertime, when the currents are moving around and you get these really interesting snow and ice formations," she says. "Every time I see them, I look out there and almost expect to see seals because when I was in Alaska, we would go right up to the glaciers and hear the ice pounding against the hull, and there were seals floating on those little bergs."

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