{"id":1978,"date":"2019-03-11T15:12:10","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T15:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=1978"},"modified":"2025-03-27T16:34:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T20:34:00","slug":"the-consummate-educator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/11\/the-consummate-educator\/","title":{"rendered":"The Consummate Educator"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_300528-73, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_300528-73[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1978_300528-73\"]{display:block;padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-md, 2rem);text-align:center;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-sm, 0.9rem);font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-family:proxima-nova;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_300528-73 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_300528-73[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1978_300528-73\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_300528-73 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_300528-73[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1978_300528-73\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<span class=\"kt-adv-heading1978_300528-73 wu-subheading wp-block-kadence-advancedheading has-kb-palette-14-color has-text-color\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1978_300528-73\">Dr. Doreen Turnbo<\/span>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column1978_dba303-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column1978_dba303-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column1978_dba303-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column1978_dba303-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column1978_dba303-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column1978_dba303-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column1978_dba303-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column1978_dba303-86{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column1978_dba303-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column1978_dba303-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column1978_dba303-86 dynamic-main-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_addb5e-e6, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_addb5e-e6[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1978_addb5e-e6\"]{font-size:1.5rem;line-height:30px;font-weight:500;font-style:italic;font-family:proxima-nova;color:#808080;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_addb5e-e6 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_addb5e-e6[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1978_addb5e-e6\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_addb5e-e6 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1978_addb5e-e6[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1978_addb5e-e6\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading1978_addb5e-e6 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1978_addb5e-e6\">A lifelong advocate for education and the consummate teacher with a deep passion to explore and to teach what she found to others, Dr. Doreen Turnbo, dean of the College of Arts &amp; Sciences, retired in December of 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her legacy is a thriving college offering hundreds of sections of general education courses, five minors, two certificates, and five degree programs, including communication, liberal studies associate and bachelor degrees, a master\u2019s in teaching English to speakers of other languages, and an Environmental Science and Policy degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This deep love of learning has always been with her \u2014 guiding her to teach English as a Second Language at many Air Force bases where she and her husband, Mickey, were stationed during his time in the military, and also fostering a child with multiple disabilities while raising their two children. After her husband\u2019s retirement, Dr. Turnbo wanted to study to be a nurse. But, as things often happen, that goal changed slightly and she found herself studying to be a high school science teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI loved biology and genetics,\u201d Dr. Turnbo says. \u201cI love the study of it, I loved everything about it.\u201d Her children were also in high school at the time. \u201cThey kept saying, \u2018Mom, are you sure you want to do this?\u2019\u201d she laughs. Yes, she did, earning her bachelor\u2019s in biology, and she was soon teaching biology and physical science in the Appoquinimink School District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI did love the time I was teaching,\u201d she says, but a fellowship came her way through the State of Delaware, and Dr. Turnbo found herself writing school curriculum for the Water Resource Department of the Department of Natural Resources. She traveled to schools throughout the state, helping teachers to understand the curriculum, and doing activities with the students to teach them the importance of water conservation \u2014 where water comes from, where it goes, she says. \u201cAll the water we have is all the water we\u2019ll ever have,\u201d she adds. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize we\u2019re only missing one gallon of water on this earth because they took it to the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fellowship ended, and she had started on her master\u2019s in education at then- Wilmington College. She also found a position working as a WilmU adjunct instructor, teaching science. The first dean, George Bellenger, tasked her with designing a three-credit environmental science course without a lab, and later she put together the first science lab in the People\u2019s building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThen I got called by Dr. Jack Varsalona to come in for 90 days to fill in for an employee in the Advising Department,\u201d Dr. Turnbo remembers. She walked in and didn\u2019t leave for 15 years, during which she earned her Ed.D. and later became director of Advising. \u201cIt was fun, but intense. There were many days I was in the office at 7:30 a.m. and students would be waiting,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Turnbo and her team, which totaled three in the early years, including her, would work until 6 p.m. many days and rarely take a break. Students were registered for classes by hand. \u201cNo computers,\u201d she laughs. Over time, the college matured, changed its name to Wilmington University, divisions became colleges, and student enrollment increased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then in 2011, former Provost Dr. Betty Caffo asked her if she wanted to become dean of the College of Arts &amp; Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI knew, as a science major, that being in an area with general education courses, I could really do that,\u201d she says. \u201cI taught public speaking and science, and I loved every minute of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Turnbo says she answered yes to the question before Caffo even finished it. \u201cAnd she asked if I wanted to talk it over with my husband and I said no,\u201d she smiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Heading up the college allowed her a different opportunity. \u201cIt allowed me to still serve the university,\u201d she says of becoming dean. \u201cIt was a different kind of job, just what I needed and I loved it. I have loved it the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her thoughts, though, are always on the students, and that\u2019s where the University\u2019s future lies. \u201cWe have to be willing to make changes to meet the challenges of the careers out there, the ones we don\u2019t even know exist,\u201d she says. Much of what she put into motion has been just that \u2014 helping hundreds of students to find advancement and fulfillment in their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s really only about one thing, Dr. Turnbo says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re here for the students, and the connection we make with the students,\u201d she says, encouraging staff and faculty to do this in a spirit of enjoyment in helping others. \u201cThe student needs to remain the center of our focus. That\u2019s the key.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>-Janice Colvin<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Doreen Turnbo A lifelong advocate for education and the consummate teacher with a deep passion to explore and to teach what she found to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[638,639],"class_list":["post-1978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine","tag-magazine-spring-2019","tag-wilmu-faculty"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":135,"label":"MAGAZINE"}],"post_tag":[{"value":638,"label":"Magazine Spring 2019"},{"value":639,"label":"WilmU Faculty"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/20_updates_retirement_consummateeducatorDoreenT_body-e1588173316793.jpg",470,313,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Rachel Marchione","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/author\/rachel\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":135,"name":"MAGAZINE","slug":"magazine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":692,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":431,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":135,"category_count":431,"category_description":"","cat_name":"MAGAZINE","category_nicename":"magazine","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":638,"name":"Magazine Spring 2019","slug":"magazine-spring-2019","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1195,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":20,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":639,"name":"WilmU Faculty","slug":"wilmu-faculty","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1196,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":10,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1978"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17538,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978\/revisions\/17538"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}