“I wanted to enter teaching from a low power distance where there is a tight connection with faculty and student,” said Dr. Phillip Ryan. “I really wanted to make sure that the students that were unsure with themselves or first-generation or less equipped to deal with scholastic challenges and things of that nature, that they knew that they had a connection.”
Dr. Phillip Ryan is a language professor and the director of the Center for Intercultural Engagement here at Union. He would describe his college experience as unorthodox, yet I would argue that it is what makes him the professor he is today.
Ryan was a first-generation college student with no direction or advising. He started out at the University of Memphis, and while he had some back and forth between Union and Jackson State, he ended up getting his bachelor’s degree in communication arts and English with a minor in Spanish from Union.
With that, he chose a career he thought he would enjoy, and that was to become a lawyer. “I got a job at a law firm and that’s all it took,” said Ryan. It was so uninspiring that he immediately threw away his LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) packet.
Soon after, Ryan had the moment that almost every twenty-something wants to have, in which you figure out what you actually want to do in life.
It was a random afternoon at his mother’s house when he picked up a church magazine that she had laying around. When he flipped the magazine to the back page, there was an opportunity to teach English at a Christian college in Japan. He knew right away his calling was to teach English to foreign students.
While Ryan never actually made it to Japan, he did make it to the Czech Republic, where he and his new wife were asked to teach.
“It was not an ideal first international experience. It was a mess,” said Ryan. They ended their contract early after a long six months and started back for America.
Upon his return, Ryan started teaching at the University of Memphis, the place he started college and the place where he earned his graduate degree. Yet, what he did not know is that he would soon return to the place that played one of the biggest roles in his life.
“I got a call from Union about a group of Brazilian [students] coming to study ESL (English as a Second Language) during J-term in 1994 or 1995,” said Ryan.
Ryan started teaching ESL on the side, while making the drive from Memphis to Jackson for the next several years until one day in 1997. “Union offered me a full-time position,” said Ryan,”which I was excited for, but not really looking for.”
Dr. Ryan never expected that Union would be the place he would call home for the next 25 years.
His role as a professor has had a greater impact than simply standing in front of a classroom and teaching a room full of students. He makes connections and friendships with every person that he comes in contact with.
“I always appreciated people, growing up, who took time to get to know me one-on-one,” said Ryan. So, he goes out of his way to ensure he always gets to know everyone he can.
For instance, last Friday was the first time that I ever met Dr. Ryan. I went into the interview with a perception based on the only thing I had been told: that everyone loved him. He is always spoken of very highly, whether they have had him in class or just know him personally. While that made me excited to meet him, it also made me wonder if that’s who he really was.
Within the first few seconds of meeting him, I knew that everyone was right. He opened our conversation unlike most people would. Before I could even get a word in, he started to ask questions about my life. He wanted to get to know me, not on an artificial level, but genuinely. His questions were always stated with intention and purpose.
In the same way, he forms relationships with his students. “I like the relational aspect of teaching,” said Ryan. “I like giving students the opportunity to see things differently from the way they’ve seen things before.”
Ryan always invites curiosities and is willing to share the past experiences that he has had.
“He teaches such valuable lessons through sharing things he has experienced in many different places around the world,” said Laila Al-Hagal, a junior digital media communication major.
Ryan is able to form connections that give students the opportunity to grow extensively outside of the classroom because he is not just a professor, but also a friend.
Photo by Union University