At the College of Menominee Nation, we are proud and honored to have people from numerous walks of life brighten our halls. With Faces of CMN, the Institutional Advancement department speaks with staff, faculty, alumni, and students to learn more about them, their lives, and how they help shape the College's legacy.

Could you please give us your basic information: name, title, and a brief descriptor of what you do at CMN?

I’m Eric Jurgens, and I’m currently the chair of the Liberal Studies department, teaching the first year Composition sequence - ENG101 and ENG102. I also teach Business Writing, Introduction to Native Cultures (ANT100). I’ve also taught HIS112 and HIS121, but I’m not teaching those currently. In my time, I’ve also taught Intro to Humanities, Intro to Poetry, even Political Science…

How long have you been with CMN?

I started in Fall of 2010! I was actually the last person that the Liberal Studies department hired.

Are you an alumnus of CMN, and if not, how did you find your way here?

My undergraduate degree is in Anthropology from Lawrence University, and I was an archaeologist on and off for ten years professionally. I’ve got Master’s degrees in Early Modern and Medieval History, and Early Modern and Medieval English Literature, and I’m all but a dissertation in English Lit.

I am not an alumnus, but my dad - Ron Jurgens - worked at the College for many years in different capacities, since the mid 90s.

[meowing off-camera]

<Laugh> That’s Ariel, she likes to turn off the microphone.

Yep, I’ve been there. <Laugh>

[Editor’s note: After some brief cat-related audio issues…]

He informed me that there was an open position, primarily for a Composition instructor. That’s basically what I’d been doing since…2002 or so. This year, actually, will mark my 25th anniversary as a college instructor in various capacities. He let me know about the position, I came up in the summer of 2010, and got the job.

What about the College appeals to you now?

I had been a graduate assistant at a couple of four-year universities - Southern Illinois University, Carbondale - and I had worked at a couple of community colleges around DeKalb. I really preferred to be teaching at a community college, always wanted to work with more underserved populations. My dad had told me a lot about the place, and it seemed like a good fit then. It has continued to be a good fit! There’s always new challenges, both positive and not-so-positive, and that’s something that keeps my interest.

Hardly a dull moment! <Laugh>

Is there a particular moment that made you feel like a core part of the institution, part of the - it could be a cliched term, but part of the CMN family?

I don’t know that I could pin it down to a single moment. Really, I think the fact that I’ve worked with the same group of colleagues for nearly fifteen years, y’know…it’s really been a good experience. I do feel very valued, both by my department and my colleagues and faculty in general. It took a few years to get into the swing of things.

To really hit that stride, for lack of better phrasing.

Yeah!

You said you’ve worked at several different colleges and types of colleges in your career. Is there something particular that sets your time at CMN apart from those other colleges?

Oh, certainly. I don’t really have students that act entitled or disinterested. It always varies, but typically the students here are highly motivated. It is a cliche that instructors learn more from their students than they teach - since coming here, I’ve had to do a lot of research in different areas to be a better instructor.

Where do you think CMN goes from here? We recently finished our celebration of 30 years, but what do you see as the aspirational “next step” for the College?

Ultimately, I think granting Master’s degrees is a great step. After the first decade or so, we started offering Bachelor’s degrees, so I think that’s the next logical step. I think we’ll have the students to generate that…not right this moment, but I think our recruitment apparatus is certainly more focused and robust than it has been in the past.

Is there anything you can share as a message of hope and goodwill to the community and students at large?

We’re all in it together, y’know, in terms of having to deal with the grind of a long semester. It takes a lot of energy and wherewithal to get through it, and I always say that when my students finish the semester with me, I’m always proud of them, regardless of the grade they’ve earned.

It takes a lot out of you, keeping on top of everything. I taught a class last year, and it was genuinely grueling. Like you mentioned earlier, it taught me as much as it did the students. The fact that faculty keep on top of all of this stuff is inspiring.

We have an amazing group of faculty here.

Thank you so much for your time.