| Name & Title: |
Dr. Judy Parrish |
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Chair of the Biology Department |
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Associate Professor of Biology |
| Hometown: |
Blue Mound, IL, but currently resides in Decatur |
| Family: |
Four children- two sons, two daughters |
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Her first grandchild (Olivia Rose) was born last year to her oldest son and his wife just 2 hours before her oldest daughter’s wedding! The proud grandparents were able to see the new baby before going to the wedding. Her son and daughter-in-law’s second child, another girl, was just born in December |
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| How long have you been at MU? |
13 years |
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| When did you first teach for the PACE program? |
She began teaching in the PACE program the very first semester it was offered, Spring 2003. |
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| Hobbies/Interests |
Travel! Though most of her trips are with student groups, she and her husband, Mark, traveled to Greece in January 2006. While there they visited a woman who had lived with Judy's family as a foreign exchange student when they both attended Blue Mound High School. Though she had lost touch with her Greek “sister” for several years, she reconnected a few years ago, shortly before her mother passed away. Being able to spend time with her long lost sister during her time in Greece contributed to making the trip a wonderful experience. |
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| Why do you do what you do? |
Dr. Parrish feels much excitement with everything concerning nature and the outdoors. As a girl growing up, she did not really like science because the textbooks she was given contained just text without pictures to make things come alive. There was no hands-on learning. She didn’t realize until she was in high school that the things she loved about the outdoors and seeing things grow was actually science! “I love helping people become aware of the whole living system.” |
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| What is your personal approach to challenges? |
“If I feel like I can do it, I just find a way.” She credits her parents for giving her the confidence to figure things out for herself. Her father was an independent farmer who always was able to make things work. In her experience growing up on a farm, you didn’t hire someone to come and fix things that were broken; instead you learned to fix them yourself. This is how she approaches personal challenges; she finds a way to fix what needs to be fixed. |
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| What are your thoughts on PACE? |
Dr. Parrish believes that the adult learners in PACE are very committed to and focused on completing their degrees. They understand the need for a college degree and come with the determination to see it through. |
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What would you like
to say to PACE students? |
She wants PACE students to know that the faculty does realize that adult students have very busy lives, and that they have many responsibilities outside of class. However, students also need to remember that it would be an injustice to them if they were not held to the same rigor as Millikin’s traditional students. Faculty would be cheating students if they did not teach them all the things they need to know. She cautions PACE students against taking more than one accelerated class at a time unless they can truly commit to doing the work required to complete each course successfully. It is the learning that is most important, so students should not rush too quickly to “get through.” |
