Off We Go

A number of professors spend their most enjoyable moments outside of the classroom traveling.

Professor of Government Susan J. Pharr, a specialist in Japanese studies, manages to split time between business and pleasure on her trips to the Far East.

"I enter a whole different life in Japan," Pharr says. "Even though I travel for professional reasons, I find it personally very satisfying."

Pharr's most exciting venture this past year, she says, was her trip to South Korea.

"I've been to North Korea before, but this is the first time I went to South Korea," she says. "I was able to compare them and expand my credibility as an Asianist."

Assistant Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures Jann Matlock likewise mixes business and pleasure on her trips abroad.

"I went to an incredible concert last July in Paris," says Matlock, who spends her summers researching in France.

"I was in the third row of a tribute to Miles Davis. He would start with his songs, and other jazz greats such as Herbie Hancock would take off on them," she says.

Dillon Professor of International Affairs Joseph S. Nye, Jr. takes seven days each year out of his busy schedule to go fly-fishing in Alaska.

"There are no other humans; just fish, bears, moose, and eagles," he says.

Nye says he is particularly proud of the 40-pound salmon he caught with a three-ounce rod.

Ain't Got Time

Alas, there are a few professors who do not find time to pursue exciting hobbies.

Such is the case with Professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature Stephen Owen, chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilization.