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Gene Nix, professor of chemistry, is retiring from Milligan after 36 years of teaching. Nix will continue to teach Earth and Space labs part-time next year. |
-Photo by Jason Harville |
After 36 years of teaching at Milligan, Gene Nix will retire from his full-time position as professor of chemistry.
Nix said he came to Milligan “not because I was looking for a job, but because it was Milligan.”
Over the decades, he has taught various physical science and chemistry courses. This semester he teaches the Earth and Space labs and Instrumental Analysis, and supervises the chemical hygiene and proper disposal of chemicals for the science and photography areas.
According to Dick Lura, chair, area of scientific learning and professor of chemistry, the science department is going to “reconfigure the chemistry program.” He said they will have “less flexibility [without Nix] although the actual number of chemistry hours won’t change much.”
Diane Junker, professor of chemistry, also teaches some nursing classes and Nix taught some of the physical science courses. The chemistry hours offered were taught by three but can also be handled by two professors.
“There is a lower Chemistry enrollment” said Nix. “If we needed three full-time chemists I probably wouldn’t retire. There is no need for three full-time people.”
Nix will tentatively teach the Earth and Space labs part-time next year.
“I love what I do. I like teaching,” he said.
Sophomore chemistry major Justin Peyton, said, “[Nix is] very willing to help people when they have questions, majors or non-majors. Dr. Nix really went out of his way to explain things to students that may not even be in any of his classes.”
He has been in the teaching profession for 42 years.
Lura said, “From a chair standpoint, one of the things I’ve appreciated most about Gene is he has always been extremely cooperative about schedules and what he teaches. He is very selfless. I don't think we’re going to realize how different it is going to be until he actually retires.”