The Pioneer Club is grateful to Joan Rosen, professor emerita of English, for her help in revitalizing the widely popular Pioneer Profiles. Over the past year, Joan has shared informative stories about members and their life’s journeys following retirement from Oakland University.
After spending 37 years as an integral member of the English department, Joan has made it a priority to continue to stay connected to former faculty and staff, and her many students who are scattered around the world.
Pioneer Club Planning Committee co-chairs, Art Griggs and Bob Gaylor, appreciate the many hours Joan volunteers to produce Pioneer Profiles, her long standing dedication to her fellow retirees, and her good humor that always brings a smile to the table during planning meetings. “Joan is a shining example of what makes OU such a warm and caring community,” says Griggs. “Through Joan’s writings, we reacquaint with longtime friends and feel a sense of camaraderie with colleagues featured in her profiles,” adds Gaylor.
Joan realizes the importance of continuing valued relationships into retirement. “You have to want to make the effort to keep up with those you care about. I enjoy getting in touch with people I didn’t know and people I did know and haven’t seen for years,” says Joan. Joan retired from OU in 1999, but has remained engaged with the university community through the Oakland University Writing Center which she and her husband, Robert, helped establish through a founding gift in 2006.
April 20, 2021
