Professors Marc Goldsmith and Dean Roberts, who began their careers at Mitchell College in different eras of the last century, recently retired after a combined 91 years of teaching tens of thousands of students. Their contributions are hard to measure, but the standard they set for excellence in teaching remains a constant at the college.

Goldsmith, who came to Mitchell 55 years ago in 1968, arrived in the midst of the Vietnam War. Roberts started 36 years ago, in 1987, years before the explosion of cell phones, laptop computers and smart boards. Times changed for these faculty, as Mitchell College went from a two-year to a four-year school, but their dedication to their students didn’t.

Marc Goldsmith
Marc Goldsmith, associate professor of communication, held myriad roles during his tenure, including dean of students, associate dean for instruction and academic programs, assistant dean for special programs and interim vice president of academic affairs/dean of the college. He also founded the college radio station (WRMC) and coached golf.

“Mitchell has always been a special place, connected to the community. It’s created memories and improved people’s lives,” he said. “I get messaged every once in a while thanking me for what I have done,” he said.

One thankful student traveled all the way from Texas to New London recently to attend a retirement party given by the college for the two professors. Dr. John Russell ’73 wanted to express his gratitude for his professor in person. The ‘B’ that Goldsmith gave Russell, who was valedictorian of his class, was the lowest grade (and only ‘B’) that he received at Mitchell.

In a thank you for the celebration, Russell wrote, “…Mr. Goldsmith is an honest grader. As a consequence of this fact, his fall semester course was the first occasion in which I had ever practiced serious self-criticism in my own writing. My writing improved thereafter, but slowly…The practice of self-criticism in English composition proved to be a lifetime benefit for me and I am indebted to Mr. Goldsmith more than anyone else for this blessing.” He added that the first ‘A’ that he received on a paper in Goldsmith’s class was regarded by him as “a particularly significant milestone in my academic career.” Russell went from Mitchell to MIT, where he earned four degrees, including a doctorate, in the fields of mathematics, aeronautics and astronautics.

Reflecting on his time at Mitchell College, Goldsmith said, “I will miss the camaraderie of the faculty and the challenge of the classroom. I will miss that the most.”

Dean Roberts
In addition to teaching exercise science and sport management, Dean Roberts committed himself to coaching two Mitchell teams—soccer for 29 years and baseball for 15 years.

“I have loved my dual role as a teacher and a coach. I spent a lot of time with the student-athletes in the classroom and on the athletic fields, and I enjoyed seeing their growth as students, from their first year to their final year. In many cases it was a complete transformation, from recruitment to graduation. As I watched students walk across the stage, I gained satisfaction that I had a positive effect on these young people.”

Parker Beard ’10, ’12 (who earned an associate and a bachelor’s degree) wrote in a thank you to Roberts: “…I was struggling to get the hang of college and I thought about quitting. You took me under your wing, you made sure I didn’t give up, you pushed me to go get help. I remember that you told me you wanted to see me on stage on Graduation Day…without your guidance, I wouldn’t be where I am in my life today!”

A self-described high school “underdog,” Roberts said he has related to many Mitchell students.

“I was not the best student and didn’t have many leadership opportunities. But there were people along the way who gave me the confidence to succeed. In turn, here I saw many students flourish in the classroom and on the playing field. They were given the opportunity to become campus and athletic leaders at Mitchell.”

Through their tireless dedication and steady commitment to student success, Marc Goldsmith and Dean Roberts have had a lasting impact on Mitchell College. They have inspired countless students to find their purpose and achieve their goals. Likewise, they have inspired the faculty who remain to continue their legacy of providing a student-centered learning environment that builds confidence and prepares students to make their mark in the world.

Mitchell College President Tracy Y. Espy delivered the keynote address at the 34th Juneteenth Commemoration Ceremony and Flag Raising in Norwich, Conn., which took place June 16 at the David Ruggles Freedom Courtyard at Norwich City Hall. The event was sponsored by the NAACP Norwich Branch and Global City Norwich.

Dr. Gizelle Tircuit, Mitchell College director of health and wellness, chaired and emceed the Juneteenth event, which included song, dance, an award presentation and remarks from Norwich Mayor Peter A. Nystrom, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney and State Sen. Cathy Osten.

Juneteenth marks the date when the enslaved people in Texas were finally freed — June 19, 1865 —more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

In her speech Dr. Espy reflected on the power of telling stories on this special day through the lens of the past, present and future. She said that through the simple act of acknowledging Juneteenth “we learn more about the origins of this holiday and the people whose lives were changed by it. It humanizes the experience of a people and the collective stories they share in view of their freedom.”

She talked about the stories of former slaves passed down through generations of family, “sacred connections to a time long ago,” that made the struggles of slavery real and “preserved the ‘truth’ of its culture” from one generation to the next.

Espy’s own family story, preserved through storytelling and other records in “a very old family Bible,” includes ancestor Darby Willis, an enslaved man who was purchased in Virginia and taken to Alabama.

“He was a driver, minister and ultimately founder of a church in Gallion, Alabama,” Espy said. “Darby Willis passed away one year after slaves were released from Texas, in 1866. His children and many descendants thereafter would taste freedom in ways he did not,” she said.

As a graduate student Espy did more research into her family’s rich history and gained more insight.

“It would be years, and tears, to bring me to a place of true acknowledgment, gratitude and acceptance of this glorious history that is mine and that of my family…and it exposed the stories of so many others who were marginalized or displaced for reasons beyond their control. This knowledge of these collective stories became a force in opening my eyes and heart to the human nature of pain and suffering. The stories became more real, more painful and more meaningful.”

Growing up in the South in the 1970s and 1980s, Espy said there was “an ‘air’ of freedom…from the good work of the Civil Rights movement” and “the physical manifestations of a ‘free’ and open society to ‘people of color,’ even a brown girl like me, were visible to the naked eye, but lurking just below the surface were clear undertones of systemic racism and oppression.”

Espy said her “ancestral stories are my super power” and that she “held both the story of my late ancestors and the realities of my present story as critical to who I was during that point in my life, with the hopes of what I would become in the future.”

“Each of us, whether our ancestors were enslaved or free, have a story to tell that celebrates the spirit of our humanness,” she said.