Teaching has long been a passion of mine, even before I took my first university position at Rutgers in 1984, gulp, forty-one years ago.  After four years there I moved to Chapel Hill and have taught in the Religious Studies Department here since 1988.  And now I have decided it is time for me to retire.  This semester will be my last.  As of January 1, 2026, I will be gainfully unemployed.

At least, at the university.  I will still be engaging – actually, having more time to pursue – my other academic interests: my research and publications (Books!), the Blog, and what we originally called BEPS (my company, co-owned with Chris Huntley, that produces online courses, holds conferences, provides consultation services, and so on; if you don’t know about it, see my website bartehrman.com).

In short, now that I’m moving out of the ABC’s it will be almost entirely the BBB’s (Books, Blog, BEPS).

Well, not exactly.  In addition I will also be able to put more attention to those things that matter most to my personal life (the “Bart” category): Sarah, my kids, grandkids, friends, pleasure reading, hiking, traveling, cooking, and hey – maybe even [for the first time in forever, Monday Night Football!).  And to my lecture tours (the “Byways” category). And all the other things that come down upon me unsolicited (email! Requests for book blurbs and reviews, essay requests, and so on – I put all these under the “Busy-ness” rubric.)

So, with “Bart, Byways, and Busyness” it’s actually the BBBBBB’s, minus the other B (my Baseline: the day job!).  OK then.

I leave the university with some regrets.  I’ve always loved undergraduate teaching, and I seem to love it now more than ever, mainly because over the past two years I have had small classes (25-35 students) instead of enormous ones (250-350 students) and I get to connect with them SO much better.  It’s powerful and gratifying experience, and I’m giving it up.

Family and friends keep telling me that I’m not actually going to be giving up teaching, and that’s absolutely right.  But nothing can replicate the experience of being face to face with a group of 19-20 year olds who are smart, interested, keen on learning, and open to new ideas and ways of thinking about the world.

BUT, a university position comes with SO much more than that: classroom teaching is really only a fraction of the job.   There’s the class prep itself (reading, producing lectures, making Powerpoints, etc. etc.); the grading (erg…); the office hours; the letters of reference for students; the departmental committee meetings and obligations; the department meetings; the departmental and university (not to mention state and national) politics; and….   And I ain’t gonna miss much of THAT!

For my first 30 years of teaching I was convinced, and told everyone who wanted to know, that I was going to keep at it until they carried me out feet-first.  But, as with so many other things that I spend a lot of time thinking about, I was open to changing my mind and did.  I decided last summer that this is the right time for me, and so out I go, with incredibly fond memories, a huge amount of gratitude to UNC-Chapel Hill, my department, the administrators, and the university, and especially the students.  I was incredibly lucky (literally, lucky) to get the job in the first place; I’ve never been one of those faculty who take their position for granted or think they deserve better  or groan and moan about the problems; and I can’t imagine these decades of teaching going any better.

Unlike a lot of colleagues and friends I know who retire, I am not going to be looking around for things to do with my time.  And so, frankly, I’m ecstatic about the decision and about what lies ahead.  I just turned 70, so I’m thinkin’ I’m about halfway there….