Joan Burton has retired after 20 years of teaching at Trinity. She shares her thoughts upon her retirement:

When I came to Trinity in 1988 the University was in the process of a great rebirth, which included establishing a new Classical Studies Department. It was exhilarating to help set the curriculum for a new multidisciplinary department, and the excitement never let up. In the last 10 years, the department underwent a growth spurt, expanding from four to six professors and from majors in the single digits to over 40; courses now include urban studies, reception theory, mythology, gender roles, heroism, and pirates and shipbuilding. My own scholarship shifted dramatically, from the Hellenistic period to the late Byzantine period, including gender roles; marriage laws; ancient and medieval narrative; themes of travel and displacement; conflicts between church and state; and the relations between poetry, politics, and patronage. All along my scholarly journey, Trinity – and especially my students and colleagues – encouraged my curiosity and iconoclasm, my love of exploring new fields and finding new ways of asking questions.

I shall miss the thriving daily life of my department – its multitalented, kind, and exciting colleagues and staff. I shall miss the Trinity students – their lively curiosity, seriousness, and sense of fun. I’ve had such glorious students! I shall miss my colleagues across the university – the easy, cross-disciplinary conversations, the lively interchanges, the sense of common purpose and hope for the future. I shall miss the terrific staff everywhere on campus, the wonderful library, the smiles on everyone’s face, the lush greenery around campus, and community people who visit. I shall miss partnerships with the museums. I shall miss lunches at Panchito’s. But as professor emerita I will be keeping in touch!

My husband has a job at National Institutes of Health, and I’ve taken a terrific new position at the University of Maryland, directing the Individual Studies Program (create your own major) and the Federal Semester Program. I am delighted to be able to take advantage of my long-standing interest in interdisciplinary initiatives and in civic engagement and the federal government. Dave and I are exploring the East Coast by bicycle and becoming fans of lacrosse.

My e-mail address is jburton at trinity dot edu. I can also be reached at jburton1 at umd dot edu (notice the numeral 1).