By Tucker Carden

During his 18-year tenure at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., Dr. Mark Schantz was considered by many colleagues to be a prime candidate for administration. Having “felt like he had done everything” in terms of teaching, Schantz saw this as an opportunity to try something new. This led to his arrival at BSC in 2009 to serve as the provost.

Not long after arriving on the Hilltop, he rediscovered his true purpose – teaching and interacting with students in the classroom.

It started in the fall of 2012 with a single class on one of Schantz’s favorite subjects: W.E.B. DuBois. This reignited a passion and eventually led to Schantz becoming a full-time member of the history faculty, as well as department chair.

“The deeper I got into administration, the more I feel like it pulled me away from what got me into teaching in the first place,” Schantz says. “So, I was really excited about getting back in the classroom, even if it was just one class.”

As Schantz so eloquently voices his feelings on teaching: “I really like doing it.”

All kidding aside, he calls the classroom the place where he can be his “most true self.” He says that he never feels more at home “than when I’m in a classroom” and considers teaching to be “more mindful than meditation.”

When Schantz reflects on his decision to move back into the classroom full-time, he credits two key sources of inspiration. The first is his grandfather, who was a dental school professor and college president. “He was who made me want to teach first and foremost, so conversations we had about it were certainly very present in my mind at that time.”

The second source of inspiration is, of course, BSC itself. Schantz is quick to tell you that he believes “in the education that happens here.” He manifests this belief in the popular classes that he has taught at BSC over the years, including History of Birmingham, Pillars of Africana Thought (which he co-teaches with Dr. Desireé Melonas), and his renowned Bob Dylan E-Term course.

This fall, Dr. Schantz is “ecstatic” about teaching the History Senior Seminar course. “I love watching the students put everything they have into their topic.” He is also excited about bringing back Pillars of Africana Thought with Dr. Melonas. “That’s a course that I can’t teach by myself,” Schantz says. “It just wouldn’t be what it is without Dr. Melonas.”

When asked about the future at BSC, Dr. Schantz reasserted that he “believes deeply in this place” and that he is “looking forward to continuing what he loves most.”

Read more about the Year of the Ginkgo at BSC.