These days, it seems that professors rarely put much thought into the design and layout of their workspace. Aside from the Rage Against The Machine-esque collage of posters that once lined the outside of Dr. DiGiorgio-Lutz’s office, a bleak sea of gray with the occasional forlorn portrait generally distinguishes the walls of faculty workstations.
However, when stepping into the office of Dr. Jeffrey Herndon, assistant professor for the Department of Political Science, students will be delighted to find that there is more to look at than just coffee-stained ceramic mugs and dishes of overflowing paper clips. Amidst shelves of books written by Plato and Aristotle are superhero figurines, a Lord Of The Ring poster, and a Monk bobble head accompanied by a sign reading, “Don’t Touch Mr. Monk.”
“Please excuse my mess,” Herndon said. “I’m in the middle of rearranging my office.”
Though born in Pennsylvania, Herndon’s family moved frequently, making stops in Okinawa, Nevada, Ohio, and Texas among other places.
“I love Texas,” Herndon said. “I always remember the famous Davy Crockett line when he lost his re-election to the House, ‘You gentlemen can go to hell, as for me I’m going to Texas.'”
Once he received his bachelor’s degrees in history and political science from Texas State University, Herndon went on to receive his master’s in political science from the same institution.
“I was planning on getting a political science degree and then going to law school,” Herndon said. “I got veered off of law school and I’m glad that I did because being a teacher is much better for me than being a lawyer.”
After leaving Texas State, Herndon received his Ph.D., in Political Science from Louisiana State University (LSU). Subsequently, the LSU Honor’s College hired him on a year-to-year contract as an instructor.
After working at LSU for three years, Herndon received job offers from four different institutions, but accepted the job at Texas A&M University-Commerce after Dr. Charles Embry retired from the university three years ago.
“I think he’s a great professor,” Dr. Joann DiGiorgio-Lutz, Head of the Political Science Department said. “He engages his classes and he’s very conscientious of his students and what they are learning. They shouldn’t think twice about enrolling in his class.”
According to Herndon, while making his courses fun for both he and his class is important, helping students discover what they think and why they think it is a priority.
“I like ‘light bulb’ moments with students,” Herndon said. “When you’re teaching politics, there is a lot of pressure to tell people what you think about particular things, but that’s not really my job. I’m not interested in people thinking the same things that I think.”
Robert Bergeron, former Kinesiology major, said that while Herndon is not a traditional teacher, he pushes students to think about politics in a unique way.
“Out of all the classes I took, his was the most memorable,” Bergeron said. “I remember leaving his lectures and thinking, ‘I can’t wait to see what he has to say next time.'”
Living in Rockwall with his two children and wife of fourteen years, Herndon coaches his eight-year-old daughter’s soccer team, follows LSU football, and enjoys spending time with his family.
“My one piece of advice for students would be to go through the course catalog, find something you’re just curious about and take it,” Herndon said. “Don’t worry if it’s on your degree plan, don’t worry if it fits your outline. University education is supposed to broaden your horizons and if I tell you to only take XYZ, we haven’t done anything to appeal to your intellect, interests, or curiosities.”