Palisadian Dr. Christine Schultz Wins State

Santa Monica College political science professor Dr. Christine Schultz, who is known for her deep love of teaching and her success in growing and diversifying SMC’s honors transfer program, has been named one of four winners of the prestigious statewide 2008 Hayward Award for Excellence in Education. ‘I’m excited,’ said Schultz, who will also receive a $1,250 cash prize. “I never cared about this kind of thing but it is nice when you get recognized.” Schultz, 56, a Palisades resident, has taught at SMC for the past 24 years. In 2004, she took over as chairperson of the Philosophy and Social Science Department–which includes political science, economics, sociology, philosophy and women’s studies. A specialist in the effects of the mass media on presidential politics, Schultz also taught from 1979 to 1997 at UCLA, where she earned her doctorate. She has twice been named SMC Alpha Gamma Sigma Outstanding Professor of the Year and twice named UCLA Professor or the Year. Although colleagues praise Schultz for her intellectual heft and impeccable academic credentials (she is the author of three college textbooks on American government and politics), they single out her passion for teaching. “The happiest moments of each of my days are those spent in the classroom,’ Schultz says. “With my students I learn, laugh, embark on uncharted seas, and push the boundaries of knowledge. My love affair with the classroom is so consuming that I have never opted to take a sabbatical leave and I have accumulated 238 days of unused sick leave.” Demanding of her students, Schultz has produced results, chalking up one of the highest student retention rates at the college. More than 90 percent of her pupils have finished her courses, and more than 75 percent receiving A’s or B’s. “I am not an easy grader,” Schultz said. “Rather, I have developed a complex system of working individually with each of my students, tailoring my assignments to their particular interests and talents. “In a 16-week semester, I offer more than 42 assignments from which students pick and choose. It is not uncommon for me to be meeting individually with students the week of finals trying to provide them additional opportunities to express themselves and what they have learned. My students thrive in this environment of choice.” From 1986 to 2002, Schultz served as the faculty coordinator of SMC’s prestigious Scholars Program, an honors program whose students are essentially guaranteed admission into such schools as UCLA as long as they follow a prescribed curriculum and maintain the required grade point average. During her tenure, the program grew from approximately 30 students to more than 800. Reflecting on her decades long experience, Schultz has seen numerous cycles in student involvement in the politics. ‘I’ve taught so long, I’ve seen so many changes,’ she says. ‘At UCLA, students were so politically aware, then during the Ronald Reagan presidency, they were more interested in careers and making money. After Reagan, there was a lull for a lot of years. Now, this year, I’m beginning to see some interest again, not necessarily in the war, but they are really involved in the environment, there is real enthusiasm. They are see their world destroyed.’ With her specialty in mass media and presidential politics, Schultz admits that she is currently reveling in one of the most dramatic and exciting presidential races in contemporary American history. ‘The 2008 presidential campaign is exciting this young generation of first-time voters,’ Schultz said. “This moment in history presents an opportunity for this nation to invite them in and encourage and foster their voice in politics.’ Schultz and her husband, Greg, have two daughters, Katlain and Courtney, both of whom are involved in post-graduate work. Schultz jokes that, thanks to Greg, who is in real estate, she has always been able to do what she loves. When she is not in the classroom, Schultz enjoys her morning walks with her neighbor in the Riviera and the local mountains. ‘I love to hike and I love to be with my kids,’ she says. ‘Teaching has been a perfect job for a mother.’ The Hayward Award, named for former California Community Colleges Chancellor Gerald C. Hayward, is given each year to four instructors from four regions in the state.