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Neal
Pruchansky |
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Neal
Pruchansky |
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Updates April 2025
Personal profile: Neal Pruchansky, nonbiological child Angela Fitzpatrick After graduating from SHS I promised myself to avoid jackets and sweaters with ties except for truly exceptional events such serving as an assistant to my good friend Doug Cooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger for the TV broadcast of the 1992 Arnold Classic and a private lunch with Maya Angelou Nov 4,1984) at Indiana State University. My career choice insured that I did not have to “dress for success” . Monetary success had never been of great importance to me and I realized learning via higher education provided intrinsic rewards and teaching became my calling.although as my income increased I was never adversed to purchasing motorized vehicles or pure bred cats. I began my career (15 years) ,at Umass Amherst, in the fall of 1965 starting out as a chemistry major. I realized on the coldest day of the year that I should change my major. The realization came from a meeting with my academic advisor who said “ you can no longer be a chemistry major”! My less than stellar performance especially in the required German classes meant that I was not making satisfactory progress. Thus I had to change majors, and it was very cold and snowing so I took the path most followed, I went to the next building and became a Sociology major without having had any course in Sociology. My appreciation and dedication to education began with Sociology. I found that Sociology was an excellent choice and in the second semester of my my senior year, spring 1970 I needed only two courses to graduate and was fortunate to be selected by Professor Charles Page to participate in his seminar “Youth and Social Change”. I was also accepted into a graduate class in sociology. I was taking a seminar with one of the leading experts, Page, in the field during the Vietnam protests and youth movements of the 60’s. Professor Page became my mentor and urged me to attend graduate school in sociology. My draft number was low and immediately after graduation I was “invited” to take my draft physical. I had broken a bone in my foot years earlier and was told by the doctor at the physical that I had two choices- I could get surgery ,at my own expense, and have the bone fixed and I would be drafted OR I could not have surgery and I would not be drafted. The decision came to me very quickly. Professor Page made sure I was admitted to the Umass Graduate Sociology Program. My appreciation and admiration of Professor Charles Page led me to many years later establish a perpetual graduate student award in his honor at Umass Amherst. I also purchased two benches in front of Machmer Hall, one dedicated to my mentors : Professors Charles Page, Lewis Killian, John Hewitt, Margaret Anderson and friends Martha Shapiro Naddaff,(SHS 1966) ,Stephen Markson and Douglas Cooney all of whom were vital to my graduate school experience. The second bench “the purrfect place to sit an dis dedicated to my 8 cherished Kitten Cats : Kitty Kashmir, Koko, Fawn Hall, Winston, Oscar Cat, CleoPETra, Lily Cat, Schmooglet. After working three jobs during my first semester I was given an assistantship and got a small stipend and did not have to pay tuition. Because I was completely immersed and thoroughly enjoying graduate school and found a love for teaching I continued as long as possible that is as long as Umass gave me paid teaching assistantship and adjunct faculty positions (thus the 15 years at Umass) and achieved a BA, MA and PhD in Sociology. In 1980 I was hired by Indiana State University as an Assistant Professor of Sociology to teach graduate and undergraduate courses in Medical Sociology, Sociology of Sex Roles (now Gender) , Social Psychology of Organizations. Note :Larry Bird graduated before I arrived but my subscription to the Boston Globe may have helped me with my colleagues, and I did meet Mr. Bird on several occasions. In addition to teaching and publishing in academic journals I took courses in Computer Science and completed an MBA at ISU. The MBA provided me with the currency to move from ISU. In 1985 I was about to accept a position at Antioch College in Ohio when a faculty member who I had met at Antioch called me and informed me that faculty hadn’t been paid in over a year. I quickly choose another option and began a 31 year career teaching a variety of Management courses :Marketing, Marketing Research, Small Business Management, Management Strategy and Business Policy as well as an occasional Sociology course. I also served as Director of the KSC chapter of the Small Business Institute for 28 years. During that time students in the program won 52 District, Regional and 12 National First Place awards in the Case of the Year Competition which included 250 to 400 Colleges and Universities each year.I was also awarded the Mentor award and the Showcase award from the SBI and served on the editorial board of the Journal of Small Business Strategy. In 2004 I was chosen KSC distinguished teacher and I was elected in 2015 the Small Business Institute Fellow. In 1993 I was a Fulbright Scholar in Riga ,Latvia. That is an amazing story because the Soviet Union hadst dissolved and Riga resembled the wild west.The story includes Arnold Schwarzenegger saving my life in Latvia and me assisting my new nonbiological family, Kristaps and Anita Licis pursue graduate study at Umass Amherst while bringing up their 3 years old Martins. I had frequent conversations with Dr. Stephen King, a colleague who I drafted from ISU to Keene State College, discussing how fortunate we were to be in the Management Department at KSC because of the people in our dept, the students, and the NH environment. And despite the salary limitations of KSC as a small NH public college we agreed that going to KSC each day was a pleasant and often enriching experience. However the dramatic increase in administrative budget had become a quality of education issue due to decreasing resources for students and faculty and decline in admissions. Steve King retired in 2015 and several of my colleagues were soon to be joining him. One day in 2016 on my commute to Keene from my home in Sunderland Ma. I was thinking about the fact that I was now the senior member of the department in age and length of time at the College and the changes that had been taking place in the department and the College. I realized that I was very disappointed with the quality and commitment of the newer faculty in the Management department and the self revelation that ‘I had been involved with hiring all of them’. I decided to retire. My initial activity after retirement was to become a “groupie” for the World’s Strongest Man Competition and my wife, Robin Luberoff have attended 3 events in Canada , 2 in Columbus, 1 in Iceland and in Bradenton Fl. We got together with Dan and Arlene Kates and introduced them to to 2019 World’s Strongest Man, Martins Licis, son of Kristaps and Anita. I am fortunate that my health has allowed me to continue scuba diving, swimming, kayaking and riding my three wheeled bike. My only vice continues to be motorized vehicles. I have owned at least 30 cars and 8 motorcycles with the extraordinary accomplishment of selling everyone at a loss !! In 2024 Robin and I moved into Loomis Retirement Community in South Hadley Ma and in 2025 purchased a lake house in Ware Ma.
Updated July, 2004... I have recently
completed my 19'th year teaching at Keene State College...combined with
my other positions, Umass, Amherst and Indaina State University, I have
been teeaching for over thirty years. I also spent over ten years as a
college undergradaute and graduate student. This strikes me as amazing
because I was certainly not a student at SHS. I did not become a student
until my junior year of college and did not see education as my career
until after completion of my first graduate degree, when I tried WORKING
and realized that for me teaching was not work, it was (except for
meetings) a "calling". And education is really a life long activity. My
career path developed slowly, so to my classmates who have children who
are still "trying to find themselves", be patient. |
