Forty years of teaching at UB has given Claude Welch first-hand knowledge of the university's past, and a unique view of its future.
Welch's office reflects his deeply rooted presence at UB with book-lined walls and souvenirs from global travels displayed in every nook and cranny. His African chief's robe, which he has been known to wear when he lectures about Africa, hangs behind the door. Even after extensive "de-excessioning" - his own word for giving books to students and libraries - it would be a major undertaking to pack up all of his academic life.
Welch came to UB in 1964, and has no regrets about following a career in education.
"It keeps you always in contact with people, and that kind of interchange means you can always pick up on new techniques," Welch said. "You can improve yourself. There couldn't be anything nicer."
The Boston-native grew up in a family that encouraged learning, something that stayed with him throughout the years. Welch always knew he wanted to do something with political science.
"I think I wanted to be Secretary of State," he said.
Welch did the "usual" boy things growing up and had his share of odd jobs, spending a summer cutting badges for an agricultural fair, and later working as a stock boy and a short order cook.
He earned a bachelors degree in political science from Harvard University, and after studying for a summer in London, decided to stay on at Oxford where he graduated with his Ph.D. in political science.
Welch and his family settled in Buffalo and by the time child number three - his only son - came along, the community had become their home. His first wife passed away in 1979, and in 1981 Welch married Jeannette Ludwig, a professor in the romance languages and literature department.
A faded wedding photo rests on the windowsill next to his desk. The pair recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, and will be spending winter break in Vietnam.
Welch started his career at UB during a time of change and growth, and was present at the groundbreaking ceremony for North Campus on Oct. 31, 1968.
"Governor Rockefeller was there, the president of the university, all the high mucky-mucks, and they dug down into the ground and hit water," Welch said. During the university's "growing pains," Welch dealt with departmental expansion and had to change offices multiple times.
The professor has taught for thousands of students over the past four decades, ranging from upper-level courses on human rights to general education requirements such as world civilization. He said he has a good picture of the "ideal student."
"They should be inquisitive, interested and perhaps willing to shift around in terms of major," Welch said. He believes that students who come to UB with "tunnel vision" are limiting their possibilities, since the university draws its strength from a wide range of majors and a unique community of undergraduate, graduate and professional students.
The spirit of togetherness, manifested recently in the aftermath of the snow, is one thing Welch likes about Buffalo. His house was one of the few with power, so he strung an electric line across the street to a neighbor who was left in the dark.
"People from this area understand living with tough times," he said.
Welch also loves the plethora of cultural opportunities that Buffalo offers for a city its size. In the evenings after dinner, he enjoys listening to his favorite WBFO program instead of watching TV. Even though he was a contestant on the TV show Jeopardy in the 1980s, Welch said that he had never watched the show and hasn't watched it since.
"I'm no Ken Jennings," he said, smiling.
For Welch, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award or being recognized as a Distinguished Service Professor is not the main focus of his career. Even the numerous textbooks he has penned are simply products of his academic career - Welch prefers instead to be remembered as someone who loves learning.
"Here I am at age 67 and I am still able to enjoy life," he said. "I look upon other men and women my age, some of them forced into retirement, but what I've been able to do as an academic has been really satisfying."
Retirement isn't a word in his vocabulary, but at some point he would like to "taper off" and devote more time for reading and working directly with students.
"I hope time ends naturally rather than by some foolish act of individuals," Welch said.
He also would like to devote more time to finishing a book he has been working on for a few years, which deals with human rights violations.
Welch may seem old-fashioned to his students since he refuses to post his lectures online, but he insists that a balance exist between students and teachers.
"There is a mutual obligation to teach well and for students to learn," Welch said.
Throughout his experience on campus and across the globe, as a teacher, father and member of the community, Welch has gathered many bits of wisdom.
"Always be alert to the non-spoken actions of others," Welch said. "Keep an open mind. It's better to keep an open mind than an open mouth."
