REBECCA HALE
Assistant Reverb Editor
Enter the office of Raymond J. Rushboldt, adjunct professor, and you will see nothing but books. Textbooks and reference books on history, U.S. government, European politics, the list goes on — the books line a shelf covering one entire wall of the small office, the other wall housing a desk peppered with student essays and papers, and the far wall housing a window overlooking Ring Road. Still, more books are stacked high upon the floor next to the window, signaling to anyone that the man dwelling in this office is very educated.
Now, if you have the gall and navigational skills to trek up to the third floor of Thompson Hall and wind your way through the warm hallways until you find the Politics and International Affairs Department, it may behoove you to strike up a conversation with this 48-year-old man.
Rushboldt grew up right here in Dunkirk and is an alumnus of what was formerly called SUNY Fredonia, where he double-majored in Politics and International Affairs and History, and received the Dawley Award for “Outstanding Senior in Politics.”
Afterwards, Rushboldt attended graduate school at the University at Buffalo, where he completed a three year Social Science Divisional Assistantship and received his Master of Arts.
After completing graduate school, he decided to accept a job teaching at St. Bonaventure University and, later, Jamestown Community College. Finally, in 1994, Rushboldt returned home to accept a job teaching here at Fredonia.
Rushboldt is immensely invested in his students, his community affairs and the university. Still, it’s hard to believe that a person as tenacious as himself was unsure of his career path even through college.
“I’m a ‘roll with it’ kind of person,” Rushboldt said, admitting that he didn’t know what career path to choose until graduate school.
“I always wanted to do something in politics, I knew that much,” he said. His decision was ultimately torn between history and political science.
Now, in his 20th year of teaching at Fredonia, Rushboldt is the second-longest serving professor in his department. He holds many titles including Chairman of the SEFA (State Employees Federal Appeal) campaign, Co-Director of the SUNY Model European Union and the official signer of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
He also serves as adviser of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity, the College Republicans, the College Democrats, Blackhorse Rugby and the Political Science Association. In addition, he serves on the boards of United Way, County Youth and the Dom Polski Club, as well as being a member of the College Senate.
“Everybody knows Ray because he’s such a helpful person,” said Alex Caviedes, an associate professor of Politics and International Affairs. “When I first came here, he was the faculty advisor to nearly every club that had anything to do with political science.”
Caviedes calls him “by far, the most invested person in WNY,” explaining that he is “tremendously involved in the social fabric of Dunkirk.”
Many people both inside and outside the department know Rushboldt for his fierce involvement with the community, his famous “Rushboldt Stories” and his intense and passionate personality.
Joe Drake, a sophomore video production and political science dual major, has taken Rushboldt’s Elections in America class.
“He’s really knowledgeable about everything he’s teaching, and he’s super into it,” Drake said. “He’s always moving and getting in students’ faces to make sure they’re into it, [too]. He’s really engaging, [and] he condenses everything from the book and makes it much easier to understand.”
However, whenever he isn’t being a politically-involved busy-body, Rushboldt loves gardening, cooking, golfing and going to the casino. One of his dreams is to work in a greenhouse after he retires — if he retires, that is.
“I don’t know if I ever will!” Rushboldt exclaimed. “I can’t imagine that if they gave me the opportunity to teach a class [that I would pass it up]. I’d do it until I die. I don’t think I’d ever really walk away from this place.”
He says that he will formally “retire” in the future, but he would still love to do work on the side. Of course, Rushboldt still has a lot of working years left in him. He also jokes that once he does retire, he will have a lot more time to brush up on his golfing skills.
“I wanna be good enough when I retire that other people don’t mind playing with me,” he says.
Rushboldt admitted another dream of his:
“[One] crazy thing that I always thought about doing that I don’t think I ever will do is running for office,” he said. Still, Rushboldt joked that even if he did run for office, he would not be considered partisan enough to get votes.
As a professor, Rushboldt understands that many students have other things on their plate besides getting involved in politics, and he knows that this is the reason why the voting rate is so low for the younger age-groups. He just wants his students to be informed and to be passionate.
“As a teacher and an adviser, my goal is for [my students] to find something that they’re interested in and to teach them that the job they pick should make them happy,” he said. “That’s all you can really hope for.”
Rushboldt has traveled all around Europe with his students as a part of Model European Union’s annual simulation, including Turkey, London, Ireland, Belgium and France.
Mohamed Sadek, senior computer information systems major, had the opportunity to travel to Belgium with Rushboldt and the MEU last semester.
“[Rushboldt’s] a cool guy,” said Sadek. “I can’t tell you anything bad about him. As a person, he’s funny, he’s kind, he’s knowledgeable and he actually wrote my letter of recommendation to be an RA.”
Rushboldt said that if he could travel anywhere, he would go to Poland, because that’s where his ancestors are from. He also would love to visit Italy and the Middle East, although, he said jokingly, “I hope that I’ll die at a casino table.”
Caviedes explained that although the Politics and International Affairs Department starts out with a small number of students each year, more always join. This is why it’s important that enthusiastic professors like Rushboldt teach entry-level courses such as “American Politics.”
Scott Bennett, a senior dual major in political science and public relations, is just one of the many students who has benefitted from Rushboldt’s teachings.
“I was already interested in [political science] at the start, but he certainly [showed] me what I wanted to learn and what I want in a professor,” Bennett said. “I’ve recommended students who aren’t political science majors to take his class, and they’ve enjoyed it.”
“I think that’s why students like him so much, is because he’s a really good teacher — especially at the level of making politics something that is interesting and immediately accessible,” said Caviedes. “Not all professors have that gift.”