thePULSEPart of what makes Central MA so unique is its abundance of colleges and universities. And at each institution, there are professors, instructors, and coaches who go above and beyond simply dispensing academic fact inside the classroom; this special breed of educator becomes mentor, role model, and inspiration. It is these individuals whom we honor in Focus on Faculty. If you know a professor who should be featured in this section, please contact the Editor at ldean@pagioinc.com.
Mount Wachusett Community College’s Professor William Welch
By Sam Femino
Meet Professor William Welch, dedicated to preserving history in a topical, conversational, and philosophical way.
Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner was your chosen destination after high school. You notice a class called “History of Ideas” and ~ since the shows on the History Channel have always kind of interested you ~ you sign up.
And you quickly learn that you needn’t bother bringing a No.2 pencil to class to fill in any circles.
“The difficulty for me is pontificating facts, names, and figures to a classroom. I don’t want to do that. I’m much more concerned with the ‘Why’ in history,” said Welch, acknowledging that his style can be confrontational at times. He maintains, though, that it’s all about original thinking and backing up your ideas. “Can you argue for the sake of arguing without baring your soul? Can you disagree on an issue and still say, ‘Good show old chap?’” asks Welch.
Welch has taught a variety of history classes at MWCC over the last 36 years. This semester, he has a “…real smorgasbord on his hands,” teaching two Western civilization classes, History of New England, U.S. History, and a Political Science class titled “Mass. and the Federal systems.”
A strong emphasis on debate and informal discussion are the cornerstones of most of these classes and that’s refreshing to hear, since some students may be coming up from high schools where “different” forms of learning have been sacrificed for better MCAS and SAT scores.
Over the years, the administration has given Welch the freedom to come up with his own classes, something he sees as rare for a community school. “It’s amazing that the Mount has allowed me to create classes, other than the standard ones that have always been given; it’s the sort of thing I like,” he said.
Professor Welch is as much philosopher as he is history teacher. He feels that the instant nature of the internet has made a lot of students lazy in their pursuit of knowledge and he is passionate about keeping discussions in the classroom lively, informative, and worthwhile for students and himself. “If I go into a classroom, am I encouraging people to come after me? Yes. It doesn’t bother me if someone is trying to show me up, I love that kind of stuff,” said Welch.
At the end of the day, for Professor Welch it’s about having respect for your own views; he provokes his students only in order to make them realize their potential as free thinkers. Welch is always willing to help out students who are curious about history beyond the classroom, whether by recommending further reading or by preparing them for their academic futures.
