Notable Castleton University faculty named Professor Emeritus

Castleton is proud to announce that former professors Bob Gershon, John Gillen and Bob Johnson were recently granted the title of Professor of Humanities Emeritus by the Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees. Professor Emeritus status is the highest academic rank, awarded to select faculty members after long and distinguished service to the University and its students. Honorees will be recognized for their accomplishments at the VSC Board of Trustees meeting at Castleton University on June 22.

Professor Bob Gershon

Bob Gershon served as a full time professor of Communication for 40 years, before announcing his retirement at the end of the 2017 academic year.

Gershon was instrumental in creating the Communication department, and has served as the department’s esteemed chair for many years. During that time, he developed and taught a wide variety of courses on video, television, and other forms of media. Widely known for his dedication to students, Gershon placed his charges in hundreds of internships, and his alums have gone on to pursue impressive careers in local and national radio and television, including ABC, CNN, ESPN, and Fox.

Throughout his teaching career, Gershon has been active in the Faculty Federation, served on innumerable campus and system-wide committees, was elected president of the Faculty Assembly several times, and was deservedly named a VSC Faculty Fellow. Before his departure at the end of the academic year, he proved instrumental in shaping the new Graphic Design program that will launch in the fall of 2017.

Professor John Gillen

With over 45 years of service to the University, Gillen served as a faculty member in the English department for nearly half a century, from 1970 until his retirement in 2015.

Throughout the years Gillen became known as a dedicated and enthusiastic professor who helped shape the undergraduate curriculum and experience at Castleton. He worked as a prime mover behind the FYS (First-Year Seminar) and Soundings programs, as well as created the English department’s concentration in World Literature.

Outside of the classroom, Gillen served as chair of the English department, president of the Faculty Assembly, and founding member of the VSC Faculty Federation. Among the many awards bestowed on Gillen over the years are the Outstanding Faculty Award and VSC Faculty Fellow.

Professor Bob Johnson

A full time member of the Castleton faculty for over 29 years, Johnson served as a professor of Philosophy, retiring from the University in 2015.

Joining Castleton in 1986, Johnson has been a pillar of the Castleton academic community from the day he arrived. During his time he single-handedly created the Philosophy program, which now includes dozens of courses, a minor, and a Bachelor of Arts degree. Over the decades, he developed a number of interdisciplinary team-taught courses that exemplified the term “integrated learning.” In addition Johnson played a leading role on numerous faculty committees and was named VSC Faculty Fellow in 2005.

Johnson continues to display his devotion to Castleton students by creating the Robert Johnson Fellowship, a $1,000 fellowship bestowed annually on a deserving Philosophy major.