Ricky Di
Sep 27 2006 12:00AM
Being a department head at a post-secondary school is no easy task, and no one knows that better than Susan Morgan, the new head of PJC’s history, languages, and philosophy department.
Morgan, who has headed the department since Aug. 1, started off at PJC as a faculty member in the Adult High program. During her 17 year run at the secondary education department, Morgan was also the president of the Faculty Association.
“I’ve always been very active at PJC. I’ve been active on committees and other organizations connected with PJC,” Morgan said.
Being a department head is not all about experience; a strong educational background is also a necessity. Morgan received a bachelor’s degree in history from Berry College in Rome, Georgia. She later received her masters in history from UWF.
The history, languages, and philosophy department offers courses in several languages, including the basics like Spanish and French, and even some harder-to-find courses like Latin, Greek, and Russian.
“I think we may teach even more languages than UWF,” Morgan said.
As for history, the department offers such gems as classical mythology, Greco-Roman history, and African American histories and humanities.
“We have a good bit of offerings for a community college,” Morgan said.
The department also offers courses in philosophy of religion and philosophy of feminism.
The department is no stranger to student influxes either.
“Our classes have no trouble bringing in students. We have some of the largest classes on campus, and in the district,” Morgan said.
Morgan’s transition from Adult High faculty to department head has had its share of bumps.
“It’s very busy; a lot of stuff is going on right now,” Morgan said. Morgan also said she has spent much of her time “learning this department, the people, and the course prefixes. It’s very different than Adult High.”
However, the change was made easier by the help she has received from her new co-workers.
“The people here are great. We have some of the best faculty in the district,” Morgan said. “They’ve made it easier for me.”