He's the highest ranked professor on both the Student Association's teacher evaluations and ratemyprofessors.com, and each semester students fight to squeeze into a slot for his famously engaging World Civilization classes.
Timothy Boyd, an associate professor in the Classics Department, knows how to turn a typically mundane course into a semester filled with fun, humor and excitement.
"History is a lot more important than I am," Boyd said, whose technique varies from other instructors because of his ability to relate to the undergraduate population. "I under-utilized my undergraduate time."
As an only child growing up in the town of Pennington, New Jersey, Boyd pursued his undergraduate degree at Amherst College. Originally pursuing a degree in theatre, Boyd quickly switched to classics while teaching himself German and classical music.
After a 10-year break between his bachelor's degree and graduate degree, which was spent working odd jobs, Boyd decided to go to graduate school to pursue a degree in creative writing. As a graduate student, Boyd taught Latin and history to middle school children, during which time he discovered a love for teaching.
While attending Princeton University, where he received his degree in comparative literature, Boyd met his wife Carolyn Higbie who is now also a professor in the Classics Department.
Boyd and his wife moved to Buffalo in 1999 after UB offered Carolyn a tenure job while she was a professor at Harvard University. He said he remembers being excited about the opportunity as he often vacationed in the Niagara region with his family.
They now reside in an old 1830s farmhouse in Lockport with their five year old twins, Elspeth and Alisdair. As history buffs, the historic home is a perfect fit.
"I like old houses because they are full of the past," Boyd said. "Old houses are like time machines."
Boyd also harbors a love for history reenactments. His spends his summers going to reenactments and touring battlefields and forts.
"I have virtually been to every battlefield in the U.S. and Eastern Canada," Boyd said.
He loves visiting history just as much as he loves teaching history and considers teaching history a "blast." Besides the World Civilization classes, he is also a Greek language professor.
Boyd started teaching world civilization to a class of 125 students and has gradually worked his way up to teaching in lectures full of over 300 students. He doesn't lecture from notes or Powerpoint slides because he likes to illustrate history through props, games and interaction with students.
"I like to play." Boyd said. "I think learning is about play and play is like learning."
Boyd believes that teaching should be as personal as possible. He will often go up the aisles of the lecture halls to meet students, asking them questions to get to know them better. He also provides pictures of his kids on the overhead for everyone to see, so that the class can get to know him too.
"I want students to feel that we are people, just like them," Boyd said.
This professor believes a teacher is kind of like the student's coach. If he is good at his job, they will be too, and ultimately, succeed.
"I win if they win," Boyd said.
