what colleges/universities are those greatest (influential) teachers/professors from?

<p>From your own experiences, what colleges/universities are those greatest and/or influential teacher(s)/professor(s) graduated from? </p>

<p>Are you pleased with where you are and what you are doing right now? Upon retrospect, in addition to God, the Almighty, parents, yourselves, and friends, do you remember who is (are) the most influential teacher(s)/professor(s) that lead/guided you where you are? If yes, could you share what course(s) he/she/they taught and what colleges/universities he/she/they attended? There is no need to mention their names in your post but you may reveal their names if feel necessary. </p>

<p>As a starter, my list of the most influential teacher(s)/professor(s) is in the following: </p>

<p>High school (Math)-National Taiwan Normal University
College (Chemistry)-UNC-CH
Master (Environmental Chemistry/Engineering)-Vanderbilt
PhD (Stormwater/Surface water/Groundwater Quality Modeling)-Cornell/Michigan/Princeton</p>

<p>Because I spend WAY too much time on here, I actually thought about your question the other day. And I find that somewhat disturbing. I am quite content with life though my goals shifted greatly after marrying a military officer and figuring out that my having a great career wasn’t in the cards.</p>

<p>The two most influential teachers/professors were both public college grads. One was a high school humanities teacher–God rest her soul–who received numerous degrees at what is now Truman University (formerly Northeast Missouri State). The other is a journalism professor who completed her graduate work at Wisconsin and is now retired. Both were fabulous teachers. Both gave lots of quizzes.</p>

<p>In high school, I met the teacher who had the most influence on me, on my academic interests and course of study.</p>

<p>He had been teaching at my alma mater for nearly thirty years, a loud and angry firebrand. He wasn’t what one would call a “good teacher,” but he approached the material in such a passionate and frenzied way that one could tell he loved what he was doing–his exuberance was infectious. He was a member of the Old Guard, a keystone figure in a group that grew increasingly discontented with the direction that his beloved school was taking with regards to administration and admission policies. He was unabashedly racist and sexist, and that was a part of his charm, what made him a great fit for an elite all-boys high school for sons of immigrants from middle and working class families. Most importantly, though, he made a dead discipline come alive for a generation of young men who would go on to dedicate their undergraduate careers to its study.</p>

<p>B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Fordham University.</p>

<p>In the late 80s, at the age of 24, I came to the US, land of opportunity, to obtain a graduate degree in the field that I am really interested in. Like many foreign students from non-English Speaking countries, I struggled in express myself verbally so I had a difficult time during the first semester. My academic advisor Dr. M, who was very impatient about my English, gave up on me and eventually I received a C for his class. In this decent private university I attended, to get any scholarship was very competitive and depended heavily on professor’s research grants. Instead of getting me (his student) scholarship, Dr. M closed the door on me and I barely survived (C=2.0 in GPA calculation and any course with a C grade could not be counted as credits hours toward graduation in Master of Science programs). Was I a bad student? At first I had such a doubt in my mind, but not until I spoke with chairman of another department in my cross-disciplinary program, Dr. E, a well-known professor in Biological Wastewater Treatment. I still remember the encouraging words from him that day: </p>

<p>“I remember you. You took two courses that I taught last semester. And you aced both of them.”…</p>

<p>”I understand your English without any problem.”…</p>

<p>”I have a southern accent; too”…”I will be very pleased if my Chinese is as good as your English.”…</p>

<p>”Dr. M has no plan on you, but I do. Welcome to the team (family)!”…</p>

<p>“Who said students with a C in their master programs are doomed. Work hard and study
hard; you can make it.” </p>

<p>Five years after this, I invited Dr. E to participate in my doctoral dissertation committee for the oral defense at my second graduate school located on the East Coast. It was nice to share the biggest moments of your life with someone really care for you. I am blessed to have Dr. E on two of the big ones. A couple months after, Dr. E flew over to the east coast again join my wedding as Guest of Honor. </p>

<p>My father passed away two years before I completed my dissertation. I don’t remember since when Dr. E. became a father figure to my family. We call him Uncle E in several profession conferences we came across occasionally. Whenever meeting with Dr. E, I am always thrilled to listen to his words of wisdom and my heart is always filled with this appreciative feeling. After all these years, his firm, caring and encouraging voices still echo in my ears:</p>

<p>”I will be very pleased if my Chinese is as good as your English.”…
”Dr. M has no plan on you, but I do. Welcome to the team (family)!”…
“Who said students with a C in their master programs are doomed. Work hard and study hard; you can make it.” </p>

<p>Dr. E received his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt</p>