It's the Small Things That Matter

Sometimes the important things in life are the things you can't see, the things hidden just beneath the surface. And, no, we're not talking about character or inner strength here. What Dr. Ian Van Lare, TC's newest biology professor, finds important are the really small things: bacteria, microbes and parasites.

When Ian Van Lare came to Tusculum on a temporary teaching assignment, he enjoyed the college so much he applied for a permanent position in the biology department. He enjoys the scenery (he lives next door to Cherokee National Forest), but he especially enjoys the opportunity to work one-on-one with students.

"I teach all the things you can't see,” he explains, "molecular genetics, immunology, parisitology…worms and protozoans."

Having begun teaching full-time at Tusculum this fall, Van Lare says he is planning ways to "take more advantage" of the block plan through field experiments. For example, he's got an interesting plan to demonstrate certain principles of microbiology: "We might go out at night to the swampy areas and start a fire with the waste products from bacteria…that's kind of fun!”

When he's not trudging through swamps or teaching students what to look for through a microscope, Van Lare does enjoy considering the advantages of his position as an assistant professor at Tusculum College.

"One thing that attracted me here was that I wanted to teach at a small liberal arts school. But this is the first school that really puts liberal arts, which we call 'civic arts,' at the forefront. I enjoy that, because at other schools I've graduated students who might happen to have a really nice GPA but who have never experienced some of the things we're trying to get across here, through the basic competencies."

He also notes that TC's commitment to community shows through in the college's basic requirements, especially in the fact that one block of environmental science is required for every student. "At most schools you have a lab science requirement, but most schools just have you take a semester in animal physiology or anatomy and physiology," he says. "Whereas here environmental science is more relevant if you're just going to take one lab science."

Van Lare says he has also noticed that Tusculum College students "are a lot more into the campus extracurricular activities, whether singing in choir or being involved in their service-learning projects or playing a sport, and that's good."

Finally, Van Lare says he enjoys getting to know the students on a more one-to-one basis than is possible at large schools, as many students choose to take his classes several blocks in succession.

Of his relationship with his students, Van Lare says, "it's a balancing act. You like to be their friend and be able to kid around with them. But I also have to make sure I'm guiding the discussion in the direction it needs to go. I guess I'm sort of a combination between a friend and… a jailer!" He's kidding, he quickly explains. "They're great kids!"