‘Twenty quite wonderful years’: Dr. Harwood reflects on a life of teaching at Viterbo

Harwood and Reese

Harwood and President Temple

Harwood giving his last speach

Prof. Larry Harwood has been a professor of philosophy and religious studies, and has now retired after twenty years at Viterbo University. He was often student’s first exposure to the subject, teaching many of the introductory classes.

Harwood came to Viterbo in the summer 1998 after graduating from his PhD program. “I took my PhD with no prospect of a job,” the professor recalled. “However, one week or so after I graduated I got a call from a friend about an opening at Viterbo, so I made an inquiry and then the job.” He describes it as a great opportunity, as when he was pursuing his Master’s and PhD in philosophy, he had little idea how difficult finding a job in the field was.

However, the professor hadn’t started college with philosophy in mind, though he was interested in becoming a college professor. Harwood recalls the idea was planted during his one philosophy class as an undergrad, when “the professor one day said his job was about the closest you could get to being self-employed and I envied that because having grown up on a farm I liked self-employment.” He originally majored in Agricultural Education, combining his interests in farming and teaching.

His interest in teaching originated from his time in the military, where he started educating his fellow soldiers, and found that “I enjoyed the dynamics of a classroom and got steadily used to being in front of people without fearing them.”

When looking back on his time at Viterbo, the professor remarked that one of the things he enjoyed was getting students to change their mind about philosophy. Harwood stated that it could be a challenge at times, as not many students have a positive view of philosophy walking in, but it was a challenge he enjoyed.

When asked about what he enjoyed about working at Viterbo specifically, he appreciated the emphasis on global education, such as the numerous study abroad opportunities available to students. The professor would occasionally travel with his students to locations such as China, and enjoyed interacting with the students during those trips. “Such a trip always transformed students and I always took satisfaction in my small part in that,” the former professor recalled.

Another thing he enjoyed while working as a professor was the sense of community. Harwood said that the small size of the University always made Viterbo “seem homey, and I have treasured the relationships I developed over the years with a number of people. Perhaps the greatest thing I enjoyed the most was simply having a student come to my office for a chat.”

Now that he’s retired, Harwood is looking forward to other projects that would often have to compete with teaching, such as research and writing. Part of those projects now include traveling, the former professor elaborated, “especially with history projects that for me require a bit of physical closeness so as to address the subject better.” However, “For all the excitement associated with the projects and the future, I nevertheless feel the absence of not going to Viterbo as I did for twenty quite wonderful years.”