By Ethan Galindo
May 8, 2018
Dr. John Murphy, Assistant Professor at Southwest Baptist University, teaches Anatomy and Physiology as well as Pathophysiology in the Biology Department. Getting to know Dr. Murphy has been a rewarding experience; this interview offers a glimpse of this warm and jovial family man.
Q: Where did you go to school?
A: “I received my bachelor’s degree from University of Central Missouri, my masters from South Dakota State, and my PhD from Kansas State.”
Q: How long have you worked at SBU?
A: “This is my fourth year here at SBU.”
Q: What is your favorite part about working at SBU?
A: “I really enjoy the students. Getting to know the students and building relationships with them is awesome.”
Q: What is the hardest part about working at SBU?
A: “Honestly, I can't think of anything. Like any job it has its rough days, but I love working here.”
Q: What is the craziest thing you have done while working here?
A: “Once I and a few friends snuck into a Dr. Hillary Glauser-Patton’s office and wrapped everything in tinfoil; EVERYTHING. Every pen, every cup, every book, every chair, we got it all. It took us hours to do. It was a great prank.”
Q: What is the craziest thing a student has done/asked for?
A: “Haha that’s a funny one. I once had a student who got arrested, and he called me from jail to tell me he was going to miss class. He wanted to know if his absence could be excused.”
Q: Did you excuse his absence?
A: “ Yeah, I gave him the excused absence.”
Q: Tell me about your family.
A: “My wife and I have five kids ranging from two to twelve. Besides teaching at SBU, we run a farm with 150 head of cattle. As well, we love God and are very involved in our church. I am the worship pastor and my wife leads the women's ministry.”
Q: What do you do when not here at SBU?
A: “When I’m not at church or here at the school, I love coaching my boys' sports. I also like hunting, fishing, and tending to the farm.
Q: What does an Ideal relaxing day look like for you?
A: “ Hmmm, I think the best way to spend the day would be fishing and driving around our Polaris side by side with my family.
Q: What are you looking forward to most this summer?
A: “I am looking forward to going to Yellowstone with my family. The kids have never been, and I can’t wait to show them what a cool place it is. We are loading up the camper and are going up there for two weeks this summer. It is going to be a blast. We are going to do some fishing and a lot of hiking.”
Q: What are you looking forward to most this upcoming semester? A: “ I am looking forward to being able to focus on making my classes better. The first year is kind of a scramble to get everything together. Next semester I’ll be able to fine tune them and really get these classes to focus on preparing students for their career paths.”
Q: What is the most rewarding part about teaching?
A: “It is definitely the students-- finding out what makes them tick and helping them succeed. I love getting to watch them grow as people and seeing what they do with their lives.”
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Infuse Student Media or Southwest Baptist University.
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