Popular Professors: MaryAnne Borrelli

Attention Conn collegiettes: if you are looking for a female role model to live up to, here she is! Rated as one of the best professors on campus by her students, Professor MaryAnne Borrelli is not only multi-published, a recipient of numerous fellowships and grants, an academic advisor for the Connecticut College Field Hockey team, and Chair of the Government and International Relations Department, but is also an active advocate for women’s influence in politics.

To summarize, Professor Borrelli is the epitome of success in the field of politics that has been predominantly dominated by men. Although Professor Borrelli’s classes are far from easy, her students could not speak better about their “most dedicated” professor. One of Professor Borrelli’s past students remarks, “She is the most loyal and thoughtful professor I’ve had at Conn. I left her class with my lowest grade of the year but not regretting the class for a second, because of how comprehensive an education I received.” So students, if you want take full advantage of the liberal arts experience, take one of Professor Borrelli’s classes! Why? As one of her previous students said, “She is the best of the best.”

1.  Besides your daily work, what are you passionate about?
Family.  Balancing life on and off campus is a juggle, and I’m lucky to have a family that understands the rhythms of the academic year.  We all try to adapt to the demands and mostly we succeed. 

2.  As a professor at the College, what is your pedagogy?
I rarely spoke in my undergraduate classes, which created real difficulties in graduate school.  As a result, I try to stress discussion in all my courses.  I also want students to be learning about themselves and their own political judgments, so I ask a lot of questions that invite an “I think …” response.  I don’t think you can learn, reflect, or act if you don’t understand yourself.

3.  What made you want to become a faculty advisor for the Connecticut College Field Hockey team?
Coach Debbie Lavigne invited me to be an advisor – she sees athletics and academics as intertwined.  We met one another in the gym, when Debbie was training for a marathon and I was rehabbing my leg after a fall.  Her invitation to serve as an advisor was irresistible and just a bit intimidating.  I’d never before been associated with an athletic team and everything – from practices to games to tailgates – was an unknown.  But athletics were/are very important to many of my students, so how could I turn down such a great learning opportunity?

4.  Who has had the biggest influence in your life so far?
I honestly can’t identify just one person.  For my family, I try to be present, because that is the lesson that I learned from my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.  For my students, I try to be honorable and fair, because that is the lesson that I most valued from my own professors and mentors.  And for myself, I try to save a little piece of each day, because my peers have shown me the importance of keeping things in perspective.

5.  What is your personal motto or mission statement? 
“Take care of the days.”  Because if you live each day well, the weeks and months and years take care of themselves.

6.  Tell us about the path you took to get where you are today.
I always wanted to teach, either first grade or college.  First grade, because language is still so new and fresh, and children are seeing its power through their first encounters with reading and writing.  College, because that is when ideas become so vibrant and meaningful.  As a senior in College, I applied to Ph.D. programs, thinking that I would become a College professor if I was accepted and a first grade teacher if I was not.  Well, I got in, and then the work really started.  And, years later, here I am, feeling very fortunate to have the opportunity to achieve my career goals.

7.  Have you ever encountered sexism in your work or personal life and if so, how did you deal with it?
I’m in a discipline (political science) and a profession (academia) that historically has been overwhelmingly male.  Men and women (often both!) do not necessarily accept having women hold offices that were previously reserved to men, and they are quick to deliver that message.  My response to being dismissed depends on the person and the circumstances.  If they are being hurtful, to others and to me, then I have to intervene, to constructively stop their behavior.  If they are hurting, then I have to think about how to respect their pain as I work for change.  Mostly, I’d rather have people realize for themselves that their values need to be reassessed, but sometimes you can’t wait for people to grow all on their own.

8.  What has been your biggest achievement to date: the thing in your life that you are most proud of? 
I’m so in the midst, I’m not sure what is my biggest achievement.  I know that I try to be someone that my family can depend upon and that my students/peers can trust.  That matters to me.  On a lighthearted note, I’m proud that I’ve been successful in training for 5K’s, since I couldn’t run 100 yards when I started.  Now, my personal times are improving pretty steadily and I’m hoping to take on a couple of 10K races next year.  I’m also proud that I’ve done a fair amount of traveling and hiking.  I think I’m happiest above tree line, when I can see so much more of the sky. 

9.  What advice would you give to other women who want to do what you do?
Name the good and the bad; embrace the good and work to change the bad.  Appreciate your friends and family.  Be relentlessly optimistic, because it keeps you strong.  Persist, even when you are tired.  Have faith, especially when it seems irrational.  And, above all, be patient with yourself!

10.  In 2011, you published your book, entitled The Politics of the President’s Wife, which discusses the influence the first lady has on not only her husband but also the presidency.  What role do you see and hope women will play in politics in the upcoming years?
I’d like all people to be able to engage in politics with their full creativity.  I study the construction of women’s gender roles and it’s disheartening to see how tightly public opinion constrains women as decision-makers.  Women are so diverse – different classes, genders, races, ethnicities, religions, and sexualities. We could accomplish so much if we enjoyed our diversity. Substituting respect and welcome for constraint, that’s the role I’d like to see everyone assuming in politics.

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