Brian McKeon likes to connect with his students. He gets their attention with physical comedy and unexpected attire. Jump up on a desk wearing a kilt? Sure. Whip off his sweater to reveal a Superman shirt and a cape? It's all in a day's work.
"The classroom's all about performance. It's all about getting their attention, helping them make connections, helping them see things in a different light," says the assistant professor of social sciences and humanities. "I think humor's a big part of that. I'm not afraid to make a fool of myself, if necessary."
He's also not afraid of learning, changing, evolving. Diving into diverse disciplines allows McKeon to make even more connections, for his own benefit and his students' advantage. He revels in encouraging students to "step out of their shells" and network with their classmates.
Hear about McKeon's wide-ranging, enthusiastic quest for knowledge in "Learn to Learn," the 25th episode of Pennsylvania College of Technology's Tomorrow Makers podcast.
This lifelong learner's broad perspective and growth mindset led him to earn a master's degree in biological sciences and a doctorate in philosophy and medical ethics. Now in his 19th year as a faculty member at Penn College, he has taught in natural sciences and physician assistant and taken courses in everything from business and chemical dependency to culinary and paralegal. He's been a volunteer firefighter, an EMT and a community theatre actor. McKeon combined his skills as a microbiologist with emergency management training to design a bioterrorism course that he teaches for the college's emergency management & homeland security major. He's also teaching a course in the philosophy of science and religion and is developing a philosophy minor. (No doubt, he leaps tall buildings in a single bound, too.)
Enjoy this inspiring, dynamic conversation with shapeshifter McKeon and podcast hosts Carlos Ramos, director of strategic marketing, and Sumer Beatty, associate director of marketing communications.
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