Faculty Stories

Philosophy professor emeritus Ralph Davis passed away Feb. 8 in Portland, OR at the age of 81. He is survived by Margaret, his wife of 55 years, two children and one grandchild.

Vicki Baker, professor of economics and management at Albion College, is considered an expert on helping faculty members figure out what’s next in their careers. When she is not teaching, she devotes much of her time helping others find their career advancement and leadership opportunities. She has written several books about the topic. Being named as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for 2023-24, she will now turn that focus on her own career.

What began as stargazing and watching the aurora borealis as a kid in rural Wisconsin has led her to the stratosphere of her discipline and her latest achievement — being elected as a 2022 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

It’s a story about New York City and its residents — but Albion College history professor Marcy Sacks was the expert who contributed to an article featured in the Feb. 15 edition of the New York Times. The article, “Before Lincoln Center, San Juan Hill was a Vibrant Black Community,” describes the predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhood that was razed to build the Lincoln Center.

The last member of the ‘Holy Trinity’ is remembered for devotion to the well-being of students, colleagues and the greater community of Albion.

At last count, there were roughly a bazillion podcasts in cyberspace, but you only need to look at a random handful to see that a lot of the content is, well, kind of unbelievable. And for English professor Ian MacInnes, that’s the point of “Real Fantastic Beasts.”

Robina Quale Leach, professor emeritus of history, died Sept. 24, 2022, in Spring Arbor, age 91.

Her decades of dedication to health, safety and wellness at Albion and through the American Red Cross earned statewide recognition.

Read about Dr. Meghan Farley Webb’s work in Guatemala and a recent grant she is helping to administer from the U.S. Department of Labor.

“U.S. foreign policy is stronger if it can represent the voices and the interests of all Americans,” says Dr. Carrie Booth Walling, professor of political science and faculty director of the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service at Albion College.