Asked & Answered: Laura Musselwhite — Educator extraordinaire, history and movie buff

Laura Musselwhite has been the dean of instruction at UNM-Valencia for 10 years. She moved to New Mexico from Georgia. She and her husband, Harry, came to New Mexico on their honeymoon 33 years ago and fell in love with it.

Laura and Harry live in Los Lunas. Their son, Austin, lives in Atlanta, Ga.; daughter, Dory and son-in-law, Eric, live in Auburn, Ala., with their two sons, Henry, 3, and Harrison, 1.

Q: What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?

A: “If I am headed to or from work, I think about what I have to do that day, or how the day went. It takes me about 20 minutes to get to campus, which is great for planning.

“Outside of work travel, I normally listen to ʼ80s music in the car and just try to relax. There are so many beautiful drives in New Mexico that I spend a lot of driving time admiring the scenery.”

Q: What’s a myth about your profession you’d like to bust?

A: “There probably aren’t that many myths about being a dean, except for how terrible or trying it must be! But, it’s really a great job. I started out as a college history teacher, and got into administration mainly to try and affect positive change at my institution.

“There are some really exciting things happening at UNM-Valencia, and my position allows me to be a part of that and improve teaching and learning in our community.”

Q: What were you like in high school?

A: “I was pretty quiet in high school. I suppose I was the average good student who liked her classes. I didn’t do sports or anything like that, but I loved being in chorus and went on lots of trips and concerts with that group. I still have good friends who were chorus geeks with me. In fact, I still communicate with our high school director, who was a big influence in my life.”

Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received and from whom?

A: “I had a mentor at my former college job who became a model for me as an academic professional. Her name was Virginia Carson, and she was the vice president for Academic Affairs at Georgia Highlands College, a position that I eventually gained for a time, until I moved to New Mexico. I watched everything she did closely — some things I took on as habits of my own and some I realized were not for me. However, she had a grace and presence that I try to follow to this day. She told me once to take chances and maximize my talents because I had the potential to lead. That meant the world to me.”

Q: What did you want to be when you grew up?

A: “I knew I wanted to be a teacher from a pretty young age. My father’s mom had been an elementary school teacher for decades, and she was a big influence. I would set up all my dolls and stuffed animals in a semi-circle to create a classroom. I don’t remember what I was trying to teach them, but it was a passion for me even as a kid. Also, as an only child, I liked to boss people around!”

Q: Who inspires you?

A: “I am inspired by the great teachers I see every day, and teachers I have had in the past. The reason to be in education is to see students grow. Being able to create energy and excitement in the classroom is inspiring. It’s not about being some huge cheerleader or having all fun and games in the classroom — it’s more about seeing the excitement in students’ eyes when they get a concept. When you know that you have sparked an interest or curiosity in a student, it’s a wonderful thing. I get to see our UNM-Valencia professors do that every day, which is incredibly inspiring.”

Q: If you could work any other job for one day, what would it be and why?

A: “Probably something outside, since I sit behind a computer a lot of the time normally. If I could work at a garden shop, where I would pot cute little plants all day, that would be fun. Not like my actual yard, where it is full of goatheads!”

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: “Related to the question above, during the warm months, I spend much time trying to keep my yard under control. I weed for hours, and work on managing our roses and Virginia creeper. My latest project is to try and shape our invasive Chinese elm into a hedge. Not a traditional method, I know, but it’s pretty! Also, whenever we have some extended free time, we like to travel and be with the kids and grandkids.”

Q: What’s something about you most people don’t know?

A: “Back in Rome, Ga., where we used to live, my husband and I ran a film festival for more than five years. He was the front man, and I ran most of the business side. It was pretty extensive, and gave me the chance to meet some really interesting people. I also learned that I did not want to be an event planner at any point in my future.”

Q: What three books would you to take to a deserted island?

A: “Probably a big history book, like ‘Citizens’ by Simon Schama, because it takes forever to read. Then, something fun, like a cookbook in case I had any food. Lastly, back to history with an historical novel by Barbara Tuchman (very old school).”

Q: You find a lottery ticket that ends up winning $10 million. What would you do?

A: “First, make sure that we and the kids were debt free. Then, I would donate money to some causes that were important to me, and save the rest.”

Q: Who is your best friend and why?

A: “My husband, Harry. We have been married for 33 years and are a great match. I think we compliment each other well. Also, he’s a wonderful listener and supporter of everything I do. He is far more ambitious for me than I am for myself, so he encourages me every day. We make a good team and love to spend time together.”

Q: What’s your favorite song to sing when you’re alone?

A: “I can’t pin it down to just one song, but I’ll belt out Barry Manilow when I’m by myself. I listened to his albums so many times when I was a teen and pre-teen that I immediately remember the lyrics even if I haven’t heard a song for decades. I still have a ton of the old albums.”

Q: Where is your happy place, and why?

A: “I’m more of a beach person, so the ocean makes me happy. There are some beaches along the coast of Georgia that have great memories for me, but we’ve also had a couple of wonderful vacations to the island of St. Martin. If we are talking about a big journey, my favorite city in the world is Florence, Italy. It has a peace and calm to it, and it resonates with history.”

Q: Have you had a life-changing experience that led you to where you are today?

A: “Ten years ago, I was at a crossroads in terms of my career; plus, my son had just gone off to college. We had been talking about moving to New Mexico for years, and I decided it was time for a change, so I just went for it. I went out on a limb and applied for the position at UNM-Valencia (a part of New Mexico we had never seen, despite a dozen vacations over the years). I was thrilled to get the job, but it meant uprooting from all that had been familiar for the past 20 years. It was quite a change, but was the right choice. It has been an incredible 10 years.”

Q: What teacher had the greatest impact on you?

A: “One of my high school history teachers, Elizabeth Russell. She taught European history, and made me see that I wanted to teach history, too. I had always loved the stories (I was hooked on the Henry VIII and his six wives tale), but she inspired me to follow it as a career. I wanted to emulate her, and inspire students in the same way.”

Q: What is your favorite movie scene and why?

A: “One of my favorite movies is ‘Big Night.’ It stars Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub as two brothers who run a restaurant in 1950’s New Jersey. They are down on their luck, and hope to get a new investor in a famous musician. They execute an enormous dinner to honor him, and the cooking of that meal is one of the best scenes ever.”

Q: If you could have dinner with one famous person — dead or alive — who would it be and why?

A: “Following up on the Henry VIII theme — I would want to have dinner with Anne Boleyn, his second wife. I have always felt so sorry for her, and I would want to ask her what the real story was. She is either loved or hated, and I would like to get to know her better and understand her pathway.”

Q: What are you most proud of?

A: “I am incredibly proud of my kids. My son is a strong, independent soul who is very talented at his profession as a software engineer. My daughter and son-in-law are both educators who are raising two little ones to be caring humans. But, I am also proud of my track record as a teacher and the thousands of students I have taught over the years. Any small positive influence I have had in their lives makes me so happy and so fulfilled.”

Q: How would you like to be remembered?

A: “As someone who worked really hard to better the lives of those around me — whether that be students, the faculty and staff with whom I work, or my family. I would want people to see my legacy as one of strengthening the ability of people around me to thrive.”