QC Article: Professor Kjellberg Moves Into Faculty Master's House

Breadcrumb

November 4, 2014

 by The Quaker Campus in News

Hugo Guzman - NEWS ASST. EDITOR

After the nearly two years in the care of Professor of Sociology sal johnston, Hartley House will have a new faculty master.  Professor of Philosophy Paul Kjellberg.  Kjellberg has taught at Whittier College for many years, and he has promised to bring new excitement to the Master’s House.

Kjellberg has major plans for Hartley House.  One of his great themes will be the idea that one’s major is not a concrete life-defining path.  He will bring guests and speakers to Hartley House who have used their majors only as a stepping-stone towards their career.  “A superpower doesn’t tell you what you are going to do with your life,” Kjellberg said.  “But it does give you tools!”  With this point of view, Kjellberg is interested in exploring the journeys taken by alumni after college.

Additionally, he will be bringing light to the advantages of a liberal-arts education.  “From writing skills, to meeting people who come from completely different lifestyles, liberal education has tons of advantages,” Kjellberg said.    One of the most important things to Kjellberg is the development of an identity.  According to him, college is the place where a person develops an idea of what is normal, and exposure to diversity is key in this regard.

Life-guidance isn’t the only thing Kjellberg hopes to bring to Hartley House.  One of his main goals will be to build a community around Hartley House, one with sophomores in mind.  According to Kjellberg, sophomores often feel the heaviest pressure at Whittier but don’t get as much support due to their lack of roots.  While freshman year is spent acclimating to college and the later years are spent with courseload, sophomores are often left adrift.  Kjellberg hopes to use Hartley House as a meeting place for this “lost generation.”  Kjellberg feels that having something such as a movie night or a teatime would go to great lengths to establish Hartley House as a hub for the Whittier community, especially for those with no real home at Whittier.

The current occupant of Hartley House is sal johnston, who has lived in the house for the past two years.  “It’s a big commitment,” johnston said.  johnston’s time as Faculty Master has been dominated by guest speakers and alumni panels.  But one particular project has defined his time here.

“People have kept asking me ‘What’s gonna happen with the garden?’” johnston said.  He referred to the Wanberg Garden, which is the focal point of many programs around campus.  According to johnston, the garden will not be abandoned, despite his absence.  He and his comrades in agriculture will continue to work on the garden, which is seen by johnston as a permanent space on campus.  While others help manage what he hopes to be his lasting legacy, johnston will be enjoying his much-delayed sabbatical.

Professor Kjellberg will be moving into Hartley House in August and will be living there with his dog, Rita, several cats and his son, Ford.  His time at Hartley House will last for two years.  In the meantime, he is excited to hear what students have to suggest for his plans on developing a community at the Master’s House.

“I’m open to any ideas,” Kjellberg said.