Professors paint, decorate offices for more personal, 'welcoming' feel
Though many faculty offices are naught but a small white box, some professors take it upon themselves to do a little more personalization.
“When I moved into my office, it was full of rusted, steel furniture,” said Cherie Strachan, assistant professor of political science. “It was not a conducive work environment, so I took it into my own hands.”
Strachan replaced most of the items with smaller furniture from Ikea, and stuck to a purple, yellow-green and white color scheme. Strachan also added mirrors to make the room seem larger. She said she wanted colors as close to that of natural light because there were no windows in her office.
Other professors prefer to let their creativity take over in the decoration of their space. Ari Berk, professor of English language and literature, let his interest in mythology and folklore fill the room.
Berk has nine published book which are on display in a section of his office. The rest of the space is filled with collectibles, books, figurines, photographs and anything else relating to the "fantastic."
“I like to be surrounded by strange things," Berk said. "As a professor of mythology, I have a reputation to live up to. Some are gifts from students — bits of old things they’ve found on travels. This room has become kind of a magnet.”
In past years, faculty members were limited to white walls, but several years ago Facilities Management decided to go through the older buildings to paint the classrooms and offices. Faculty were presented with a pallet of complementary colors. Pamela Gates, dean of the College of Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, was put in charge of working with the departments to identify the color schemes to be used.
“In Anspach, for instance, most of the faculty offices had not been painted in nearly 15 or more years,” Gates said.
Gates said it took nearly a year to complete the painting in the building, but it provided a wonderful facelift to what had been a drab, older-looking structure. It is amazing what a little color can do, she said.
Laura Cochrane, assistant professor of sociology, anthropology and social work, chose a collection of earth tones to complement the photographs hung on her walls. The pictures depict her research in Africa where she studies how artists express their religion and faith through artwork.
“I like having a place that feels welcoming, especially with the warmer colors,” Cochrane said. “I’m a very visual person.”
