If you’ve ever taken a journalism class here on campus, chances are you’ve heard of Linda Loomis. If you have a major in journalism, you’ve most likely had coffee in the Lake Effect Café with her. Loomis, 67, began teaching full-time here at SUNY Oswego in 2000. She spent 20 years working for a weekly newspaper in her hometown before that, and was the director of communication for the Oswego Alumni Association for four years. But when she started teaching, it was like coming home.
“It’s something I was made to do,” she says. “There’s a real excitement in teaching.”
Loomis teaches classes in both journalism and creative writing, and says she tries to teach her students in new and innovative ways.
“There aren’t always topics that are ‘lecturable,’ says Loomis. “Journalism has so many more dynamic topics; it’s something that is constantly evolving. If I’m not learning something new myself, then my method is not successful.”
Beyond just teaching, however, advisement is one of Loomis’ favorite things to do. She tries her best to get to know each of her students personally, whether it be by talking with them over coffee or attending performances on campus with them.
“People are more trusting when you get to know them one-on-one,” she says. “If they trust me, then I’m able to help them to the best of my abilities.”
By being on close terms with her students, she says she is teaching through a “living dynamic” system. She makes herself reachable through her office hours, Facebook, and her cell phone for whenever students may need her.
Samantha Shelton, a senior journalism major, says she most often reaches Loomis via text message.
“She’s so open and willing to meet her students at any time and for basically anything,” Shelton says. “Whenever I have to meet with her, she usually tells me to text her. I find that so funny coming from a 67-year-old professor, but it just goes to show you how much she wants to help people on a personal level.”
One of her greatest accomplishments was winning the President’s Award for Academic Advisement in 2003, an award that is distributed based on student nominations.
“It just reaffirms the fact that I’m doing an effective job in what I love doing,” says Loomis. “That award really means a lot to me.”
Off-campus, Loomis spends her time playing with her four grandchildren and their families, often going on “lots of impromptu family adventures” together. The group frequently heads to the park for some outdoor fun or stays indoors at a Saturday morning concert. A love for music, especially classical, is something that she is trying to pass down to her grandchildren.
“I’m not a big musician, but I really love listening to it,” she says. “I really enjoy listening to Beethoven and Bach.”
Loomis ties that passion into her career as a contributing writer for the Syracuse Post-Standard newspaper, where she writes symphony reviews with Syracuse University professor James Welsch. Although symphony night can get hectic because the reviews are due at the end of the evening, the thrill of seeing how her review is received the next morning makes it worth it.
“The editor said that they have never received as much feedback from reviews as they have since James and I started doing this together,” says Loomis. “Sometimes we have divergent points of view or harmonious points of view. It makes me feel wonderful because people recognize that they’re invited to voice their opinion.”
On Thursday nights, however, Loomis makes her own music during choir night at Liverpool United Methodist Church. It’s a weekly tradition, and a night she rarely misses.
“This is something I commit to every week while I’m still able to sing,” says Loomis. “There are always things going on that I would like to attend, but choir night is something I love. If I let myself skip one night, something would always come up after that.”
But mostly, she goes for her love for the sound of music.
“Ever since I was in junior choir, I recognized that being in choir is amazing,” says Loomis. “The music enters my very being.”
Despite maintaining a busy schedule, Loomis says that she is in the stage of life where every day is exciting for her. She truly looks forward to working with her students every day and has one simple piece of advice for them.
“For this period of your life, pay attention to the job you’re doing,” she says. “And what you’re doing is being a student. Do what you love.”
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Oswego chapter.