UR faculty who were also alums

My professor is a Spider

August 16, 2022

ALUMNI

As students, they walked the paths by North Court. Some ice skated on Westhampton Lake. And all of them turned their tassels on the University of Richmond campus. Meet three UR grads who made the jump from alumni to faculty.

“Between the friendships I made and the knowledge I gained, the University has impacted my life since the time I first arrived on campus,” said biology professor Eugene Maurakis, who graduated in the 1970s. Except for a brief stint in Washington, D.C., to get his doctorate in the ’80s, Maurakis, a research scientist, has been at UR.

Maurakis was a first-year student when E. Claiborne Robins donated $50 million to the University and remembers feeling the excitement at the possibilities. He majored in biology and, along with a colleague, started a research program in his first year teaching at UR.

“Students feel a connection with a professor who also attended the University, even though it has changed dramatically over the years,” Maurakis said. “I believe the commonality of being a student and graduating from here forms a bond among students and alumni faculty and validates the recognition of UR as one of the best private undergraduate universities.” 

That bond with faculty is something that Caroline Weist, a 2005 grad and associate professor of German studies, credits for her returning to teach at Richmond. As a student, she joined the synchronized swimming team, was active in theatre and dance, and double majored in English and German.

“Language classes are good at forming community,” Weist said. “My professors here in German showed me that all of the skills that I loved practicing in English applied in German as well. Now, I have that opportunity with my own students. When I see them grow and feel grateful for the time that I've put into helping them, that's what makes teaching life sustaining.” 

Karen Kochel, a 2003 graduate and associate professor of psychology, knew she wanted to join the University of Richmond faculty one day.

"My experience as a student in the classroom was positive and being on the faculty at UR gives me a perfect opportunity to pay that forward," Kochel said. 

She lived in Keller Hall, served as an RA, and majored in psychology in her time as a student. She also met her husband of 17 years, a 2002 grad, on campus.

“What was most special about my experience were the relationships that I made,” she said. “I'm appreciative that I had the chance to connect with people who continue to be important to me.”

They all agree the University has seen major changes since their graduations. For Maurakis, it’s been nearly five decades since he became an alum, but he says time hasn’t affected his love for the Spider family.

“My enthusiasm and excitement have never faded,” he said. “The University continues to value and promote the quest for knowledge while continually evolving.”