Thursday, April 28, 2011

Professor Profile: Dr. Modesitt~by Susan Moore 2.8/2011

Dr. Modesitt Enjoys Helping Student on a Daily Basis

by Susan Moore
Several WVU Parkersburg instructors dedicate a portion of their time to assist in the advising office.  One that provides registration advice is Dr. Maureen Modesitt.
Dr. Modesitt began her teaching career at an early age.  Playing school was one of her favorite things to do as a child. 
Dr. Modesitt said, “It was my favorite game as a kid.”  She credits her desire to become a teacher from her parents as both also practiced the same profession. 
“Teaching is my calling,” she adds, “It is where my heart is.” 
Dr. Modesitt got her start at Parkersburg Community College where she received an associate degree in English.  She went on to get her Bachelors of Arts and a masters degree from Marietta College. While she was still a student at Marietta College, Dr. Modesitt was given her first chance to lead the classroom.  “It was the whipped cream on my sundae,” she added. It was an ironic experience for her to be a student and later a teacher in the same classroom.  She went on to get her Ph.D. at Ohio University.  Teaching has been her passion for the last 15 years.
During the Spring 2011 semester at WVU Parkersburg, Dr. Modesitt can be found teaching English 102 and Reading 090. 
She also teaches student and personal development courses where she enjoys introducing just out of high school and “non-traditional” students how to adjust to college life. 
Aside from teaching, Dr. Modesitt finds time for a few extracurricular activities such as sewing and embroidering, as well as traveling to see her grandchildren and family. 
  She is also very active in the Theater department at the college.  She is set to perform in the department’s upcoming production of Trip to Bountiful.  The show is tentatively set to open prior to spring break, however, no concrete date has been set at this time.
A major milestone that Modesitt is most proud of is the release of her upcoming book.  It is titled “Come My Beloved: Women and Their Visions of God.”  
The book is about four female visionaries who are often alienated by their cultures, however, they are embraced by God, their Beloved, who liberates them through resplendent revelations.
These women provide exemplary motivation to all women who seek freedom from inner struggles and oppressive cultures and women who seek a deeper and more intimate relationship with their Savior. 
“No matter how much they suffered, they kept their faith,” Dr. Modesitt said. 
These women received “intimate visions from God,” she said.  She believes that everyone can be a visionary and “everybody needs a vision to keep him or her going.” It is her spiritual vision that moves her each day.  She feels that “to comprehend his greatness, you can connect to his goodness.”
The book is still in the pre-production stages and it is will be released in time for Christmas.  It is being published by Wine Press Publishing and will be available as an Ebook from Amazon and Apple, in addition to paperback form. 
When asked the best piece of advice she could give her students, Dr. Modesitt grinned and said, “Do not get dismayed by your first semester. Consider it as a learning experience and take it for what it is.” She believes students will make mistakes during the first year and as time progresses all will evolve as college students. 

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