On a cold and snowy night in December 2006, a fire alarm rang through Anderson, Letts and Centennial halls at American University. Most students didn’t get much sleep that night, and Professor John Richardson decided he could do something to help them out the next day.
Richardson, a professor in the School of International Service, e-mailed every professor on campus telling them about the alarm and asking them to understand if their students were tired in class that day.
Richardson knew first-hand what the students had gone through. He experienced it too, as a faculty in residence in Anderson Hall.
Since 2003, Richardson, the director for the Center for Teaching Excellence, has lived among the students. He holds regular home-cooked Sunday dinners – students invited, he lends an ear at office hours in his apartment and he offers tea and cookies in the afternoon.
“You can tell how much Professor Richardson cares about the students,” said Leah Simoncelli, a sophomore resident in Anderson. “His meals are always great and they bring a lot of students together. We really appreciate what he does.”
According to Richardson, only about six or seven students used to come to his Sunday dinners in his apartment. But as crowds grew, students in Anderson entered a contest to have the first floor lounge remodeled in order to hold the dinners in a larger space. The Anderson Style Lounge was remodeled and now can accommodate the dinners which draw about 30 students.
Richardson said his motivation for wanting to influence students’ lives comes from his own mentors, including his professors at Dartmouth College. Their portraits hang on his office wall.
“If you have good mentors and want to express appreciation, the best way is to become a mentor yourself,” said Richardson.
Richardson may give to AU students, but he said he gains a lot in return.
“I’ve had so many opportunities to listen to AU students and learn so much from them,” said Richardson. “The most rewarding experience has been how much I’ve learned and also how much I’ve come to appreciate the challenges that students face and for the most part how well students rise to those challenges.”
Richardson said he also gets satisfaction from his interaction helping faculty at the Center for Teaching Excellence.
According to Richardson, the purpose of CTE is to combine “superb teaching and engaged learning with world-class research and professional practice.” As director, Richardson runs computer labs, new media centers and training courses for student and faculty.
Jim Lee, associate director of CTE, has known Richardson for 28 years. Lee credits Richardson and CTE for turning the audio visual department around at AU by using videoconferencing and by providing equipment and support to the program.
Richardson was Lee’s dissertation advisor when he got his Ph.D.
“I remember him as a very thorough guy,” said Lee. “I would give him two or three pages and who would give me three to four pages of comments.”
Lee also described Richardson as a sometimes unconventional lecturer.
“He would lay down on the desk and lecture,” said Lee. “He was tough but fair and we always learned a lot.”
Richardson is currently a professor of international development who specifically focuses on prevention, management and resolution of political - especially ethnic conflict - in developing nations. Richardson has decades of experience studying the relationship between conflict and development. Much of his studying took place in Sri Lanka, a country he first visited in 1987. His 18-year visit resulted in his book, Paradise Poisoned, a study on conflict, terrorism, and development from Sri Lana’s Civil Wars.
“In the course of writing the book I fell in love with the place,” said Richardson. “I am as much at home in Sri Lanka as I am here.”
Though his professional career has become focused on international development, Richardson did not always know his path. Once a confused college freshman walking around the campus of Dartmouth College, he said it took until his junior year to figure out what his focus would be.
During his first two years at Dartmouth, Richardson was involved in athletics, was a member of a fraternity, and claimed to drink heavily. However, Richardson soon established a close relationship with his history professor who helped him overcome some of the challenges he faced, many of which he attributed to coming from a public high school rather than a private one. Richardson also decided to live by himself in order to concentrate on his studies and eventually enroll in the honors program where he would discover his life-long interest for research and writing.
Richardson has come full circle, from sitting in front of a mentor, to becoming one himself.
Victoria Golden, a junior resident in Anderson, has worked with Richardson in the past.
“He is always friendly and happy to see people. It really makes your day,” said Golden. “He wants to help improve residence life in a way no one else can.”
Richardson does not know when and if he will ever retire from his job at AU, but when he does have free time he enjoys train travel. He dreams of traveling on the Trans Siberian railway.
Richardson’s experiences have given him a unique outlook on life.
“Coming from my readings in Buddhist philosophy, I believe life is impermanent and you have to accept that,” he said. “A lot of life is suffering but good can come from that. Life is an experiment so it is important to always be listening and open to learning new things.”
Richardson said he plans to keep sharing that outlook with students, along with an afternoon cookie or two.
