Emory & Henry College: Margaret Hutson

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Jack Roper

Professor of History
B.A., University of South Carolina; M.A., North Carolina State University; Ph.D., University of North Carolina

Dr. Jack Roper enters his classroom while his students are still chatting, too busy to notice that class is ready to begin.

It might be an ordinary school day, except that Roper introduces himself as Abraham Lincoln. He opens his lesson with a poem related to the day's topic, and then students begin to question "Lincoln," gaining a unique understanding of the subject matter.

Roper's teaching approach comes from both a passion for history and a profound desire to fortify future generations of liberal arts students with problem-solving skills. This passion for teaching as well as his reputation as an historical scholar have earned Roper the title of 2005 Virginia Professor of the Year, awarded by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

His students describe him as a masterful professor who brings both a love of students and a deep knowledge of history to the lectern. As a scholar, his colleagues praise him for his intelligence, inquisitiveness and discipline.

Roper senses that the study of history is enjoying a rebirth in this country. That rebirth is reflected in the growing enthusiasm in the subject among college students as well as an awakening among American leaders toward the value of history as a guide to the future. "History is a problem-solving discipline," Roper said. With this value of history in mind, Roper has built a progressive E&H History Department that in recent years has created a public history track and added a master of history degree.

"We're finding that we can not deal with a complex world without knowing history and the history of the people we deal with," Roper said. "In the late 1960s, leaders started to govern as if history didn't matter. That meant a lot of mistakes were made in the 70s and 80s. We're returning to history now because we have to."

Roper thrives on a happy, self-nourishing continuum. His love of students feeds his passion for history, which in turn nurtures his love of teaching and students. He tells his students frequently that as he has taught them, they also have taught him much.

At the same time, he uses his unusual teaching methods - poetry, role playing and a Socratic method - to tell a more important truth: He may provide them with questions and the tools to find answers, "but they must go into the world without me and thus find answers on their own."

Quote - Jack Roper