Faces

Reclining in his office with his feet up on a chair, David Roebuck is where he wants to be.

“I will never leave,” Roebuck said. “At Columbia College, it is all about teaching and learning. How can it be any better than that when you love doing both?”

Roebuck, 50, is a professor of political science, a faculty adviser, chairman of the department of history and social science and the president of the faculty association.

“I have been teaching for 27 years, and it is still as much fun as it was 27 years ago,” Roebuck said. “I could be having the worst day, but when I walk into class and close the door, it’s all left behind.”

Roebuck enjoys engaging students in political discussions and having them think about the role politics plays in their lives.

“What is really fun about my job is that every week or so I get an

e-mail or a call from a student I taught years ago,” Roebuck said. “That is the most rewarding thing; you know you have really had an impact on people’s lives.”

Family plays an important role in Roebuck’s life. The son of an election officer, Roebuck grew up in a politically involved household. He is the father of three children, ages 15, 12 and 11. In his time away from Columbia College, he coaches his sons in baseball and soccer and regularly takes his daughter to ballet lessons.

“I will never have a job that does not allow me to participate in the lives of my kids,” Roebuck said. “You don’t get that chance but once, so you don’t want to lose it.”