Dr. Jonathan Long

Jonathan “JZ” Long said that he has “all kinds of ideas in my head” about future classes he wishes to teach and picked Wilson due to the “vibrant” feel of the community.

Long got his PhD in Cultural Studies from George Mason University, VA.  He also attended Bowling Green University, Ohio and taught at the school as a graduate student. He continued to teach at Bowling Green University for two years after graduating. During his initial teaching experience he decided he wanted a career in teaching. He received a job offer with an advertising firm but decided to keep teaching since he “really liked it”.

Long picked Wilson because he likes the small class sizes and feels as though the limited number of students makes for better teaching. He tried to get a feel for the Wilson community before taking the job. He read past issues of The Wilson Billboard and appreciated the free-speech demonstrated by the student-run protests he witnessed last spring on campus as a response to the college’s decision to become co-educational.

Long feels as though the communications curriculum is a good mix of a “blend of the theoretical and practical” and likes getting to teach practical skills. He likes being able to come to a new place, sees some fresh perspectives, and has a lot of excitement and enthusiasm about being part of Wilson’s future.

Wilson students appreciate Long’s fresh perspective and approach to teaching communications and technology.

“Professor Long has a lot of energy and is obviously passionate about what he is teaching. I find his class to be very interesting and engaging,” said Danniele Fulmer 17’, who also enjoys that his classes are “more discussion based as opposed to straight lecturing.”

Dr. Rebecca Smith

Assistant Prof. of Chemistry Rebecca Smith discovered that she loved teaching while working with graduate students at the University of Minnesota. She used her prior education to obtain teaching jobs and eventually secured a position at Wilson College, where she loves the face-to-face interaction she gets with students.

Smith graduated from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Next, she attended the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY where she earned her PhD in Psychology.  She moved to Minneapolis where she spent three and a half years working while completing her post-Doctorate at the University of Minnesota. The job was research based and had little interaction with students, and Smith decided she wanted more face-to-face time with students.

Smith moved back to Chambersburg, her hometown, and worked at the University of Pittsburgh, which involved a two-hour commute that she does not miss. She also taught at Hagerstown Community College prior to joining Wilson.

Smith enjoys teaching at Wilson College. She looks forward to seeing students “blossom from the start to the end of Chemistry”, and appreciates her ability to ” interact with a class.”

Chemistry student, Jordan Massey ’16 said, “She is a great chemistry professor who is willing to take time to help her students and she is fun to talk to outside of chemistry too!”

Smith says that, “It is the interactive part of teaching that I absolutely enjoy and I am excited to get to know students at Wilson.”