New Hires & Retirees

Retirees

Kevin Boyle, professor of English

Kevin Boyle will retire from Elon in December 2021 after 29 years at Elon. Boyle served as chair of the Department of English for four years and as coordinator for the creative writing program for about 15 years. He especially loves to teach creative writing and says that is what he will miss the most about working at Elon. Boyle will retire in the fall after teaching one final poetry class at Elon. In the meantime, he has been working on a bit of his own poetry to share his thoughts on life after Elon.

“I started a poem the other day in which I quote—and aspire to imitate—Shakespeare’s Prospero on his retirement to Milan: ‘Every third thought shall be my grave.’ As the poem progresses, it’s eventually every fifth thought, then a thought of the grave every fortnight, until finally the speaker forgets his pledge and just lives as if death doesn’t exist,” Boyle said. “I guess that’s my plan, plus writing more poems, plus traveling to countries with my wife where I can practice my horrible Spanish, Italian and French. And my more horrible German—auf wiedersehen.”

Vicky Fischer Faw, professor of music

After more than 30 years of teaching at Elon, Victoria Fischer Faw began retirement this summer. Many in the Elon community know Fischer Faw through her piano pedagogy program, which provides piano lessons to community children through a structured pedagogy curriculum for piano students at Elon. She is also a familiar face on stage, having played several concerts over the years, including with the Phoenix Piano Trio. Fischer Faw has also served as president of the Elon chapter of Phi Kappa Phi and chair of the Promotions and Tenure Committee, and on the General Studies Revisions and Faculty Scholarship task forces.

Her favorite memories of Elon remain “the joy of success when students work so hard for so long and achieve their personal best on stage in performance, research presentations and auditions.” As Fischer Faw begins retirement, she plans to keep sharing her knowledge with the world. “I am a musician and teacher, so I’ll be making music and teaching one way or the other,” she said. “I have lots of projects in progress, but I do look forward to slowing down the pace and having more time for home and family.”

Kathy Gallucci, associate professor of biology

Kathy Gallucci moved from Syracuse to Greensboro with her husband, who was teaching at UNC-Greensboro, in the 1980s, and was originally hired part-time as the biology lab coordinator in 1984. Since then, Gallucci has been an instructor, assistant professor and associate professor of biology.

In 37 years at the university, Gallucci says she most enjoyed “witnessing the ‘aha’ moments when students learn new concepts, and working with dynamic and supportive colleagues.” Following her retirement in August 2021, Gallucci plans to “exhale, and then to read, travel and volunteer more.”

Jon Metzger, professor of music and artist-in-residence

Jon Metzger, considered “A Star Vibist” by Jazztimes, came to Elon in 1989 to teach percussion and jazz studies courses. He began as an artist-in-residence before roles as a coordinator of jazz studies and later an assistant, associate and full professor of music. Metzger also served as chair of Elon’s Department of Music. As an artist, Metzger has won a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Grant for Performance and appeared at well-known jazz venues across the U.S. and around the world. He has played for kings and queens and other heads of state while serving as a jazz ambassador to more than 20 foreign countries in the Near East, Northern and Sub-Sahara Africa, and Central America under the auspices of the United States Information Agency’s Arts America Program.

Although retiring from Elon, he plans to continue performing and recording. “I’ll always have fond memories of our percussion ensemble concerts each semester; all of our 25 annual jazz festivals and all the musicians who came to Elon for them; and traveling with the Elon jazz ensemble to festivals in the states (like the East Coast Jazz Festival in D.C.) and abroad in Austria, Germany, Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands and Denmark,” Metzger said.

Beth Warner, associate professor of human service studies

Beth Warner joined Elon and the Department of Human Service Studies in the fall of 2003, excited about the opportunity to innovate through teaching and programs. In 18 years at Elon, Warner has held positions as associate professor and chair of the Department of Human Service Studies.

As she prepares for retirement in August 2021, Warner says she will cherish the memories she created with fellow faculty. “My department colleagues, by far, have been my favorite thing about working at Elon over the years,” Warner said. “I will miss all the wonderful conversations, the support we gave each other and the focus on providing the best education and experience for students.” Warner says she is looking forward to more time to garden, travel and work on social justice issues in her retirement.