2008 Woodie Awards
Dr. Joan G. Haahr Retires after 36 Years
Ephraim Tepler
Issue date: 5/16/05 Section: News
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After 36 years teaching at Yeshiva, Dr. Joan G. Haahr, professor of English, will retire from her lecture post, where she once acted as theCluster Head of the English Department and currently serves as president of Yeshiva's chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). The move, which Dr. Haahr has called "shedding [her] full-time postion for one of greater flexibility," will take effect following the Spring '05 semester.
In the classroom, Dr. Haahr leaves a legacy of stimulating classroom discussions and genuine interest in her students and the works they studied together. "As a teacher, she has brought specialized knowledge of Chaucer and medieval literature to our students but has also taught James Joyce (going to Dublin with last year's Honors group) and Charles Dickens. She also pioneered interdisciplinary Honors courses, the H-1 course which she and I taught three times," said Dr. Ruth A. Bevan, David W. Petegorsky Professor of Political Science.
"The hallmark of studying with Prof. Haahr is when you realize she is as just as excited about the material as the students are, even though she's read it countless times before," said Zev Nagel, who took last year's Joyce seminar. "She brings the medieval texts alive and reading Chaucer in its original pronounciation makes the literature unforgettable."
However, Dr. Haahr will be remembered just as fondly for her work outside the classroom. "Beyond her distinction as a medievalist and as a teacher of a broad range of European literature, and beyond her serving ably as long-term chair of the English Department, she has also served for many years as President of the AAUP at YU. In that role she has given voice to the need for equitable salaries, for a faculty handbook outlining and ensuring fair treatment of every faculty member, and for a strong faculty voice in university governance," said Dr. William L. Lee, Associate Professor of English, and Director of the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program at Yeshiva College.
In the classroom, Dr. Haahr leaves a legacy of stimulating classroom discussions and genuine interest in her students and the works they studied together. "As a teacher, she has brought specialized knowledge of Chaucer and medieval literature to our students but has also taught James Joyce (going to Dublin with last year's Honors group) and Charles Dickens. She also pioneered interdisciplinary Honors courses, the H-1 course which she and I taught three times," said Dr. Ruth A. Bevan, David W. Petegorsky Professor of Political Science.
"The hallmark of studying with Prof. Haahr is when you realize she is as just as excited about the material as the students are, even though she's read it countless times before," said Zev Nagel, who took last year's Joyce seminar. "She brings the medieval texts alive and reading Chaucer in its original pronounciation makes the literature unforgettable."
However, Dr. Haahr will be remembered just as fondly for her work outside the classroom. "Beyond her distinction as a medievalist and as a teacher of a broad range of European literature, and beyond her serving ably as long-term chair of the English Department, she has also served for many years as President of the AAUP at YU. In that role she has given voice to the need for equitable salaries, for a faculty handbook outlining and ensuring fair treatment of every faculty member, and for a strong faculty voice in university governance," said Dr. William L. Lee, Associate Professor of English, and Director of the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program at Yeshiva College.