JeffreyCoker
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39 // e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders PHOTO BY ASHLEY BARNAS When Assistant Professor of biology Jeffrey Coker thought about where he wanted his photo taken around campus, the first place that came to mind was a tree. But it is not just any tree – it is an American Chestnut, a species that represents everything that Coker stands for. This type of oak used to cover eastern North America before it was virtually wiped out by a foreign blight, and scientists are now working to develop a blight-resistant strain of the trees. President Leo Lambert does not know it yet, but when the blight-resistant seeds are released Coker will be campaigning to have them distributed at graduation in place of oak saplings. “It symbolizes putting something back that should have always been there,” Coker said. In fact, that idea is one of the core principles he teaches in Reinventing Life, a biology class for non-scientists. The class has become so popular it has been expanded to two sections each semester. Along with hearing Coker’s enthusiasm for the subject, Reinventing Life students get a glimpse of the legacy he hopes to leave at the university – an Elon Forest. Each semester he leads his classes on a 10-minute trek to a tiny segment of an old forest across NC-100 that he hopes the university will adopt one day. But he’s not just a tree hugger – he wants to be remembered as an advocate for general education. “I see the general education classes [as] more important to making sure people have quality, productive lives,” Coker said. “That people are able to write really well, that people have the skills in 10 years to be able to teach themselves. If we’re doing the general education courses right, people should be getting a tool bag of lifelong learning skills that will serve them well for their entire lives.” Coker has always valued a liberal arts education. As an undergraduate at Davidson College, he thought he wanted to be a doctor, but he’d always been interested in a variety of subjects. He wrote for the student newspaper and even traveled to Europe to study Greek and Roman art and architecture. As an undergraduate, Coker succeeded with the guidance of several mentors and role models, but two stand out as particularly influential. Verna Case, the biology department head, “never seemed to be working,” but she was a master of “leading in ways that felt like you weren’t being led.” Dr. Beamon, a local family practitioner, taught Coker the value of treating people with respect, especially those having a difficult time in life. “I’ll never forget walking around nursing homes with him treating elderly people [whose] best mental days were behind them,” Coker said. “He constantly experimented with every patient to try to pull their medications back. He would just try to optimize peoples’ quality of life.” On Dr. Beamon’s advice, Coker took a year off from school after earning his undergraduate degree. Even though he had planned on going to medical school for years, he fell in love with teaching at a Raleigh junior high school. “I got about three months into that and realized that some people go their entire lives without finding anything that they really love to do,” he said. “And here I’ve sort of stumbled into something that I really love to do.” At the same time, Coker knew he wanted an intellectual challenge, which led him to pursue a master’s in science education and a Ph.D. in plant biology from North Carolina State University. “Unlike most professors, I went to grad school knowing I wanted to end up at somewhere like Elon,” Coker said, remarking that the university’s status as an up-and-coming institution that values research, teaching and a liberal arts education drew him here six years ago. Coker said he also admires the leadership of quite a few Elon administrators, including Lambert and Provost Steven House. “[House’s] leadership style is to find the best ideas, regardless of where they come from, and then to put them into the spotlight,” Coker said. “He doesn’t try to take the spotlight. He’s always serving as an advocate for the people with the best ideas.” As for Lambert, Coker said, “He’s completely unafraid of big ideas.” And so is Coker. Whether it’s an Elon forest or a class that evokes a passion for science in non-majors, Coker hopes to continue helping others come together and bring their ideas to life. Story By Rachel Cieri REINVENTING LIFE AT ELON GET TO KNOW Jeffrey Coker Arrived at Elon in 2004 Hometown: Plymouth, NC “Never underestimate that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
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Arrived at Elon in 2004 Hometown: Plymouth, NC “Never underestimate that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead Story By Rachel Cieri 39 // e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders PHOTO BY ASHLEY BARNASPHOTOBYASHLEYBARNAS e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders // 40 PHOTO BY RACHEL CIERI
Transcript of JeffreyCoker
39 // � e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders
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When Assistant Professor of biology Jeffrey Coker thought about where he wanted his photo taken around campus, the fi rst place that came to mind was a tree. But it is not just any tree – it is an American Chestnut, a species that represents everything that Coker stands for.
This type of oak used to cover eastern North America before it was virtually wiped out by a foreign blight, and scientists are now working to develop a blight-resistant strain of the trees. President Leo Lambert does not know it yet, but when the blight-resistant seeds are released Coker will be campaigning to have them distributed at graduation in place of oak saplings.
“It symbolizes putting something back that should have always been there,” Coker said.
In fact, that idea is one of the core principles he teaches in Reinventing Life, a biology class for non-scientists. The class has become so popular it has been expanded to two sections each semester. Along with hearing Coker’s enthusiasm for the subject, Reinventing Life students get a glimpse of the legacy he hopes to leave at the university – an Elon Forest.
Each semester he leads his classes on a 10-minute trek to a tiny segment of an old forest across NC-100 that he hopes the university will adopt one day. But he’s not just a tree hugger – he wants to be remembered as an advocate for general education.
“I see the general education classes [as] more important to making sure people have quality, productive lives,” Coker said. “That people are able to write really well, that people have the skills in 10 years to be able to teach themselves. If we’re doing the general education courses right, people should be getting a tool bag of lifelong learning skills that will serve them well for their entire lives.”
Coker has always valued a liberal arts education. As an undergraduate at Davidson College, he thought he wanted to be a doctor, but he’d always been interested in a variety of subjects. He wrote for the student newspaper and even traveled to Europe to study Greek and Roman art and architecture.
As an undergraduate, Coker succeeded with the guidance of several mentors and role models, but two stand out as particularly infl uential. Verna Case, the biology department
head, “never seemed to be working,” but she was a master of “leading in ways that felt like you weren’t being led.”
Dr. Beamon, a local family practitioner, taught Coker the value of treating people with respect, especially those having a diffi cult time in life.
“I’ll never forget walking around nursing homes with him treating elderly people [whose] best mental days were behind them,” Coker said. “He constantly experimented with every patient to try to pull their medications back. He would just try to optimize peoples’ quality of life.”
On Dr. Beamon’s advice, Coker took a year off from school after earning his undergraduate degree. Even though he had planned on going to medical school for years, he fell in love with teaching at a Raleigh junior high school.
“I got about three months into that and realized that some people go their entire lives without fi nding anything that they really love to do,” he said. “And here I’ve sort of stumbled into something that I really love to do.”
At the same time, Coker knew he wanted an intellectual challenge, which led him to pursue a master’s in science education and a Ph.D. in plant biology from North Carolina State University.
“Unlike most professors, I went to grad school knowing I wanted to end up at somewhere like Elon,” Coker said, remarking that the university’s status as an up-and-coming institution that values research, teaching and a liberal arts education drew him here six years ago.
Coker said he also admires the leadership of quite a few Elon administrators, including Lambert and Provost Steven House.
“[House’s] leadership style is to fi nd the best ideas, regardless of where they come from, and then to put them into the spotlight,” Coker said. “He doesn’t try to take the spotlight. He’s always serving as an advocate for the people with the best ideas.”
As for Lambert, Coker said, “He’s completely unafraid of big ideas.” And so is Coker.
Whether it’s an Elon forest or a class that evokes a passion for science in non-majors, Coker hopes to continue helping others come together and bring their ideas to life.
Story By Rachel Cieri
REINVENTING LIFE AT ELON
GET TO KNOWJeffrey Coker
Arrived at Elon in 2004
Hometown: Plymouth, NC
“Never underestimate that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
� e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders // 40
Jeff rey CokerPHOTO BY RACHEL CIERI
