Faculty Feature: Dr. Suzanne Falck-Yi

Suzanna Falck-Yi is the head of the English Department.

By Jaci Olson

Dr. Suzanne Falck-Yi is a Professor of English and Director of the Honors College at Waldorf University. This is her 22nd year as a faculty member.

Falck-Yi is originally from Princeton, Illinois but she says she moved a lot within the states. “I went to a really small college called Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois for my Bachelors in English. I got my Masters in English at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. I got my Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana in Champaign, Illinois,” Falck-Yi said.

Falck-Yi explains why she ended up coming to Waldorf, “I was getting my Ph.D., and my husband moved to Saint Louis. So, I got a part-time teaching job for five years, and then I worked at Iowa State for three years. When that contract was up, I heard of Waldorf, and that was also the first time I heard of the ELCA. At that time Waldorf was a two year school. I also had two of the same students at Iowa State and Waldorf, so it seemed to fit.”

Falck-Yi told of the thing she likes the most about Waldorf. “[What I enjoy most] is the chance to have small classes, so I can get to know my students well, and I’m unusual in that I teach mainly honors and English students, and it is fun to get to know them.”

Some of her biggest challenges include recruiting enough students for the English major and the Honors Program.

When asked what her favorite part of the job was Falck-Yi said, “Watching the students grow with their writing.”

Falck-Yi is also a member of a community garden. She says,”that’s one of my favorite things to do in my spare time, also quilting and reading novels.” She adds, “I’m also the faculty sponsor for the Alpha Chi Honor Society and Amnesty International.”