Dr. Larry Hultgren
“Without a doubt, my students, and teaching
my students, are my number one priority.”
-Dr. Larry Hultgren
You might see him around campus dressed in a tan corduroy jacket with a navy blue Dr. Seuss tie. Or, most likely, he's carrying a cup of coffee in his hand whether it's rainy and damp outside, or 80 degrees with the sun blazing.
He is Dr. Larry Hultgren, Batten Professor of Philosophy.
At the 2007 Commencement Ceremony, Hultgren was in awe when his name was announced as the recipient of the 2007 Batten Scholar Award. "I was completely shocked," he said. "It is one of the two twin peaks in my career." The other was in 2003 when he received the Samuel Nelson Gray Distinguished Teaching Award.
Known for his modesty, Hultgren says "in a way, this award completes the picture."
The reasoning – in 2003 his award came from the students; this one was from his colleagues.
Serving on numerous boards and committees, Hultgren is an active member of the bioethics community. He is a member of the Bioethics Advisory Committee of the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk; a member of the Institutional Review Board, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and the Conflict of Interest Committee, Eastern Virginia Medical School; and has made presentation such as "Developing Moral Reasoning," at the Regional Educational Seminar for Hospital Ethics Committee Members.
Although very active in the community, Hultgren says teaching is closest to his heart. "Without a doubt, my students and teaching my students are my number one priority," he said.
Hultgren and his wife, Mary Lou, who taught anthropology at Virginia Wesleyan, first came to the College in 1969 when all that stood on the tiny campus in the heart of Hampton Roads was Village I. Reminiscing on the changes over the past four decades he recalls, "There wasn't even a paved road into the school yet when I came."
The challenge of new small, liberal arts school, might have scared some potential professors away – but that's exactly what attracted both of them to the College, says Hultgren. "Here was a challenge," he explained. "A challenge to come to a new school and be a part of something new and different."
As the years passed and Virginia Wesleyan became more established, the thrill of a challenge dissipated, yet the duo remained. "The reason why we came and the reason we stayed is the people," he said.
At Virginia Wesleyan, Hultgren has gone above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of the students. He is a member, and now director, of PORTfolio, a program that promotes learning outside the classroom and sets students up with externships to help them develop skills which are crucial in the job world. Recently, he installed a new honor society on campus, Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athletic Honor Society with the help of Associate Athletic Director Joanne Renn; and co-developed the Faculty Team Advisors Program, which assigns faculty members as representatives to athletic teams at the College.
And as if his schedule isn't already jam-packed, Hultgren makes it a point to attend athletic events. "If I want students to be interested in what I'm doing, then I need to take an interest in them," he said.
A philosophy professor and a scholar in the bioethics community, Hultgren represents a dedication and passion for teaching and learning. "The real hope is, with liberal arts at its best, learning should be everywhere," he said. "In the dorms, the dining hall, the theatre – we need to be working all the time to see how students are doing in the real world."