The San Luis Valley Bridge Program

ohn Watkins' office is a collage of the varied interests of its occupant. On the walls hang prints by Georgia O'Keeffe, Picasso, R.C. Gorman, and an unsigned print depicting Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. On his desk are three-dimensional shapes created from icosahedra and tetrahedra that students in last summer's Bridge Program constructed; and on the wall by the door hangs a chalkboard covered from top to bottom with various mathematical equations. "Someone took my eraser, so who knows how long some of those have been up there," the mathematics professor explains ruefully.

It's probably safe to say that they haven't been there as long as Watkins has been at the college. After graduating in 1977 from Kansas University in Lawrence, John and his wife, Laurel, came to Colorado College "for the job." As Watkins explains, "It came down to a choice between Colgate and Colorado College. There were better job possibilities here for my wife, who's in linguistics, and that was finally the deciding factor." However, after coming to the college, Watkins was struck by the quality of the institution and by how attractive the area was, "and I've been here ever since." he adds.

Watkins devotes his time to instilling in students the same fascination and devotion to mathematics that he possesses. "I think my interest in math started so far back I can barely remember," he said. "You know, you have an aptitude for something and you follow that. But I have a vivid memory from when I was in sixth grade when the teacher told me about "pi"-how you could measure the diameter and the circumference of a circle and come up with the same ratio each time. I remember going home and finding every circle I could and measuring it. And earlier, in second grade, I remember realizing that I could write a number and then add a number to come up with a bigger number and that I could do that on into infinity. It was an amazing realization."

In addition to teaching classes, Watkins also directs the San Luis Valley Bridge Program, in which 16-20 high school students from that area come to campus for two weeks in the summer to study math, writing, computing and science. Watkins started the outreach program in 1991. "Actually, it was the brainchild of Joe Gordon, who was then director of Southwest Studies. He had this program in mind, and he knew I'd worked with a Native American program offered on campus then. I was a young, eager faculty member, and he figured he could twist my arm." Watkins smiles. "He was right."

The program, designed to encourage more San Luis Valley students to pursue college careers, has an excellent track record. According to Watkins, "About 90 percent of the students in the program go on to attend college, either here or at other institutions." The program is an important part of helping students realize their true potential, Watkins adds, illustrating his point with an experience from last year's program. "Last summer, there was a young woman in the program who was extremely bright, extremely capable, who I knew could make it in college. She'd have to work a little the first year or two, but no doubt she would succeed. Well, she was convinced that she had to be a nurse. There was no consideration in her mind for becoming a doctor, which she could well do. So the Bridge Program is as much about learning to broaden your thinking as it is about learning math or writing."

Watkins also tries to broaden the students' thinking beyond regional and national boundaries. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana for two years after completing his undergraduate studies, and next year he plans to spend a one-year sabbatical in Zimbabwe as co-director of an Association of Midwest Colleges (ACM) international program. Last summer, he conducted a class for Bridge students in ethno-mathematics, where they learned how non-literate cultures approach math. "It was quite successful. They really liked the idea of how different people think about math-how they view numbers, how they describe numbers."

As Watkins speaks, the image of Don Quixote in the foreground of a vast landscape appears behind him and the geometric shapes created by last year's Bridge students rest among folders of advisees and scholarship applications from incoming first-year students. When asked what he considers most memorable about his teaching experiences at Colorado College, Watkins answers without hesitation, "The students are the most memorable. They leave a lasting impression."

No doubt John Watkins, with his enthusiasm, expertise, and wide-ranging interests, has done the same for them.

 

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