By Shannon Dale
“I taught for 30 years and told all of my students that if you know what’s good for you, you’d better be thinking about going to UNC Asheville,” shares Ann Anderson, 1970 graduate and retired teacher.
This is a statement that the young, elementary-age Ann Anderson would have laughed at. Anderson is the first to admit that she did not like school growing up. She positively hated it. Not the teachers, mind you, but it was the confinement of her small school in Western North Carolina that made her squirm in her seat. The lecture-heavy days in the classroom convinced her that she did not enjoy learning.
When Anderson graduated from high school, she was attracted to the convenience and accessibility of Asheville-Biltmore Junior College. Going into her first semester, Anderson was ready to dislike the experience as much as she did during her childhood days. What she found surprised her: perched on Beaucatcher Mountain, Asheville-Biltmore Junior College was an engaging community of learners with faculty who took a personal interest in their students and encouraged learning through dialogue. In this active learning environment, she thrived, earning her associate’s degree and going on to become director of the Junior Red Cross.
After taking time at home to raise her four children, Anderson took her experience at Asheville-Biltmore Junior College as encouragement to turn her part-time job as a substitute teacher into a full-time career in education. She returned to a new campus close to town and to a new name: UNC Asheville.
“UNC Asheville bent over backward to make my education work,” explains Anderson. “They were so accommodating because they knew I had four kids at home.”
During her time at UNC Asheville, Anderson fell in love with learning all over again. In Dr. John Perry’s biology class, Anderson and her fellow students drove to the coast to learn about native ocean plant species by boat. In a botany course, Anderson discovered the magic of hands-on learning by trekking in the woods with her fellow classmates, seeing photos in their textbooks come to life.
“It is so important for students to have teachers who love what they are teaching,” says Anderson.
Anderson focused on teaching what she loved—being outdoors in nature—and inspired that passion for nature in her students during her career as a science teacher spanning more than 30 years.
She carried her love of learning onward to Western Carolina University, where she earned a master’s degree in human resource development by taking night classes held on the UNC Asheville campus—essentially earning three degrees from the University under three names over the course of three decades.
Even in retirement, Anderson works to spark a love of learning in UNC Asheville students through her generous animal support.
“What better investment is there than making a gift to help a young person reach their potential through their education?” says Anderson.
Support the department that inspired you to fall in love with learning.
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