Barrier-free
Speech Communication and Dramatic Arts Professor David Ling said he wants to retire.
There’s only one problem – he still loves to teach.
Ling has played countless roles in the Mount Pleasant community in his 35 years at Central Michigan University.
For the past eight years, however, all of those roles have been from a wheelchair. Ling lost the use of his legs when he was seven.
“For most of my life, it hasn’t been a real barrier,” Ling said.
He said teaching from a wheelchair, despite the barrier, brings an interesting element to the classroom.
“From a wheelchair, it’s eyeball to eyeball all the time,” he said.
Students sometimes are shocked to see their professor in a wheelchair, Ling said, but they adjust quite easily.
“I will sometimes humorously refer to (my wheelchair),” he said. “If a student falls asleep, you can always roll over their toes.”
Ling completed his doctorate at Wayne State University while working at an instructorship. He later served as assistant debate coach at WSU.
When the director of forensics position opened at CMU, he decided to give Mount Pleasant a chance.
“We came here thinking this will be a nice place to spend three or four years and then return to civilization,” he said.
Little did Ling know three or four years would turn into 35.
He made Mount Pleasant his home, involving himself extensively in the university and the community, most recently serving as chairman of the Isabella County Board of Commissioners for the past three years.
But Ling may have made the biggest impression in the classroom.
Temporary SDA faculty Matthew Schantz is a former student and current colleague of Ling’s.
He said he always appreciated how respectful Ling was to his students.
“He was always fair, always willing to at least consider your perspective,” Schantz said.
Schantz said he took a political communications class with Ling.
“I think Dr. Ling and I are on different spectrums in politics, and my opinion was always valued,” he said. “We would poke and jab each other, but it was always in good fun.”
He also said he found inspiration in Ling’s optimism.
“In the midst of physical difficulty, he always maintained a positive approach,” Schantz said.
Ling said he considers himself a very fortunate individual. His office and classes all are in Moore Hall, so he has little need for daily travel across campus.
Ling also inspired Schantz to continue to grow in the area of communication studies, one reason Ling now works in the department, Schantz said.
Jackson junior Lindsay Snyder said she enjoys the comfortable atmosphere of Ling’s classroom.
“He’s very laid back and has a very funny sense of humor,” she said. “He talks to you like a person, not just like a professor to a student.”
Ling said he has enjoyed working at CMU and raising a family in Mount Pleasant. He said he values the opportunity to build lasting relationships with students and help shape them into strong members of society.
“I’ve had the fortune of having a school that values teaching,” Ling said. “It’s been a very good place to be.”
Ling said after he retires, he would like to remain fairly active in local politics and has aspirations to do some writing.
“I will miss teaching. I still love my classes,” he said. “It’s the one racket that keeps you young in spite of your years.”
