After experiencing and accomplishing many things in his 41 years at the University of Wisconsin, Professor Timothy Allen gave his final first lecture Friday.
Allen said he plans to retire at the end of this semester.
Although he knows he could give another five years to UW, Allen said he also wants to have a life post-UW.
The botany professor’s unique course, Plants and Man, has become a favorite of hundreds of UW students and the bane of many others’ existence.
Over the years, Allen has become one of the most well-known professors on campus, due to his unorthodox and controversial teaching style.
Unlike typical retirees who are characterized by their love of golf and leisure, Allen said he has no plans to slow down anytime soon.
“I’ll be putting up on the business talk circuit,” he said. “I think I’ll be going on YouTube and [the] internet and so there’s a lot of other new exciting things I can do.”
An expert in hierarchy theory, Allen said he also plans to create podcasts and continue to publish papers in his retirement.
“I should be able to get more papers out, get my ideas into greater currency and take advantage of the electronic media and things of that nature,” he said.
The podcasts in particular are a way for Allen to continue teaching even though he will no longer be physically teaching at UW.
As a father of three children, one 17-year-old and a set of 10-year-old twins, Allen said retiring would also help him to be a more involved father.
He added he is also looking forward to traveling to other universities and meeting with colleagues around the world.
In general, Allen is looking forward to the freedom that accompanies retirement.
“Being a professor is pretty time consuming, so I will have more freedom to make decisions one way or the other,” he said.
Allen said UW has been notified about his retirement, including the botany department, and “they’re all pissed off.”
Like UW officials, Dissertator Cassandra Garcia said Allen leaving is sad for her to see, but she added how happy she is for him.
As someone who loved learning from Allen, Garcia said his brilliance lies in how he teaches students to open their minds to a new way of thinking about the world.
Allen’s legacy lies not just in his research but in the graduate students he advised over the years, Garcia added.
“I think he probably put more energy into his classes than most, if not all other professors,” she said.
Reflecting on his teaching career, Allen said watching students change and enriching their lives have always been special to him.
“I’m not a very spiritual man — I mean I tell the students I’m an atheist — but I view teaching as a spiritual activity,” he said. “I take it that seriously, because I do change people’s minds, I do change people’s lives…and I feel that’s a huge privilege and a massive responsibility. It’s been a great joy.”
